AVIF (AV1 Image File Format)

.avif · image/avif · 2019 · Alliance for Open Media

AVIF applies the AV1 video codec to still images. At typical web quality it produces files around 50% smaller than JPEG and 20–30% smaller than WebP, with support for transparency, HDR, and 10/12-bit color. Chrome, Firefox and Safari all support it (Safari since 16.4, 2023). Encoding is slower than other formats — that is the price of the compression — but for web delivery it is currently the strongest choice.

Compression

Lossy + lossless

Transparency

Yes

Animation

Yes

Browser display

Modern browsers

Strengths & limitations

Strengths

  • Best-in-class compression — often 50% smaller than JPEG
  • HDR, wide gamut, 10/12-bit color, transparency
  • Royalty-free and supported in all modern browsers

Limitations

  • Slow to encode, especially large images
  • Limited support in desktop software and older devices
  • Maximum image dimensions are lower than JPEG (8K tiles)

Best used for

Tools for AVIF

Compress AVIFAVIF → JPEGAVIF → PNGAVIF → WebPHEIC → AVIFWebP → AVIFJPEG → AVIFPNG → AVIF