David Degner

<p>Built by a <a href="https://www.daviddegner.com" rel="nofollow ugc">Boston photographer</a> for site owners who care about visual quality and full control. This plugin prioritizes <strong>image quality</strong> over everything else — no subscriptions, no external services.</p>
<h3>Features</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Local Processing</strong> — All conversion happens on your server. No subscriptions or external API calls. Works great on a shared CPU with 2GB RAM.</li>
<li><strong>Quality First</strong> — Uses LANCZOS resizing, preserves ICC color profiles, and keeps EXIF/XMP/IPTC metadata intact.</li>
<li><strong>Fully Tunable</strong> — Control quality (0–100), speed (0–10), chroma subsampling (4:2:0, 4:2:2, 4:4:4), and bit depth (8/10/12-bit).</li>
<li><strong>Smart Fallback</strong> — Serves AVIF to supported browsers, JPEG to everyone else via picture elements.</li>
<li><strong>Automatic Conversion</strong> — Convert on upload or via daily scheduled background scans.</li>
<li><strong>LQIP Placeholders</strong> — Generate ThumbHash-based low-quality image placeholders for smooth loading.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How It Works</h3>
<p><strong>Front end:</strong> The plugin wraps your img tags in picture elements with an AVIF source. Browsers that support AVIF load the smaller, higher-quality file — others gracefully fall back to JPEG.</p>
<p><strong>Conversion:</strong> Uses ImageMagick CLI (fastest), Imagick PHP extension (high quality), or GD Library (fallback) to convert JPEGs to AVIF on upload or via background jobs.</p>
<p><strong>LQIP:</strong> Generates compact (~30 byte) ThumbHash placeholders that display instantly while images load.</p>
<h3>Server Setup</h3>
<p>The plugin supports three conversion engines, in order of preference:</p>
<h4>ImageMagick CLI (Fastest, Recommended)</h4>
<p>Uses the ImageMagick command-line binary directly:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>System binary:</strong> ImageMagick 7.x built with HEIF/AVIF support (via libheif)</li>
<li><strong>No PHP extension required</strong></li>
<li><strong>Benefits:</strong> Fastest performance, LANCZOS resizing, full metadata preservation (EXIF, XMP, IPTC, ICC)</li>
<li><strong>Typical paths:</strong> <code>/usr/bin/magick</code>, <code>/usr/local/bin/magick</code>, or Homebrew on macOS</li>
</ul>
<p>To verify AVIF support:</p>
<pre><code>magick -list format | grep -i avif
</code></pre>
<h4>Imagick PHP Extension (High Quality)</h4>
<p>Uses the PHP Imagick extension:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>PHP extension:</strong> imagick</li>
<li><strong>System libraries:</strong> ImageMagick built with HEIF/AVIF support (via libheif)</li>
<li><strong>Benefits:</strong> LANCZOS resizing, full metadata preservation (EXIF, XMP, IPTC, ICC), color profile handling</li>
</ul>
<p>To install on Ubuntu/Debian:</p>
<pre><code>apt install php-imagick imagemagick libheif-dev
</code></pre>
<h4>GD Library (Fallback)</h4>
<p>Uses PHP’s built-in GD library:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>PHP extension:</strong> gd built with AVIF support (provides imageavif on PHP 8.1+)</li>
<li><strong>Note:</strong> Some distro builds omit AVIF support; limited metadata preservation</li>
</ul>
