AVIF

AVIF
Alliance for Open Media · BSD · source
Name	AVIF
Extension	.avif
Mime	image/avif
Released	2019
Standard	AV1 Image File Format
Owner	Alliance for Open Media
Container	HEIF/ISOBMFF
Website	Alliance for Open Media

AVIF AVIF is a modern image file format derived from the AV1 video codec and encapsulated in the ISO base media file format container; it targets high compression and high visual quality for both still images and image sequences. It was developed by the Alliance for Open Media with contributions from organizations such as Amazon (company), Google, Mozilla, Netflix, Apple Inc., and Cisco Systems. AVIF is positioned as an open, royalty-free alternative alongside formats pioneered by entities like MPEG LA and standards bodies including Moving Picture Experts Group and Joint Photographic Experts Group.

Overview

AVIF builds on the AV1 bitstream from the Alliance for Open Media and uses the HEIF/ISOBMFF container model used by technologies from Fraunhofer Society and adopted in platforms like Apple iOS; it supports features such as HDR using metadata defined by CTA-861.3, wide color via BT.2020, and alpha channels similar to offerings from Adobe Inc. and Microsoft. The format aims to compete with image formats created by companies and consortia including Google LLC's WebP and Joint Photographic Experts Group's JPEG XL while integrating with ecosystems such as Chromium, Firefox, Safari (web browser), and Windows.

Technical specifications

AVIF stores encoded image samples as AV1 coded images inside the ISO/IEC 14496-12-based container, enabling support for monochrome, YUV 4:2:0, 4:2:2, 4:4:4, and alpha planes found in imagery used by NVIDIA, Intel Corporation, ARM Holdings, and Qualcomm. It supports intra-frame and optional inter-frame coding, color primaries including ITU-R BT.709 and BT.2020, transfer characteristics including PQ (ST 2084) and HLG, and metadata schemas similar to Exif and XMP used by Canon Inc., Nikon Corporation, and Sony Corporation. Container features inherit capabilities from HEIF specifications maintained by MPEG LA and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29.

Encoding and decoding

Encoding to AVIF typically employs encoders derived from libaom, dav1d, rav1e, and implementations provided by companies such as AOMediaCodec contributors and projects like FFmpeg. Decoders include libavif wrappers, dav1d libraries optimized by VideoLAN, and hardware acceleration endpoints from vendors including Intel Corporation Quick Sync, NVIDIA Video Codec SDK, and ARM Mali drivers. Integration points exist in multimedia frameworks such as GStreamer, Media Foundation, WebKit, and Blink with toolchains supported by GitHub repositories maintained by developers from Mozilla and Google LLC.

Comparison with other image formats

Compared with legacy formats produced by organizations like Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) and technologies promoted by Microsoft Corporation (PNG), AVIF offers improved compression efficiency similar to advances from HEVC video codec research led by ITU-T and ISO/IEC. Against formats such as WebP from Google LLC and JPEG XL driven by contributors from Cloudinary and Fastly, AVIF emphasizes wider HDR support and modern chroma sampling. Browser and platform adoption debates involve stakeholders including Apple Inc., Mozilla Foundation, Google LLC, and cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform.

Adoption and support

AVIF support is present in major browsers including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge through contributions from projects like Chromium and Servo. Image editing and viewing applications from Adobe Inc. family software, GIMP community builds, and tools like ImageMagick and Darktable have added support via libraries maintained on GitHub and by organizations including The Linux Foundation. Content delivery platforms such as Netflix, YouTube, and Cloudflare have investigated or deployed AVIF pipelines to reduce bandwidth and storage costs similar to prior transitions led by Facebook and Instagram (company).

Performance and quality

AVIF's compression performance benefits from techniques developed in AV1 research and contributions from universities and labs such as Netflix Research, Google Research, and Bell Labs; it often achieves smaller file sizes than JPEG and WebP at equivalent subjective quality in studies by AOMedia contributors. Encoding complexity remains higher than legacy formats, leading to trade-offs involving CPU-bound encoders like libaom and faster but less mature encoders like rav1e and hardware-accelerated paths from NVIDIA and Intel Corporation. Quality considerations include preservation of fine detail, color fidelity for standards like DCI-P3, and support for alpha compositing used in workflows by Adobe Systems and Blender Foundation.

Licensing and patents

AVIF is distributed by the Alliance for Open Media under an open, royalty-free intent similar to earlier initiatives from IETF and W3C; however, patent landscapes involve entities such as MPEG LA, Via Licensing, and various technology firms that have historically asserted patents over video and image coding technologies. Implementers often rely on patent pledges and defensive agreements from members of the Alliance for Open Media and contributions governed by Open Source Initiative-aligned licenses in projects hosted by GitHub and coordinated through standards bodies like ISO/IEC.

Category:Image file formats