.avif File — AV1 Image File Format

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is a modern image format that uses the AV1 video codec for still image compression, wrapped in the HEIF container format. Developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) — whose members include Google, Apple, Mozilla, Microsoft, Netflix, and Amazon — AVIF is royalty-free, addressing the patent licensing concerns that hampered HEIC/HEVC adoption. AVIF delivers exceptional compression efficiency, typically 30-50% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality and 20% smaller than WebP. The format supports lossy and lossless compression, HDR with 10-bit and 12-bit color depth, wide color gamut, alpha transparency, and animated sequences. AVIF also supports film grain synthesis, which can reproduce the look of photographic film at minimal bitrate cost. Browser support has grown rapidly, with Chrome, Firefox, and Safari all supporting AVIF. The format is particularly effective for photographic images and is increasingly adopted by major websites and CDNs. AVIF's combination of superior compression, modern features, and royalty-free licensing positions it as a strong successor to both JPEG and WebP.