How to Convert PNG Images to WebP

Converting your images to WebP format can unlock many perks, as WebP files are around 23% smaller than comparable PNG image files. This size reduction can significantly boost your website’s performance.

Using WebP thumbnails, YouTube significantly boosted page loading speed, reducing load time by 10%.

Yet, moving from PNG to WebP has its challenges. Since WebP is a newer format, many image editing tools don’t support it, making conversion difficult.

But don’t worry—we’re here to walk you through the six simplest ways to effortlessly convert PNG to WebP.

Ready to boost your website’s performance? Let’s get started!

Why Should You Convert PNG Images to WebP?

WebP is the modern image format and Google’s recommended image format.

PNG supports only lossless compression, which makes its file size larger. On the other hand, WebP provides superior lossy and lossless compression. Thus, the WebP file size is smaller than PNG.

WebP lossless images are 26% smaller than PNGs. This reduction helps to reduce web page size significantly. Therefore, improves web page loading speed, which boosts user experience and ranking on the SERP.

WebP images can reduce bandwidth use significantly for websites that use many images. It also makes web browsing smoother for devices with a slower internet connection.

PNG doesn’t support natively. On the other hand, WebP supports animation.

WebP is better than PNG in many ways, providing more benefits. 

1. Convert PNG to WebP Free Online

Converting your PNG images to WebP is a breeze with the Shortpixel Image Compressor and WebP Converter tool. It’s a free PNG to WebP converter.

It converts PNG to WebP while also compressing the WebP image. As a result, your PNG images become smaller WebP images.

Let’s see how you can do that,

Step 1: Go to the Shortpixel Image Optimizer and select your desired compression level. You can choose between lossy, glossy, and lossless compression. 

Choose lossless to preserve image quality. In contrast, lossy compression significantly reduces the size of image files.

Step 2: Go to Settings and turn on Generate WebP. You can also remove the converted WebP image’s background color.

Step 3: Upload the PNG image to Shortpixel Image Optimizer for conversion to WebP. It will be available for download as a compressed WebP image. You can also view the compression percentage. 

Shortpixel allows you to convert and compress 50 images at once. However, the maximum file size is 10 megabytes.

2. Convert PNG to WebP Using Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is the most widely used photo editing program. It allows you to convert images to a variety of formats while also editing them.

Converting your PNG images to WebP format using Photoshop is a straightforward process. Let’s walk through it together,

Step 1: If you have an Adobe Photoshop version higher than 23.2, install a WebP support add-on to support WebP images. In this case, use this guide.

Step 2: Open Photoshop and load the PNG image you want to convert to WebP. To do so, select File > Open.

Step 3: After you’ve edited the PNG image, select File > Save As.

Use WebP in the “Save as type” format to replace the original PNG image.

If you want to keep your base PNG image, mark it As a Copy; otherwise, the WebP image will replace your orignial PNG image.

Step 4: When you click “Save a Copy”, a WebP settings dialogue box appears, giving you complete control over configuring WebP settings based on your preferences.

You can also choose between “Lossy and Lossless” compression levels for the image, as well as include or exclude XMP or EXIF metadata.

When finished, click “OK” to save the WebP image.

3. Convert PNG Images to WebP on Mac

WebP Converter is a top choice for converting PNG to WebP on Mac. It lets you quickly and efficiently convert PNG to WebP.

Let’s convert PNG to WebP on Mac using WebP Converter:

Step 1: Download and install WebP Converter on your Mac. Then, start the WebP Converter on your Mac. 

Step 2: To convert your PNG image to WebP, drag and drop it into the WebP converter. Choose “JPG/PNG to WebP” from the list of convert options.

You can adjust the color profile, height, and width, as well as the compression type, to improve the quality of the converted WebP image.

Step 3: Finally, click the “Convert” button in the bottom right corner. Your PNG images will be converted to WebP.

4. Convert PNG to WebP on Linux 

Converting PNG to WebP on Linux is easy, thanks to Google’s cwebp tool. Using this tool, you can convert PNG to WebP in a few steps:

Step 1: Install cwebp tools on your Linux system

First, ensure the cwebp tool is installed on your Linux system.

If the cwebp tool is missing from your Linux system, use the package manager to install it. For the Debian system, use the following command:

sudo apt-get install webp

Step 2: Convert PNG to WebP on Linux

After installing the cwebp utility on your Linux system, open the PNG image folder and open the terminal. Now, you can use the cwebp command to convert PNG to WebP. 

Here is the command for converting PNG to WebP:

cwebp input.png -o output.webp

Replace input.png with the name of your PNG file and output .webp with the desired name for the WebP file. For example:

cwebp myimage.png -o myimage.webp

Optimize WebP Image Quality in Linux.

You can also adjust the converted WebP quality. For example:

cwebp -q 80 input.png -o output.webp

Convert PNG to WebP in Bulk on Linux

If you have multiple PNG files to convert, you can use this command:

for file in *.png; do
cwebp "$file" -o "${file%.png}.webp"
done

This converts all PNG files in your current directory to WebP files.

5. Batch Convert PNG to WebP with WordPress Plugin

The ShortPixel Image Optimizer lets you quickly convert all your PNG images to WebP in WordPress. To batch convert PNG images into WebP images, follow these simple steps:

Step 1: After installing the ShortPixel plugin, enable the WebP converter. Then go to:

Settings > ShortPixel > Advanced > Create WebP

Selecting the Create WebP option allows the plugin to generate WebP images. Allow this for both new and existing images in your Media Library. The plugin will take care of the rest.

Step 2: Navigate to Media > Bulk ShortPixel. Turn on the “Optimize” toggle for “Media Library” and select the option to create WebP files. To begin the optimization process, click on the “Start Optimizing button.

Step 3: ShortPixel offers two options for serving WebP images to your users: 

1. Use the <PICTURE> tag syntax 
2. (Via .htaccess)​ without altering the page code ​

Select the method that best suits your site’s configuration. It’s best to use .htaccess, but it might not work with all CDNs or NGINX.

Step 4: Check the WebP format of the served images using your browser’s developer tools. You can look at the network tab to see what MIME type the image uses.

6. Convert PNG to WebP Using a Google Chrome Extension

You can use the Google Chrome extension “Convert WebP to PNG” to convert PNG to WebP. Here’s a brief overview:

Step 1: Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store.

Step 2: To upload your PNG files, click the extension icon or drag and drop them.

Step 3: Choose a folder and an image name to save your converted WebP image.

Step 4: You can also convert an image in your browser to WebP without downloading it. To convert an image to WebP, right-click it and choose “Save image as WebP.”

Summary

Switching from PNG to WebP format brings a lot of advantages. Your images will take up less space and help your website run smoother, all without losing the quality of your pictures.

Finding the right way to convert PNG to WebP can make a big difference. This means your website can look great and work quickly, making everyone who visits happy.

The internet’s trends are constantly shifting. Thus, it’s wise to use WebP now. It’s a step forward in making sure your website stands out online.