This interview is with Andrew Zhurakov, Graphic Designer at WebPtoJPGHero.

Andrew Zhurakov, Graphic Designer, WebPtoJPGHero

For readers at Featured, could you briefly introduce yourself and how WebP/JPG decisions and online converters show up in your day-to-day work?

Hi. I’m Andrew. My profession is an image designer. I create images (sometimes graphics and short videos) for websites, blogs, social media, books etc. You might assume a professional designer only uses heavy desktop software like Photoshop, but online converters have become my secret weapon.

Clients frequently send me JPGs, or HEIC files from their iPhones, or WebPs from their sites that I cannot upload to my CMS. I use online converters to quickly batch-process these into usable formats so I can see what I am working with. After I’m done I convert back to WebP for uploading images to any live website. 90% of the time I choose WebP.

It supports transparency (like a PNG) but at a fraction of the file size, and it compresses photographs better than JPG. Meanwhile, I still rely on JPGs for “universal” situations. If I’m sending a draft to a client via email, creating a PDF, or uploading images to old (but free) designer software.

So, as you see from the above, 1 file I work with can be converted several times during my work process and online conversion is the best solution to do it fast and free.

What’s the path that led you to specialize in image formats and online conversion workflows, and which moments most shaped your approach?

I used to be an Internet setup and configuration specialist. After an unfortunate fall six years ago, I was no longer able to do that job. I had to retrain. I really enjoy creating something new, and since I can no longer build a house, I can draw one.

That’s how I became a designer. Without a large budget to buy expensive software, I had to use my imagination. Using several free tools caused a problem because they did not support the same image formats. So I started converting them. And then, the more I learned about different formats, the more I converted them into different ones for different purposes.

Starting with the basics, when you choose between WebP and JPG for a deliverable, which real-world constraints and criteria guide your decision?

I personally love WebP because of how it handles transparency. It allows me to have a transparent background without the massive file weight you usually get with PNGs, which is a huge relief when trying to keep a design looking sharp but loading quickly.

And I need it for posting on websites of course. But still I need JPGs to share with my clients as it can be opened anywhere on any device and it can be used on older editing software where WebP can not.

Next, what is your practical, step-by-step workflow for batch converting images online while preserving color profiles and embedded metadata?

It’s very easy:

1 – Upload up to 20 files to the site (may be more if you buy an account).

2 – Configure your settings (metadata, orientation, compression, height and width of the converted image). Frankly, I only use “compression” and leave other configurations as they are.  3 – Start conversion.

4 – Download the archive with your converted images.

After conversion, how do you quality-check results to catch issues like color shifts, banding, haloing, or unintended sharpening before publishing?

I start with the simplest method: I open the source and the converted image in two browser tabs and switch rapidly between them.

For critical assets, I drag both images into Photoshop or Figma, layer the new version on top of the original, zoom in to 200% on danger areas like shadows and switch images in a closer look to check for banding (stepped colors).  

From an acquisition standpoint, what measurable SEO or visual-search gains have you seen after changing formats or conversion settings?

it’s about maintaining brand trust through pixel-perfection while keeping the site fast. The most significant acquisition gain I’ve measured came from switching our transparent assets – like floating product cutouts and hero graphics and from massive PNGs to lossless WebP.

I saw an immediate improvement in Core Web Vitals scores because we stopped forcing mobile users to download megabytes of transparent data just to see a headline.

This reduction in load time directly correlated with a lower bounce rate on our landing pages, effectively lowering our cost-per-acquisition on ad campaigns.

For teams seeking repeatable results, which specific conversion settings (e.g., target quality, chroma subsampling, progressive JPEG, or lossy vs. lossless WebP) have proven reliable for you and why?

I’ve standardized our team on a ‘set-and-forget’ baseline that saves us from the pixel-peeping rabbit hole while ensuring our designs look premium. For photographic imagery, I lock our settings to WebP Lossy at 82% quality. I’ve found that going above 85% bloats the file with invisible data, but dropping below 80% starts introducing muddy artifacts on Retina displays. It is the perfect reliable sweet spot.

My strictest rule is regarding Chroma Subsampling on my JPG fallbacks. I insist on disabling subsampling (forcing 4:4:4) whenever an image contains red hues or overlay text. Standard compression may blur color information to save space, which ruins the sharp edges of red buttons or typography.

On the compliance side, how do you maintain license restrictions, expirations, and creator credits across all format derivatives when using online converters and a DAM?

For me, the scariest part of using online optimization tools is that they almost always strip metadata to save space, effectively wiping out legal copyright info. To stay safe, I treat the converted web asset as a ‘disposable’ copy, never the legal record. My specific workflow is the ‘Filename Chain of Custody.’

I never rename a file casually. I ensure the original unique Asset ID from our DAM is baked into the filename before I ever upload it to a converter (e.g., Getty_8392_WebsiteX.webp). Even if the metadata gets scrubbed during compression, that ID in the filename links back to the master record where the license expiration and creator details live.

You’ve mentioned quick tools like webptojpghero.com—how do you evaluate whether an online converter is safe and “good enough,” versus when you build a local or scripted solution?

I open my browser’s Developer Tools to the Network tab before dragging in a file: Safe: If I see no new network requests (or only tiny analytics pings) while the conversion bar fills up, I know the processing is happening Client-Side (in my browser) via WebAssembly. This is safe for general assets.

Unsafe: If I see a massive ‘POST’ request uploading my 5MB file to a remote server, that tool is immediately banned for any client work covered by NDA. I won’t risk a client’s unreleased campaign leaking because I wanted to save 5 minutes. I’ve never built a scripted solution, but I sometimes convert with my software, not because of safety reasons.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Well, questions were a bit technical and I wanted to add that designing is not only about files, formats, conversions and publications. It’s mostly about fantasy and imagination.