AVIF
AV1-based image format offering excellent compression and modern features for the web.
Conversion tools
Compression tools
Format details
What is AVIF?
AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) stores still and animated images using the AV1 video codec. It offers strong compression, often producing noticeably smaller files than JPG and WebP at similar quality, with support for high bit depth, wide color, and alpha. Modern browsers decode it well, though support is not yet universal across every tool.
Specifications
- Typical file size
- Web photos: 20-150 KB. High-quality exports: 150 KB-1 MB. Often 30-50% smaller than an equivalent WebP.
- Quality
- Excellent perceived quality at low bitrates, with clean gradients and fewer blocking artifacts than JPG. Very low-quality settings can smooth out fine texture.
- Transparency support
- Yes — Full alpha channel with high bit depth.
- Animation support
- Yes — Multi-frame AVIF is defined by the spec but not universally supported across viewers.
- Compression type
- Lossy and lossless (AV1)
- Browser support
- Supported in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Safari 16+. Not supported in older browsers.
- Compatibility
- Supported on modern desktop OS versions and recent iOS and Android releases. Some editors and older viewers still lack AVIF decoders.
Advantages
- Smaller files than JPG and WebP at comparable quality
- 10 and 12-bit color plus wide gamut support
- Alpha transparency in both lossy and lossless modes
- Strong performance on gradients and low-detail regions
Disadvantages
- Encoding is slower than JPG or WebP
- Not universally supported in older browsers and editors
- Animated AVIF support is inconsistent across viewers
- Debugging and previewing outside browsers can be awkward
Common uses
- Performance-focused websites and PWAs
- Hero photography with strict page-weight budgets
- HDR and wide-gamut still images
- Modern ecommerce product galleries
- CDN image pipelines with format negotiation
Common conversions
- AVIF to JPG
- AVIF to PNG
- AVIF to WebP
Compression tips
- Use quality 50-65 for photographic content, which often looks like JPG at 80+
- Resize to the displayed dimensions before encoding
- Serve AVIF via a <picture> element with WebP and JPG fallbacks
- Prefer lossy AVIF for photos, lossless for UI or diagrams
- Skip animation and use a short video for longer clips
Frequently asked questions
AVIF usually produces smaller files at similar quality, especially for photos. WebP still has broader tool support, so many sites ship both.
AV1 encoding is computationally expensive. On a build pipeline this is fine because the payoff is a much smaller image served many times.
On the modern web, ship AVIF as the primary format and keep JPG as a fallback for older browsers and email clients.
Most modern OS versions can open AVIF, but some older photo apps and editors still cannot. Converting to JPG or PNG solves it.