Why AVIF Images Are So Much Smaller (And Still Look Great)

Have you ever wondered how AVIF can make images so much smaller while still looking just as good? The secret lies in its advanced compression technology borrowed from modern video codecs! Let's break down how AVIF works its magic.

The Limitations of Older Formats

JPG was developed in 1992 using technology available at the time. WebP, while better, still uses VP8 video codec technology from 2010. AVIF uses the AV1 codec, released in 2018, which benefits from almost three decades of advances in video compression research.

Key Compression Technologies in AVIF

AVIF uses several advanced techniques that older formats don't:

• Intra Prediction: Instead of storing every pixel, AVIF predicts pixel values based on neighboring pixels, only storing the difference.
• Larger Block Sizes: AVIF can use much larger coding blocks than older formats, which is more efficient for modern high-resolution images.
• Advanced Transform Coding: AVIF uses modern transforms that compact image data more efficiently.
• Better Quantization: A smarter way to discard imperceptible data while maintaining visual quality.

Perceptual Quality vs. File Size

The human eye doesn't perceive all image information equally. AVIF's compression is designed specifically to preserve the details we notice while discarding information we can't see. This is called "perceptual coding," and it's why AVIF can achieve such amazing compression ratios without making images look bad.

Testing AVIF Yourself

The best way to see AVIF's advantage is to try compressing an image yourself! Use our Image Compressor or convert a JPG to AVIF with our JPG to AVIF Converter and see the difference in file size!