Updated December 13, 2021: AVIF is now the default file format for ‘auto=format’ across all accounts and Sources.

The newest update to the imgix rendering API puts AVIF, the new next-gen image file format, front and center. Through the use of the ‘auto=format’ parameter, imgix will automatically serve images in AVIF for all browsers that support it. For browsers that don’t yet support it, the imgix rendering API will fall back to the next-best available format.

With AVIF, users have seen file sizes drop by nearly 60% compared to JPEG and 35% compared to WebP, with no loss in quality. Thank you to Unsplash, one of our first customers to enable AVIF, for sharing the findings of a 30% decrease in file size.

Why Use AVIF—A Significant Size Reduction Without Hurting Quality

If you are reading on an AVIF-capable browser such as recent versions of Chrome, Firefox, or Android, you should see three images below:

An AVIF image 9.0KB in size (44% reduction from JPEG; 24% reduction from WebP)

A WebP image 11.8KB in size (26% reduction from JPEG)

A JPEG image 16.0KB in size

The images are comparable in quality, yet the AVIF image achieves significant reductions in file size.

By using AVIF for image compression, you can reduce the image file size even further and gain additional benefits:

• Faster page loading times
• Better SEO rankings (Search engines like Google reward page loading speed, especially on mobile)
• Lower bounce rate
• Improved customer satisfaction
• Lower bandwidth costs

OneFootball, a German-based football media company, saw page load time accelerated by 26% and first time to interactive time accelerated by 24% after enabling automatic AVIF conversion.

What Is AVIF & Who Developed It

It’s an exciting time for image compression. WebP has been gaining momentum as a JPEG replacement—but now, AVIF has arrived, out-compressing WebP in nearly all cases.

AVIF was developed by the Alliance for Open Media, with Google (Chrome), Mozilla (Firefox), Apple (Safari), and Microsoft (Edge) as members. All the major browser makers are closely involved, directly or indirectly, in the development and promulgation of AVIF.

Which Browsers Support AVIF

AVIF is available today in web browser versions used by a large number of web users listed below. To get the latest update, check https://caniuse.com/avif.

• Google Chrome 85-116;
• Mozilla Firefox 86-115;
• Android
• Safari

Future-Proofing Images for Our Customers

If you already use ‘auto=format’ to deliver the most optimal image format for each request, you don't have to do anything. AVIF is the default format whenever the requesting browser supports it.

You don’t have to create, store, and serve different versions of images, create cumbersome logic to decide where to send which image version, or debug the complex interaction between data and images--imgix does it all for you. This is just our latest step to future-proof images for our customers. As new standards enter the market, we will constantly evaluate and innovate so you can stay ahead of the curve.

If you have any questions on AVIF, please feel free to email us at support@imgix.com.