SVG, GIF, BMP, TIFF & ICO — convert legacy image formats
To convert SVG to PNG — or turn a GIF, BMP, TIFF or ICO into a modern image format — you don't need to install anything or upload your file anywhere. Carbide's Image Converter handles all five right in your browser, free, with no sign-up and no file limits.
These formats share one problem: chat apps, CMSes and forms increasingly refuse them, while the tools that convert them usually want your file on their server first. Here is what each conversion actually does — honest limitations included — and which target format to pick.
SVG to PNG, JPG or WebP — rasterize a vector cleanly
An SVG is a set of drawing instructions, not pixels — which is why so many places that accept "images" reject it. Converting takes under a minute:
- Open SVG to PNG — or SVG to JPG / SVG to WebP if you need those targets.
- Drop in your .svg file — or several at once; batch conversion is supported.
- Click convert and download. A single file saves directly; several arrive as one zip.
- Expect a raster image at the size declared inside the SVG, with transparency kept in PNG and WebP.
How do you keep an SVG export sharp?
The most-asked question about this conversion is resolution. A vector has no fixed size, so the converter renders it at the dimensions the SVG itself declares — its width, height or viewBox. At that size the export is pixel-perfect: the vector is drawn fresh onto the canvas, not scaled from another bitmap.
Need a bigger PNG? An SVG is a plain text file — open it in any editor, raise the width and height values (keeping the ratio), save and convert again. The vector redraws crisply at the new size. One more honest note: PNG and WebP keep transparent backgrounds intact, while SVG to JPG fills transparent areas with white, because JPG has no alpha channel. For logos and icons, PNG is the safe choice.
GIF to a still image — what you actually get
Straight answer first: converting a GIF gives you a still image of its first frame — the animation is not kept. Most converter sites bury that detail; we'd rather you know before you click. If what you need is a clean thumbnail, a preview for a document, or a sharable still from an animated meme, that first frame is exactly right.
GIF to PNG keeps the frame lossless with transparency intact, GIF to JPG makes the smallest, most compatible still, and GIF to WebP gives a compact web-ready image. All three run locally in your browser, so a 20 MB meme converts instantly instead of crawling through an upload. Going the other direction — making animations — is a different job: the GIF Maker builds animated GIFs from your photos, covered in the GIF maker guide.
BMP to JPG, PNG or WebP — cut huge bitmaps by up to 90%
BMP is the format old Windows tools left behind: completely uncompressed, so a single screenshot can weigh 50 MB. That size is exactly why upload-based converters are painful for BMPs — you wait on the upload before any converting starts. Carbide converts the file on your own device, so even a huge bitmap is done in seconds.
Pick the target by what you need: BMP to JPG cuts file size by up to 90% with a quality slider to control the trade-off; BMP to PNG is lossless — every pixel identical, still far smaller than the original; and BMP to WebP produces the smallest modern file for web use. Whichever you choose, the result opens everywhere BMP doesn't.
TIFF to PNG or JPG — keep sensitive scans private
TIFF files usually come out of a scanner — and what people scan is contracts, IDs and medical reports. That is the last thing you should push to an anonymous server just to change its format. TIFF to JPG and TIFF to PNG decode and convert the scan entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, so the document never leaves your hands.
Choose JPG (with the quality slider) to shrink a bulky scan into something you can email, or PNG when the scan must stay pixel-perfect. One honest limitation: a multi-page TIFF converts its first page only. If you need the whole document in one file, convert the pages and assemble them with Image to PDF — the free PDF tools roundup shows that workflow end to end.
ICO to PNG — pull an editable image out of an icon
An .ico file is a small container that can hold the same icon at several sizes — handy for favicons, useless when you just want the picture. ICO to PNG extracts it as a normal PNG with transparency kept, using the icon's primary embedded image — in most browsers, the largest size it contains.
From there it behaves like any other image: recolor or annotate it in the Image Editor, or run it through the Image Converter hub to reach any other format. Designers use this to recover a logo when the icon file is all that survived; developers use it to inspect what a favicon actually ships. Either way it is a ten-second job, free, with no sign-up.
Which target format should you choose?
The source format rarely matters — the destination does. A quick rule of thumb:
- Logos, icons, anything with transparency → PNG (lossless, alpha kept).
- Photos and scans you'll share or email → JPG (smallest widely-compatible choice).
- Images going onto a website → WebP — see the WebP converter guide.
- Chasing the smallest modern file → AVIF, covered in the AVIF guide.
- iPhone photos that won't open → a different fix: the HEIC guide.
Frequently asked questions
Are my images uploaded when I convert them?
No. Every conversion on this page — SVG to PNG, TIFF to JPG, all of them — runs in your browser using its built-in image engine. The file is read, converted and saved on your device; nothing is sent to a server.
Does converting keep transparency?
It depends on the target, not the source. PNG and WebP keep transparent areas exactly as they are. JPG has no alpha channel, so transparent regions are filled with white — if transparency matters, convert to PNG.
Can I convert a multi-page TIFF?
The converter processes the first page of a multi-page TIFF. To keep every page in one shareable file, convert the pages and combine them with Image to PDF instead.
Is the GIF animation kept when I convert to PNG or WebP?
No — you get a still image of the first frame. That is the honest behavior of GIF to PNG and GIF to WebP. To create animated GIFs from images, use the GIF Maker instead.
Are these converters really free? Any limits?
Yes — free, no sign-up, no watermark and no daily caps. You can convert several files in one batch and download them as a zip; the practical size limit is simply your browser's memory.
Legacy formats stop being a problem the moment converting them is instant and private. Start with SVG to PNG for vectors, BMP to JPG for oversized bitmaps and TIFF to PNG for scans — and when you're unsure of the destination, the image format guide settles it in a minute.