AVIF
/ˈeɪvɪf/ · noun · image format · AV1 Image File Format
A next-gen image format based on the AV1 video codec. Tiny files, growing support.
In more detail
AVIF applies the AV1 video codec to still images, achieving some of the best compression available today — often smaller than WebP at the same quality.
Support is recent, so a fallback like JPG is still useful when an older app or device can’t decode it.
How AVIF works
AVIF stores an image using compression techniques developed for AV1 video. It can encode ordinary colour images, transparency, HDR, wide colour gamuts, and image sequences inside one container. It supports both lossy compression for photographs and lossless compression for graphics that must preserve every pixel.
Its encoder has more ways to describe repeated texture and gradual colour changes than older formats. That flexibility can produce a smaller download, although encoding an AVIF usually takes more processing time than encoding a JPG or WebP.
When to use AVIF
AVIF is a strong delivery format for photographs, product images, and detailed illustrations on modern websites. It is especially useful when image bandwidth matters and you can generate the files ahead of time rather than during a user request.
Keep a JPG or PNG original for editing and archiving. If an email client, design app, marketplace, or older device rejects the file, convert a copy to JPG for photographs or PNG when transparency is important.
Key points
- AVIF can be lossy or lossless and can preserve transparency and HDR data.
- It commonly delivers smaller web images than JPG and WebP, but encoding can be slower.
- Use a JPG or PNG fallback when compatibility matters more than file size.