Where AVIF comes from
AVIF stores images using the AV1 video codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media (including Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, Apple and Netflix). It supports lossy and lossless compression, transparency, wide colour and HDR.
Pros and cons
| AVIF | WebP | JPG | |
|---|---|---|---|
| File size at similar quality | Smallest | Small | Largest |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes | No |
| Browser support | All current major browsers | All current browsers | Everywhere |
| Encoding speed | Slow | Fast | Fast |
| Email, office apps, forms | Often unsupported | Partly | Everywhere |
When to use it
- Yes: photos on your own website or shop, especially large hero images — every kilobyte saved speeds up loading.
- Maybe: if your CMS supports it (WordPress has supported AVIF uploads since version 6.5).
- No: email attachments, documents, official forms and anything sent to people with older software — use JPG.
How to create AVIF files
Choose AVIF in the image converter or in Compress image. Creating AVIF in the browser works in Chrome and Edge; if the option is greyed out, your browser can display AVIF but not save it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert AVIF back to JPG?
Yes — open the AVIF file in the image converter and choose JPG.