How to Convert Downloaded WebP Images to Standard JPG Photos

A photo counter that prints from a USB stick, an online form that lists JPG as the only accepted type, an older photo editor: all of them have the same answer to a .webp file, which is no. Converting the picture to JPG solves that. This guide covers the two things people usually get wrong along the way, which are the quality setting and the size of the picture itself.

Check the pixels before you think about printing

The format of a file says nothing about how much detail is in it. A picture saved from a web page is often only 600 to 1200 pixels wide, because that is all a screen needs. A common rule of thumb for sharp photo prints is about 300 pixels for every inch of paper. By that rule, a small 4 by 6 inch print wants roughly 1200 by 1800 pixels. A web picture half that size will still print, but it will look soft. No conversion can change this, so check the pixel dimensions first. You can see them in the details or properties of the file.

Worked example: printing a photo a relative posted online

1. Ask for the original first. The copy on a website or social network has been reduced. The photo that is still on the phone of the person who took it is far better.
2. If the web copy is all there is, save it and check its pixel size.
3. Open the WebP to JPG tool, choose the file and leave the quality at 90.
4. Convert, then download the JPG.
5. Copy it to the USB stick or upload it to the print service, and choose a print size that matches the pixels: small for a small picture.

Worked example: an upload form with a 200 KB limit

1. Convert at quality 80 and read the size in the result list.
2. If it is above 200 KB, convert again at 70, then at 60 if necessary.
3. If it is still too large, the picture has too many pixels for that limit. Reduce its dimensions in a photo editor and convert once more.

Common mistakes

• Setting the quality to 100 to be safe. The file becomes much larger, and the print or upload does not get visibly better.
• Converting a logo or a cut out product picture. JPG fills transparent areas with white and blurs sharp edges slightly. Use PNG for those.
• Converting the same picture again and again while trying settings. Always convert from the WebP file, never from a JPG you made earlier.
• Blaming the converter for a blurry print. The cause is nearly always too few pixels.

Troubleshooting

• The printer still rejects the file: some older devices only read baseline JPG files with simple names. Rename the file to something short without special characters, such as photo1.jpg, and try again.
• The colours look slightly different in print: screens and printers show colour differently. That is not caused by the conversion.
• A white frame appeared around the subject: the WebP had a transparent background. If you need it transparent, convert to PNG instead.

When not to convert to JPG

Keep the WebP if the picture will be used on a website. Choose PNG if it has transparency, or if it is a diagram, a logo or a screenshot with text. And if you are still going to edit the picture, do the editing first and make the JPG at the very end, so the picture is compressed only once.

Checklist

• I tried to get the original photo before using a web copy.
• I checked the pixel size against the print size or the form requirements.
• Quality is around 90 for printing, or as low as the limit of the form requires.
• The picture has no transparent background that I need to keep.
• I converted from the WebP file and not from an earlier JPG.