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Image Formats In The Web Today

There has been plenty of development during the last decade on various image formats.

The web is growingly made of images which is why it is important to keep them efficient.

Page weight of top 1 Million web pages, according to the HTTP Archive This report tracks the size and quantity of many popular web page resources. Sizes represent the number of bytes sent over the network, which may be compressed. https://httparchive.org/reports/page-weight?lens=top1m&start=2018_07_15&end=latest&view=list

This is a topic that Steve Sounders have been researching and talking for respectable amount of time https://stevesouders.com/

https://caniuse.com/?search=image%20format

To use multiple image formats, to allow the browser to choose the best supported, use the picture element.

https://caniuse.com/picture

A responsive images method to control which image resource a user agent presents to a user, based on resolution, media query and/or support for a particular image format

https://web.dev/learn/design/picture-element

AV1 Image File Format (AVIF)

VIF support is available in all the major web browsers (i.e. over 93% of all web browsers,[4] similar level of support as for WebP it was made to replace)

AVIF generally has better compression than WebP, JPEG, PNG and GIF and is designed to supersede them. AVIF competes with JPEG XL which has similar compression quality and is generally seen as more feature-rich than AVIF.

image/avif

Can I use? - AVIF

Since January 2024, this feature works across the latest devices and major browser versions

Wikipedia - AVIF

HEIF

A modern image format based on the HEVC video format. HEIC generally has better compression than WebP, JPEG, PNG and GIF. It is hard for browsers to support HEIC because it is complex and expensive to license. AVIF and JPEG XL provide free licenses and are designed to supersede HEIC.

Can I use? - HEIF

Only Safari

Wikipedia - HEIF

WebP

WebP is a raster graphics file format developed by Google intended as a replacement for JPEG, PNG, and GIF file formats

image/webp

Can I use? - WebP

Since September 2020, this feature works across the latest devices and major browser versions

Wikipedia - WebP

JPEG XR

JPEG XR was built to supersede the original JPEG format by having better compression and more features. WebP, AVIF and JPEG XL are all designed to supersede JPEG XR.

JPEG XR image format Can I use? - JPEG XR

IE and Edge Legacy Wikipedia - JPEG XR

JPEG XL

A modern image format optimized for web environments. JPEG XL generally has better compression than WebP, JPEG, PNG and GIF and is designed to supersede them. JPEG XL competes with AVIF which has similar compression quality but fewer features overall.

JPEG XL image format Can I use? - JPEG XL

Just Safari

Wikipedia - JPEG XL

JPEG 2000

JPEG 2000 was built to supersede the original JPEG format by having better compression and more features. WebP, AVIF and JPEG XL are all designed to supersede JPEG 2000.

Can I use? - JPEG 2000

Just Safari

Wikipedia - JPEG 2000

More JPEG

https://jpeg.org/

MNG

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple-image_Network_Graphics

MNG image format

Was supposed to replace gif Not supported anywhere

Portable Network Graphics (PNG)

Wikipedia - PNG

Animated Portable Network Graphics (APNG) - 2004

Can I use? - APNG

Like animated GIFs, but allowing 24-bit colors and alpha transparency

Wikipedia - APNG

Gif