SVG files: not an image, and why that matters when converting
Why an SVG has no resolution, what to set before rasterising, and why you cannot convert a PNG back. Convert SVG in your browser, no upload.
At a glance
- Type
- Image
- Compression
- Lossless
- Extensions
- .svg
- MIME type
- image/svg+xml
- Also known as
- Scalable Vector Graphics
An SVG is not an image file, it is a document — XML describing shapes, paths, fills and text. Nothing in it is a pixel. When a browser displays one it executes those instructions at whatever size the layout calls for, which is why an SVG is sharp on a phone and sharp on a billboard from the same few kilobytes. That single property is the reason logos and icons are distributed this way.
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Converting to PNG means choosing a size and running those instructions once. From that moment the result is an ordinary raster that blurs when enlarged, so the size you pick is the whole conversion. Choose the largest dimension the image will ever be displayed at and err generously: scaling a PNG down is clean, scaling it up is not.
The reverse conversion does not really exist. Going from instructions to pixels discards the instructions, and getting them back requires tracing — an algorithm guessing at shapes in a bitmap, producing paths that approximate what it sees. That is a genuinely different kind of tool, and its output is never the original.
Two things to check in the result. Fonts: an SVG referencing a typeface by name depends on that font being installed, so text may be rendered with a substitute — convert text to paths in your editor first if the typography matters. And transparency: SVG has no background unless one is drawn, so the PNG will be transparent where the artwork is empty, which is usually what you want and occasionally invisible against a white page.
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FAQ
What size should I choose when converting?
The largest the image will ever be displayed at, and be generous. A PNG scales down cleanly and never scales up. Set the maximum width in the advanced options.
Why does my text render with the wrong font?
Because the SVG references the typeface by name and it was not available, so a substitute was used. Convert text to paths in your vector editor before converting.
Can I convert PNG or JPG back to SVG?
Not meaningfully. Rasterising discards the instructions, and recovering them means tracing — guessing at shapes in a bitmap. The result approximates the image rather than restoring the original.
Will the PNG have a transparent background?
Yes, wherever the artwork is empty, since an SVG has no background unless one is drawn. Add a rectangle in the SVG first if you need a solid colour.
Why does anything need an SVG rasterised at all?
Because plenty of software will not accept one — office documents, older editors, many upload forms, and platforms that take raster images only.
Is SVG lossy or lossless?
Neither applies. It stores instructions rather than samples, so there is nothing to compress away. The question only starts to matter once you rasterise it.
Are SVG files safe to open?
They are documents that can contain scripts, so an untrusted SVG is more like an HTML file than a photograph. Converting one here renders it in an isolated context and produces a plain raster, which is one way to defuse that.
Does converting upload my file?
No. The SVG is rendered by your browser inside the page, and the PNG is encoded there too. Nothing is sent anywhere.