WebP to PNG for Figma and Canva — Designer's Guide

Figma, Canva, Adobe Express, and most other design tools have full PNG support — but WebP import ranges from inconsistent to unsupported depending on the tool and version. If you’re working with WebP assets (downloaded icons, brand files, web exports), converting to PNG before import saves you from dropped transparency, missing layers, and failed uploads. Here’s the workflow.

Why Design Tools Prefer PNG Over WebP

PNG has been a design standard for 25+ years. Every design tool supports it, full stop. WebP is a web delivery format — it’s great for browsers serving images at scale, but design tools were built around PNG (and SVG) for raster work.

The specific issues with WebP in design tools:

• Figma: Supports WebP import in most cases, but some WebP files with unusual encoding fail silently. Exported assets from Figma are PNG by default for good reason.
• Canva: WebP upload support is hit-or-miss depending on the element type. PNG always works.
• Adobe Express / Illustrator: Older versions don’t import WebP. PNG is universally supported across all versions.
• Affinity Designer: WebP import requires a third-party plugin. PNG works natively.

Converting Your Asset Library to PNG

If you downloaded a design resource pack, icon set, or brand kit in WebP format:

1. Select all WebP files from the pack (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A in your file manager).
2. Drop them all into Ibis WebP to PNG.
3. Download the ZIP of all converted PNGs.
4. Extract the ZIP into your assets folder.
5. Import into Figma, Canva, or your design tool as normal.

The PNGs will have the same filenames as the WebP originals — just with a .png extension — so they slot into existing asset libraries cleanly.

Sell Custom Apparel — We Handle Printing & Free Shipping

Transparency in Design Workflows

The biggest reason to use PNG (not JPG) when converting for design work: transparency. Design workflows depend on layering — a logo PNG sits on top of a background, a sticker image sits on top of a photo, an icon sits on top of a button. All of that requires transparent backgrounds in the asset.

PNG preserves the full alpha channel. Converting a transparent WebP to JPG produces a white-background image that can’t be used transparently in Figma or Canva without a masking workaround. PNG avoids that entirely.

PNG vs SVG for Design — When to Use Each

For design work, a quick rule:

• Use PNG when the asset is a raster image (photo, detailed illustration, icon with gradients, logo with complex shading).
• Use SVG when the asset is vector-based and needs to scale to multiple sizes without pixelation (logos, simple icons, geometric illustrations).

If you’re converting a WebP logo, check if an SVG version is also available — SVG is almost always better for scalable logos in design tools. But if you only have WebP and need to work, PNG is the right conversion target.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Figma import WebP files directly?

Figma supports WebP in most cases, but some WebP files fail to import or lose transparency. Converting to PNG first is the reliable path.

Can Canva use WebP images?

Canva has inconsistent WebP support depending on context. PNG uploads work universally in all Canva element types.

Will converting WebP to PNG for Figma lose transparency?

No. PNG preserves the full alpha channel — transparent elements in the WebP remain transparent in Figma after PNG conversion.

Should I convert WebP brand assets to PNG or SVG for design work?

SVG if the asset is vector-based (logos, icons). PNG if it's a raster image or you only have the WebP. Never JPG — JPG destroys transparency.