What are some best practices for handling different file formats and conversions in PHP, especially when dealing with image files?

When handling different file formats and conversions in PHP, especially when dealing with image files, it is important to use libraries like GD or Imagick for image manipulation. These libraries provide functions to read, write, and convert images in various formats. Additionally, it is crucial to validate the file type before processing it to prevent security vulnerabilities.

// Example code using GD library to convert an image file to a different format
$sourceFile = 'image.jpg';
$destinationFile = 'image.png';

// Check if the source file is an image
if (exif_imagetype($sourceFile)) {
    $sourceImage = imagecreatefromjpeg($sourceFile);
    
    // Convert the image to PNG format
    imagepng($sourceImage, $destinationFile);
    
    // Free up memory
    imagedestroy($sourceImage);
} else {
    echo 'Invalid image file';
}