Serve Images in Next-gen Formats

If you have experience developing websites, you are aware of the image formats you have available to you and their advantages. PNG and JPEG files are some of the most widely used image formats still used on websites today. However, newer image formats, like AVIF, JPEG 2000, JPEG XR, and WebP can provide better quality and compression benefits, which helps to reduce download time and data consumption. This is especially important for users on mobile devices. Let us look at the benefits of these image formats.

• AVIF. AVIF stands for AV1 Image Format. It was introduced in 2019. It is a royalty-free format that can provide developers with better compression and smaller image file sizes, without degrading quality. It also supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) which provides a better range of brightness, color, and contrast for displays that have this feature. Additionally, many popular companies, like Google, Apple, and Facebook support this new format.
• JPEG 2000. JPEG 2000, or JP2, was introduced in 2000. This file format provides for high compression with lossless and lossy techniques. Compared to JPEG, one of the main advantages of JPEG 2000 works well with natural photos and visual content. However, you do not want to convert a JPEG image to JPEG 2000 as it will result in an image with a larger file size.
• JPEG XR. JPEG XR, or JPEG Extended Range, was released in 2009. It offers enhanced support for HDR images, multiple color formats, and compression techniques. However, it has not been widely adopted, compared to other file formats.
• WebP. The WebP format was introduced in 2010. WebP is an open-source format and designed specifically for websites that support lossy and lossless compression, as well as animations, as a good replacement for GIFs.

One thing to consider before using any of these image formats is what is the application you are using it for and which browser, or browsers will be involved. Some of these image formats work better in specific browsers, so make sure to identify which browsers most of your users are using. Additionally, there are plugins and conversion tools that will convert different image file types, but make sure to identify which is best for your needs.