Let me use as an example the extreme: going to a 3840 px wide image from SVG.
Currently I'm taking SVG exported from Illustrator and then (for clarity, I've left out steps to do with the folder creation, saving etc.):
1. Smart Crop (tolerance 0%)
2. Scale (3840 px width, proportional, best interpolation)
3. Resolution (72pxx72px with convert picture unchecked)
4. Change Format (jpg for one series, png for the other)
To better show the difference, I have attached both.
What am I doing wrong

I am also trying to figure out how to do this same workflow while keeping transparency... that's for another post.
Thanks everyone.