You save an image from a website and the file ends in .avif. Your photo app will not open it, the upload form rejects it, and you wonder where this format came from. AVIF is one of the newest image formats in common use, and it is spreading quickly because it makes images remarkably small. This guide explains what AVIF is, why it exists, and what to do when you need a more familiar format.
Where AVIF came from
AVIF stands for AV1 Image File Format. AV1 is a modern video compression standard developed by the Alliance for Open Media, a group of large technology companies including browser makers and streaming services. They wanted an efficient, royalty-free video format for the web.
Video compression has to be extremely good at squeezing pictures, because a video is just many pictures per second. Someone realised that the techniques used to compress a single video frame could also make an excellent still image format. AVIF is the result: a still image compressed with video technology.
What AVIF is good at
Small files
AVIF typically produces images much smaller than JPG at the same visual quality, often around half the size, and usually smaller than WebP too. For websites, that means faster loading and lower bandwidth costs.
Quality at small sizes
When pushed to very small file sizes, JPG becomes blocky. AVIF degrades more gracefully, tending to look soft rather than blocky, which many people find less noticeable.
Transparency
AVIF supports smooth transparency, like PNG and WebP.
Wide colour and HDR
AVIF can store a wider range of colours and high dynamic range images, which can look more vivid on screens that support them.
Animation
AVIF can store animated sequences too, although animated AVIF is less widely supported than animated WebP.
Where AVIF falls short
Compatibility outside browsers
All current major browsers display AVIF, but plenty of other software does not: older photo editors, office programs, some operating system viewers, printing services, social networks and many upload forms. This is the main reason people need to convert AVIF.
Encoding speed
Creating AVIF files takes more computing effort than JPG or WebP. That matters for websites generating images on the fly, though not for everyday users.
Where you might encounter AVIF
- Saving images from websites, which increasingly serve AVIF to modern browsers.
- Downloading from photo sharing and cloud services.
- Some phone cameras and apps that save in AVIF to conserve storage.
- Design deliverables from designers optimising for the web.
Converting AVIF: which format to choose
Our converters turn AVIF into the format you actually need:
- AVIF to JPG: for photos you want to email, print, upload or open in any app. Transparent areas are filled with a colour you choose.
- AVIF to PNG: for a lossless copy that keeps transparency, ideal for editing, logos and design work.
- AVIF to WebP: for keeping files small while reaching more devices and apps.
- AVIF to TIFF: for professional printing, publishing and archives.
- AVIF to BMP: for older software and simple hardware.
What to expect when converting
- Bigger files. Almost any other format will be larger than AVIF. That is normal and is the price of compatibility.
- Standard colours. HDR and very wide colour images are converted for standard displays, which is what most screens and printers expect.
- Same dimensions. Images are not resized.
- Real format checks. Our converters read the real contents of each file, so an AVIF disguised with a .jpg name is detected and you are told which tool to use.
A worked example: three AVIF problems, three fixes
A recipe photo for a printed cookbook. A home cook saves a dish photo from her own blog, which serves AVIF. The print shop asks for TIFF. She converts with AVIF to TIFF using LZW compression, and the shop accepts it.
A team photo for a slide deck. The office presentation software will not insert AVIF. Converting to JPG at quality 90 gives a photo that drops straight into the slides.
A product cut-out for an online marketplace. The marketplace accepts PNG and WebP but not AVIF, and the product has a transparent background. Converting to WebP keeps the transparency and a small file size.
In every case the conversion takes seconds, and choosing the format is about the destination rather than the image.
How to tell whether a file is really AVIF
File names can be misleading. A file may end in .jpg while containing AVIF data, because some websites serve different formats under the same address. If an app refuses a ".jpg", the real format might be AVIF or WebP. Our converters inspect the actual contents of each file and tell you the true format before converting, so you can pick the right tool straight away.
Should you use AVIF yourself?
If you run a website and your visitors use modern browsers, AVIF is an excellent way to deliver small, high-quality images. Many sites serve AVIF with a fallback to WebP or JPG for older browsers.
For everyday sharing, emailing and printing, more established formats remain more practical. Think of AVIF as an excellent delivery format, and JPG, PNG and WebP as everyday working formats.
Common questions
Is AVIF better than WebP? It is usually more efficient and handles HDR better. WebP is supported in more places. Both are good modern formats.
Why can my browser show AVIF but my computer's photo viewer cannot? Browsers adopted AVIF quickly; many other apps are still adding support.
Will converting AVIF to JPG lose quality? A little, as JPG is lossy, but at quality 85 or higher it is very hard to see.
Is AVIF free to use? Yes. It was designed to be royalty-free.
A short glossary
- Codec: the method used to compress and decompress images or video.
- HDR: high dynamic range, images with a wider range of brightness.
- Royalty-free: no licence fees are required to use the format.
- Fallback: a more widely supported format provided for browsers or apps that cannot handle the newer one.
In short
AVIF is a modern, royalty-free image format built on video compression technology. It produces remarkably small, high-quality images and supports transparency and HDR, but many apps still cannot open it. When you need an AVIF image somewhere it is not supported, convert it to JPG for photos, PNG for editing and transparency, WebP for the web, TIFF for print, or BMP for legacy systems.