<h4>MIME Type Configuration</h4>
<p>Ensure your web server is configured to serve .avif files as image/avif.</p>
<h4>Documentation</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://imagemagick.org/script/download.php" rel="nofollow ugc">ImageMagick installation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.php.net/imagick" rel="nofollow ugc">PHP Imagick installation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.php.net/manual/en/image.installation.php" rel="nofollow ugc">PHP GD installation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://imagemagick.org/script/formats.php" rel="nofollow ugc">ImageMagick format support</a></li>
</ul>
<h4>Need help with setup?</h4>
<p>If you’re not sure what to install or upgrade, copy your <strong>Server Diagnostics</strong> from the plugin status/tools screen (or run <code>wp avif status --format=json</code>) and paste it into an LLM.</p>
<p>Example prompt:</p>
<pre><code>I need AVIF support for WordPress. Based on this diagnostics output, give me step-by-step commands to install or upgrade ImageMagick, libheif, and PHP Imagick on my server.
</code></pre>
<p>After applying changes, verify with:</p>
<pre><code>wp avif status
magick -list format | grep -i avif<h3>WP-CLI Commands</h3>
</code></pre>
<p>Manage AVIF conversions from the command line.</p>
<h4>Status</h4>
<p>Show system status and AVIF support diagnostics:</p>
<pre><code>wp avif status
wp avif status --format=json
</code></pre>
<h4>Convert</h4>
<p>Convert JPEG images to AVIF format:</p>
<pre><code>wp avif convert --all
wp avif convert 123
wp avif convert --all --dry-run
</code></pre>
<p>Options:</p>
<ul>
<li><code><attachment-id></code> — Specific attachment ID to convert</li>
<li><code>--all</code> — Convert all attachments missing AVIF versions</li>
<li><code>--dry-run</code> — Show what would be converted without actually converting</li>
</ul>
<h4>Statistics</h4>
<p>Show AVIF conversion statistics:</p>
<pre><code>wp avif stats
wp avif stats --format=json
</code></pre>
<h4>Logs</h4>
<p>View or clear conversion logs:</p>
<pre><code>wp avif logs
wp avif logs --limit=50
wp avif logs --clear
</code></pre>
<p>Options:</p>
<ul>
<li><code>--clear</code> — Clear all logs</li>
<li><code>--limit=<number></code> — Number of logs to show (default: 20)</li>
</ul>
<h4>Delete</h4>
<p>Delete AVIF files for an attachment or all attachments:</p>
<pre><code>wp avif delete 123
wp avif delete --all --yes
</code></pre>
<p>Options:</p>
<ul>
<li><code><attachment-id></code> — Attachment ID to delete AVIF files for</li>
<li><code>--all</code> — Delete all AVIF files in the media library</li>
<li><code>--yes</code> — Skip confirmation prompt when using –all</li>
</ul>
<h4>LQIP Commands</h4>
<p>Manage LQIP (ThumbHash) placeholders:</p>
<pre><code>wp lqip stats
wp lqip generate --all --force
wp lqip generate 123
wp lqip delete --all --yes
</code></pre>
<p>For more information, visit <a href="https://wp-cli.org/" rel="nofollow ugc">wp-cli.org</a>.</p>
<h3>Contributing</h3>
<p>Contributions welcome! Please submit issues and pull requests on <a href="https://github.com/ddegner/avif-local-support" rel="nofollow ugc">GitHub</a>.</p>
<h3>License</h3>
<p>GPL v2 or later — <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html" rel="nofollow ugc">View License</a></p>


