Image format
The AVIF format
AVIF is a modern image format that squeezes photos smaller than WebP. AVIF was published by the Alliance for Open Media in 2019 and stores a single frame of AV1 video as a still image.
When to use AVIF
Use AVIF for photos on a website when you want the smallest files and can serve a fallback to older browsers.
It is best for the smallest possible photos on a modern website, and it opens on current Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, but few editors, chat apps or upload forms.
How to open it: Open it in a current browser. Recent versions of Windows Photos and macOS Preview show it; many editors don’t yet.
| Full name | AV1 Image File Format |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .avif |
| MIME type | image/avif |
| Introduced | 2019 |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | Yes |
| Animation | Yes |
| Support | Current browsers and apps |
| Typical size | Often around half the size of the equivalent JPG |
Good at
- Often around half the size of a JPG that looks the same
- HDR and wide color
- Transparency
Not so good at
- Slow to encode
- Still turned away by lots of apps and forms
The common mistake
AVIF’s savings are real, but encoding is slow, so a batch that takes seconds as JPG can take minutes as AVIF.
Convert AVIF to another image format
Compare AVIF with
Questions
What is an AVIF file?
AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is a modern image format that squeezes photos smaller than WebP. AVIF was published by the Alliance for Open Media in 2019 and stores a single frame of AV1 video as a still image.
How do I open an AVIF file?
Open it in a current browser. Recent versions of Windows Photos and macOS Preview show it; many editors don’t yet.
How do I convert AVIF to another format?
Pick the target on this page, or open the Image Converter, drop the AVIF file and choose a format. It converts in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.