What happens when you convert XCF to JPG
- The XCF is opened by GIMP, the open-source image editor that made it, on our conversion server, and its visible layers are flattened into one picture on a white background, with their opacity and blend modes applied.
- ImageMagick saves the flattened picture as a JPG at 92 percent quality. Hidden layers are left out.
- Because the layers are flattened onto white, the JPG has no transparency.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert XCF to JPG online
- Press "Choose XCF files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to JPG". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each JPG with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your XCF and the JPG by then.
Why convert XCF to JPG?
XCF files usually come from work in progress saved from GIMP, the free image editor. People convert them to JPG to share, print or place the picture anywhere: JPG opens on every phone and computer and stays small, with no special program needed.
How to convert XCF to JPG on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your XCF files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each JPG is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the XCF files from Finder onto the drop zone and the JPG files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose XCF files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted JPG appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Image.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose XCF files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The JPG is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for XCF to JPG
There are no settings: visible layers are flattened onto white at the image's full size.
To keep transparency or a single layer, hide the other layers in GIMP and use File, Export As to write a PNG yourself. Keep the XCF as your working copy.
XCF vs JPG: the differences
| XCF | JPG | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | GIMP image (eXperimental Computing Facility) | Joint Photographic Experts Group image |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | the GIMP developers | the Joint Photographic Experts Group |
| First released | 1997 | 1992 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
| Transparency | Yes | No |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | 8 to 32 bits per channel with alpha, in RGB or greyscale | 24-bit colour, 16.7 million colours |
| What it holds | layers, masks, channels, paths, guides and the current selection | 24-bit colour, 16.7 million colours |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; GIMP opens it, and a few editors such as Krita and Photopea read simple XCF files | opens in every browser and image viewer |
| Common uses | work in progress saved from GIMP, the free image editor | camera photos, web images and email attachments |
| MIME type | image/x-xcf | image/jpeg |
About XCF and JPG files
What is an XCF file?
XCF is GIMP's own working format, named after the eXperimental Computing Facility at Berkeley where GIMP began. It saves everything GIMP knows about an image, layers, masks, paths and even the selection, but it is not meant for sharing: almost nothing else opens it.
What is a JPG file?
JPG discards fine detail the eye is least sensitive to, which is why a photo shrinks to a tenth of its raw size but text and sharp edges pick up blocky artefacts. Every re-save at a lossy setting throws away a little more.
XCF to JPG not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Save the image at a smaller size first.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex files can pass the 90 second limit. Split the file and convert the parts.
- "This file is not really in XCF format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .xcf is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert XCF to JPG from the command line
GIMP can do the same from the command line, without opening a window:
gimp-console -i -b '(let* ((img (car (gimp-file-load 1 "input.xcf" "input.xcf"))) (d (car (gimp-image-flatten img)))) (file-png-save-defaults 1 img d "output.png" "output.png") (gimp-quit 0))'Converting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
XCF to JPG converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting XCF to JPG?
A little, because JPG is lossy; at 92 percent quality the difference is hard to see. The layers are merged, so they can no longer be edited separately.
Why is the JPG a different size from the XCF?
Usually much smaller than the XCF, because the layers are merged and JPG compresses photos well.
Are my XCF files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful XCF to JPG conversion needs GIMP and ImageMagick, two open-source tools, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the JPG as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several XCF files to JPG at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a JPG file?
JPG opens in every browser and image viewer. JPG is common for camera photos, web images and email attachments.
Is this XCF to JPG converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert XCF to JPG on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the JPG is saved to your Downloads folder.