AVIF Local Support

High-quality AVIF image conversion for WordPress — local, quality-first.

Kraken.io

<p><strong>⚡ Compress, resize and convert your WordPress images to WebP, AVIF and more — automatically. Faster pages, smaller files, same quality.</strong></p>
<p>Slow pages cost you visitors, search rankings and sales — and over-sized images are almost always the culprit. <strong>Kraken.io Image Optimizer</strong> fixes that on autopilot: it compresses, resizes and converts every image you upload — <em>and</em> every thumbnail WordPress generates — so your whole site loads lighter and faster, without you lifting a finger.</p>
<p>Every upload is sent to <a href="https://kraken.io" title="Kraken.io Image Optimizer" rel="nofollow ugc">Kraken.io</a>, one of the most advanced image-optimization APIs on the web, optimized in the cloud, and pulled straight back into your Media Library. No binaries, no command line, no server tweaks — install it, add your API key, and stop worrying about heavy images.</p>
<p>At its heart is Kraken.io’s <strong>intelligent lossy</strong> engine: for every single image it finds the exact point where the file is as small as possible while staying <em>visually indistinguishable from the original</em>. Expect to cut <strong>60% or more</strong> off your image weight — exactly the win Google PageSpeed and Core Web Vitals reward.</p>
<p>From a personal blog to a busy WooCommerce store with tens of thousands of products, it’s an install-and-forget solution that just works.</p>
<h4>✨ Why Kraken.io</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>Intelligent lossy & lossless</strong> — pick maximum savings with no visible quality loss, or pixel-perfect lossless. Per-image JPEG quality and chroma subsampling control for power users.</li>
<li><strong>Convert between formats</strong> — turn uploads into <strong>WebP</strong>, <strong>AVIF</strong>, <strong>JPEG</strong>, <strong>PNG</strong> or <strong>GIF</strong>. Reach for next-gen WebP or AVIF for the biggest savings (and to clear Google’s “Serve images in next-gen formats” audit), or switch between the classics — whatever fits your site.</li>
<li><strong>Optimizes everything WordPress serves</strong> — the full-size image <em>and</em> every thumbnail size (thumbnail, medium, large, …) that actually reaches your visitors through responsive <code>srcset</code>.</li>
<li><strong>PDFs too, not just images</strong> — PDF files in your Media Library are compressed through the same Kraken.io engine, so documents download and embed faster.</li>
<li><strong>Smart resizing</strong> — cap oversized uploads to a maximum width/height; resized images are <em>enhanced</em> to stay sharp and avoid haloing.</li>
<li><strong>Bulk “Krak ’em all”</strong> — optimize your entire existing library from a dedicated Bulk Optimize screen or the Media Library bulk action, with live progress.</li>
<li><strong>A control panel that tells you everything</strong> — a Kraken.io summary panel on the Media Library, Add Media and Plugins screens (plus a Dashboard widget) shows your connection status, plan, quota usage, active settings and supported formats at a glance.</li>
<li><strong>Per-image savings & error badges</strong> — see exactly how much each image saved, right in the Media grid and list.</li>
<li><strong>Plays nice with your stack</strong> — works with multisite, page builders, CDNs and local/dev sites. Detects other optimizer plugins and offers one-click deactivation so they don’t fight over your images.</li>
</ul>
<h4>🖼️ Supported formats</h4>
<p>JPEG, PNG, animated GIF, <strong>WebP</strong>, <strong>AVIF</strong>, <strong>HEIC/HEIF</strong> and <strong>PDF</strong>. (For security, raw SVG upload is intentionally not enabled — see the FAQ.)</p>
<h4>⚡ Built for Core Web Vitals</h4>
<p>Heavy images are the number-one cause of slow pages. By compressing every size, converting to WebP/AVIF and right-sizing oversized uploads, Kraken.io directly targets the audits that move your score: <em>Properly size images</em>, <em>Efficiently encode images</em>, <em>Serve images in next-gen formats</em> and <em>Largest Contentful Paint</em>.</p>
<h4>🎛️ Your images, your control</h4>
<ul>
<li>Choose <strong>intelligent lossy</strong> or <strong>lossless</strong>, globally.</li>
<li><strong>Convert</strong> uploads to WebP/AVIF/JPEG/PNG/GIF on the fly — synced live between the panel and settings.</li>
<li>Preserve selected <strong>EXIF</strong> tags (Date, Copyright, Geotag, Orientation, Profile) or strip them for the smallest files.</li>
<li><strong>Auto-orient</strong> photos from phones and cameras by their EXIF orientation.</li>
<li>Decide <strong>who can optimize</strong> — all logged-in users, authors and up, or administrators only.</li>
