How to Convert Images to AVIF — Next-Gen Format Guide

What Is AVIF and Why Should You Care?

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is the newest contender in the image format arena, and it is arguably the most impressive. Based on the open-source AV1 video codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media, AVIF achieves compression efficiency that surpasses both JPG and WebP by a significant margin.

In practical terms, AVIF can deliver the same visual quality as a JPG file at roughly half the file size. Compared to WebP, AVIF typically offers an additional 20% reduction. For websites and applications where every kilobyte matters, AVIF represents the state of the art.

AVIF Key Features

• Superior compression: 50% smaller than JPG, 20% smaller than WebP at equivalent quality
• High dynamic range (HDR): AVIF supports HDR content with 10-bit and 12-bit color depth
• Wide color gamut: Full support for modern display technologies and color spaces
• Transparency: Full alpha channel support for transparent images
• Animation: Supports animated sequences as an alternative to GIF and animated WebP
• Royalty-free: No licensing fees, unlike some competing formats

How to Convert JPG to AVIF

Converting your existing images to AVIF is straightforward with our online tools. Here is the process:

Step 1: Choose Your Source

Open our JPG to AVIF converter if your source images are JPG files. For PNG sources, use our PNG to AVIF converter instead. Starting from PNG is ideal because you begin with lossless quality.

Step 2: Upload Your Images

Drag and drop your files onto the converter. Batch uploads are supported, so you can convert entire folders at once.

Step 3: Adjust Quality

For photographic content, a quality setting of 60–75 in AVIF produces results comparable to JPG at quality 80–90. This is where the efficiency gains become dramatic. You can use lower quality numbers because AVIF's encoder is smarter about preserving perceptual quality.

Step 4: Download

Download your converted AVIF files. Compare them side by side with the originals — you will be impressed by how much smaller they are with virtually identical visual quality.

Browser Support in 2026

AVIF browser support has expanded rapidly. As of early 2026, AVIF is supported in:

• Chrome: Full support since version 85
• Firefox: Full support since version 93
• Safari: Full support since version 16.4
• Edge: Full support (Chromium-based)
• Opera: Full support

This covers approximately 92–95% of global web users. The remaining percentage is primarily older mobile browsers and legacy systems. For production use, serving AVIF with a WebP or JPG fallback via the HTML picture element is the recommended approach.

AVIF vs WebP vs JPG: File Size Comparison

To put the numbers in perspective, here are typical file sizes for a 1920x1080 photograph at comparable visual quality:

• JPG (quality 80): 300 KB
• WebP (quality 80): 210 KB (30% smaller than JPG)
• AVIF (quality 65): 150 KB (50% smaller than JPG)

The savings scale linearly with the number of images on your site. A photo gallery with 50 images could save over 7 MB by switching from JPG to AVIF.

Limitations to Consider

AVIF is not perfect for every use case. Here are the current limitations:

• Encoding speed: AVIF encoding is significantly slower than JPG or WebP. This matters for real-time applications but not for pre-processed web assets.
• Progressive loading: AVIF does not support progressive rendering the way JPG does. The image appears all at once rather than loading gradually.
• Software support: While browser support is strong, many desktop applications and CMS platforms still have limited AVIF support.
• Maximum dimensions: The default AVIF tile size limits images to 8193x4320 pixels without tiling, though this is sufficient for virtually all web images.

Implementation Strategy

The recommended approach for adopting AVIF on your website is a progressive strategy:

• Use the HTML picture element to serve AVIF as the first choice
• Include WebP as the second choice for browsers that support it but not AVIF
• Fall back to JPG or PNG for maximum compatibility

This ensures every visitor receives the smallest possible file their browser can handle, without excluding anyone.

Conclusion

AVIF is the most efficient image format available today, delivering dramatic file size reductions without sacrificing visual quality. With browser support now exceeding 92%, it is ready for production use alongside WebP and JPG fallbacks. Start converting your images to AVIF today and give your users the fastest possible experience.