What is an AVIF file?
AVIF is the smallest way to put a photo on a web page today, often around half the size of a JPG that looks the same. It keeps transparency and copes well with very bright, very colourful images. Saving one takes longer than saving a JPG. You can convert AVIF files here, both into the format and out of it.
Specification
| Full name | AV1 Image File Format |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .avif |
| Media type | image/avif |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless, depending on the mode |
| Transparency | Supported |
| Animation | Supported |
| Multiple pages | — |
| Colour depth | Up to 12 bits per channel, HDR and wide gamut |
| Size limits | — |
| Introduced | 2019 |
| Developed by | Alliance for Open Media |
| Standard | Open |
| Browser support | All current browsers |
What AVIF is used for
- Hero images and photography where bandwidth is the bottleneck
- Bright, vivid photographs that look flat as a JPEG
- Image CDNs serving modern browsers with a JPEG fallback
- Large galleries where a 50 percent size cut is worth the encode time
Strengths and limitations
What AVIF does well
- Best size-to-quality ratio of any widely supported still format
- Handles transparency and very bright, very colourful photographs
- Royalty free and supported by all current browsers
Where AVIF falls short
- Encoding is computationally expensive compared to JPEG or WebP
- Poor support in desktop image editors and older operating systems
- Pushed too hard it smears fine texture rather than showing blocks
Convert AVIF to
Every target this format can be written out as, each on its own page.
Convert to AVIF
Everything that can be turned into a AVIF file.
Tools that accept AVIF
Questions about AVIF
What is a .avif file?
AVIF is the smallest way to put a photo on a web page today, often around half the size of a JPG that looks the same. The extension .avif identifies it, and its media type is image/avif.
How do I open an AVIF file?
Any current browser will open it directly, so dragging the file into a tab is usually enough. Most operating systems also preview it without extra software.
Is AVIF lossy or lossless?
Lossy or lossless, depending on the mode. Check which mode a particular file used before assuming anything about its quality.
What is AVIF good for?
Best size-to-quality ratio of any widely supported still format. Handles transparency and very bright, very colourful photographs. Royalty free and supported by all current browsers. In practice that makes it a good fit for hero images and photography where bandwidth is the bottleneck, and Bright, vivid photographs that look flat as a JPEG.
What are the drawbacks of AVIF?
Encoding is computationally expensive compared to JPEG or WebP. Poor support in desktop image editors and older operating systems. Pushed too hard it smears fine texture rather than showing blocks.