AVIF to PNG for Photographers — Free Lossless Conversion

Photographers are running into AVIF files more often than ever — from iPhone exports, Google Photos downloads, and web-scraped stock images. The problem is that professional photo editing software has uneven AVIF support: Photoshop added it only recently, Lightroom Classic lags behind, and Capture One still treats AVIF as a foreign format.

This free converter turns AVIF into PNG that opens in everything — no upload, no quality loss, no workarounds in your editing software.

Where Photographers Are Encountering AVIF Files

• iPhone exports: iPhones shooting in HEIF mode can produce AVIF in certain export paths, especially when transferring to Android or downloading from iCloud on non-Apple devices.
• Google Photos downloads: When downloading photos from Google Photos, the platform sometimes serves AVIF when it detects a compatible browser (Chrome). The downloaded file has a .avif extension instead of .jpg.
• Stock photo sites: Adobe Stock, Getty, and Shutterstock serve AVIF to Chrome/Firefox users for faster page loads. Right-clicking to save an image gives you an AVIF file.
• Client-supplied assets: Clients exporting from modern web builders, CMS platforms, or phones may inadvertently send AVIF files when you expect JPEG.

AVIF Support in Professional Photo Editing Software

Software	AVIF Support	Notes
Adobe Photoshop 23.2+	Yes	Open and save AVIF natively since Jan 2022
Adobe Lightroom (cloud)	Yes	Supported in recent cloud versions
Lightroom Classic	Partial	Support added in v12+ but inconsistent
Capture One	No	Must convert to TIFF or PNG first
GIMP 2.10.28+	Yes	Full read/write support
Affinity Photo 2	Yes	Supported on Windows and Mac
DaVinci Resolve	No	Requires pre-conversion
Preview (macOS Ventura+)	Yes	View and basic export

If your software is not on the "Yes" list or you are on an older version, converting to PNG first is the cleanest workflow.

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Why Convert AVIF to PNG Rather Than JPEG for Editing

When converting for editing purposes, PNG is almost always the right intermediate format:

• Lossless: JPEG recompresses the image each time you save, introducing generational quality loss. PNG does not.
• Transparency: If the AVIF contains transparency (product shots with white backgrounds removed, composited layers), PNG preserves it. JPEG flattens transparency to white.
• Color accuracy: PNG preserves full bit depth. JPEG can subtly shift colors, especially in gradients and skin tones.
• Edit and re-export: Use PNG as your working file. Export to JPEG only at the final delivery step.

The only reason to convert AVIF to JPEG instead of PNG is final file size for delivery. For an intermediate working file, always use PNG.

Converting AVIF to PNG for Lightroom Classic Import

1. Collect all AVIF files that need to be imported into Lightroom
2. Open the free AVIF to PNG converter and drop all files onto it at once (batch conversion is supported)
3. Download all PNG files — full resolution is preserved
4. Import the PNG files into Lightroom as normal
5. Edit, develop, and export from Lightroom as you would any other image

PNG files import into Lightroom Classic without any compatibility issues across all versions. The converted PNG retains all pixel data from the original AVIF at the original resolution — there is no downsampling or quality penalty in this conversion.

Does Converting AVIF to PNG Affect Image Quality?

No — when you convert AVIF to PNG, the conversion is lossless from the PNG side. What this means:

• The AVIF is decoded exactly as stored — no additional compression or quality reduction is applied
• The resulting PNG is a pixel-perfect snapshot of the AVIF's decoded state
• If the original AVIF was lossy (most AVIF files from cameras and web are lossy), some quality was lost when the AVIF was created — but the PNG conversion does not add more
• If the original AVIF was lossless, the PNG is a perfect copy

Think of it like unzipping a ZIP file — you get back exactly what was put in. The conversion from AVIF to PNG does not degrade the image.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does converting AVIF to PNG reduce the resolution?

No. This tool converts at full resolution. A 4000x3000 pixel AVIF becomes a 4000x3000 pixel PNG. No downsampling, no resizing.

Why does my downloaded Google Photo have a .avif extension?

Google Photos serves AVIF files to Chrome and Firefox users because AVIF is smaller and loads faster. The browser detects Chrome/Firefox compatibility and delivers AVIF instead of JPEG. Right-clicking to save gives you the AVIF file. Convert to PNG or JPEG to open in any app.

Can I convert AVIF to TIFF instead of PNG for professional editing?

This converter outputs PNG specifically. For photography workflows, PNG is functionally equivalent to TIFF for most editing purposes and is universally supported. If you specifically need TIFF (for certain print workflows or color profiles), use the PNG as an intermediate and convert to TIFF in your editing software.