<li>Pick exactly <strong>which image sizes</strong> to optimize (the large 1536×1536 and 2048×2048 retina sizes are off by default to save quota — turn them on if your theme serves them).</li>
<li>Optimize on upload automatically, or defer and bulk-optimize later.</li>
</ul>
<h4>🔒 Private & secure by design</h4>
<p>Your API credentials are stored <strong>write-only</strong> and masked — they are never pre-filled into the page or exposed in your site’s source, so other users on the dashboard can’t read them. Every action is protected by nonces and capability checks, uploads are content-verified, and all optimization happens server-to-server with Kraken.io. No secrets ever reach the browser.</p>
<h4>🚀 Get started for free</h4>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Create a <a href="https://kraken.io/pricing" title="Kraken.io – Plans and Pricing" rel="nofollow ugc">free Kraken.io account</a></strong> — no credit card required — and get testing quota to try the plugin and the rest of the Kraken.io toolset:</p>
<ul>
<li>A fully-featured optimization <strong>API</strong> with official libraries for PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby, Java, Go and .NET</li>
<li><strong>Web Interface</strong> (free) and <strong>Web Interface PRO</strong> with resizing and sync-to-Dropbox</li>
<li><strong>URL Paster</strong> and <strong>Page Cruncher</strong> to optimize images in bulk from anywhere on the web</li>
<li>Optimization <strong>history and stats</strong>, and Kraken.io Cloud Storage</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>You can use a single API key across as many sites as you like — there is no per-site license.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>★★★★★ <strong>Excellent option for image optimization</strong><br />
  “The real power of Kraken is their ‘intelligent lossy’ optimization. I use it on all my sites and have never once needed to roll back an image because of too much quality degradation. It is a perfect solution as is.” — <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/collinmbarrett" rel="nofollow ugc">collin</a></p>
<p>★★★★★ <strong>Quality results, quality service</strong><br />
  “The plugin works really well and effortlessly, and the support is prompt, thoughtful, and thorough. I’m hooked.” — <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/illustrata" rel="nofollow ugc">illustrata</a></p>
<p>★★★★★ <strong>Optimize according to Google PageSpeed</strong><br />
  “Kraken was instrumental in optimizing images to comply with Google’s PageSpeed analyzing tool. Our travel blog now sports Google’s ‘mobile friendly’ tag for mobile searches.” — <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/qualterio" rel="nofollow ugc">Walter Schaerer</a></p>
<p>★★★★★ <strong>Perfect solution to speed up site!</strong><br />
  “I love this plugin! All my questions are quickly responded to and I see a huge saving in image size without losing quality. Highly recommend!” — <a href="https://profiles.wordpress.org/ezone69" rel="nofollow ugc">ezone69</a></p>
</blockquote>
<h4>Connect with Kraken.io</h4>
<ul>
<li>Website: <a href="https://kraken.io" rel="nofollow ugc">https://kraken.io</a></li>
<li>Plans & pricing: <a href="https://kraken.io/pricing" rel="nofollow ugc">https://kraken.io/pricing</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/KrakenIO" title="@KrakenIO" rel="nofollow ugc">Twitter / X</a> · <a href="https://www.facebook.com/krakenio" title="Kraken.io" rel="nofollow ugc">Facebook</a> · <a href="https://github.com/kraken-io" title="Kraken.io on GitHub" rel="nofollow ugc">GitHub</a></li>
</ul>


Kraken.io Image Optimizer – Compress, Convert to WebP & AVIF, Resize & Bulk Optimize

- It works with 1 image but not at Google PageSpeed standard
- It doesn't work with bulk action
- The worst thing is I inputted my credit card there and they refused to let me cancel my subscription, what a very bad thing from kraken.io

Does not work for bulk actions, subscription cannot be cancelled

As others are noting here, their customer service is terrible. In fact I'd use the word "non-existent".

After signing up with an account I decided that the service was no longer what I needed and contacted them to delete my account. Multiple times, in different ways, I've contacted their customer support about this and never had a response. Currently breaching GDPR rules, they're going to be reported.

Thank goodness I never handed over any payments to them.

Terrible Customer Service

Optimize images automatically — compress, resize and convert to WebP, AVIF & more with Kraken.io. Faster pages, smaller files, same quality.

AVIF Local Support vs Kraken.io Image Optimizer – Compress, Convert to WebP & AVIF, Resize & Bulk Optimize