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AVIF Converter

Runs in your browser — your files are not uploaded to use this tool.

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Convert images to AVIF — usually half the size of the same JPEG.

  1. Drop in a JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, or an AVIF you want converted back
  2. Choose the format and how hard to compress, and optionally a maximum width
  3. Convert, then download — the size before and after is shown

About this tool

AVIF is the newest of the widely-supported image formats and it is a large step rather than a small one: the same picture at the same visible quality is usually between a third and a half the size of the JPEG it replaces, which on a photo-heavy page is the difference between fast and slow. Every current browser can display it. None of them can create one, which is the awkward fact this tool is built around — there is no encoder built into any browser, so one has to be brought along. It is fetched only when you actually convert something, and only when you have asked for AVIF, because the other formats here a browser can already write by itself. After that your image is encoded on your own machine and never leaves it. The trade is time: AV1 compression is genuinely slow, so expect a few seconds for a phone photo and longer for something large, and the progress line tells you which stage you are at rather than leaving a spinner turning. The conversion goes both ways, because the other half of the AVIF problem is being handed one and finding an older application will not open it. Quality defaults to a middle setting rather than the maximum for a reason worth knowing: AVIF at maximum quality is sometimes larger than the JPEG it started as, and a tool that quietly returns a bigger file looks broken. If that happens you are told.

Frequently asked questions

How much smaller will my image get?

For a photograph, typically between a third and a half of the original JPEG at the same visible quality. Flat graphics with few colours save less, because PNG already handles those well. The before and after sizes are shown after every conversion, so you can judge rather than guess.

Is my image uploaded?

No. It is converted on your own machine and never sent anywhere. That was not true at first — no browser can encode AVIF, so conversions went to a server — until it turned out the encoder could simply be shipped: about a megabyte, fetched once, and only when you ask for AVIF. Calling the tool over the API is different, because a request to a server is a server doing the work.

Can everyone see an AVIF image?

In practice yes. Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge have all supported it for several years. Very old software that is not a browser may not, which is why the conversion also runs the other way and you can turn an AVIF back into a JPEG or PNG.

What happens to an animated GIF?

Only the first frame is converted, and you are told when that happens rather than left to discover it. The file is checked for multiple frames before anything is sent, so the warning is based on your actual file. If you need the animation kept, leave it as a GIF for now.

Why did my file get bigger?

Usually because the quality was set high on an image that was already heavily compressed, or because the picture is flat graphics rather than a photograph. AVIF is not smaller in every case. Try a lower quality setting, and if it still grows the original was already the better format.

What quality setting should I use?

The balanced default is right for almost everything on the web. Use the smaller setting for thumbnails and background images where nobody looks closely, and the higher one for photographs viewed large. Larger images are encoded at a faster setting automatically, which costs a little file size and saves a great deal of waiting.

Why is it slower than the other image tools?

Because AV1 compression does far more work than JPEG or WebP, and it is running as WebAssembly on one thread rather than as native code. A few seconds for an ordinary photo is normal. The alternative was sending your image to a server, which would be faster and would mean the file leaving your device.

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