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.

Darko G.

MegaOptim

<p>MegaOptim 2.0 is a WordPress image optimizer built around three goals:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Further compress existing WebP and AVIF images.</strong> Next-gen formats are already small — MegaOptim 2.0 squeezes more out of them while keeping originals intact.</li>
<li><strong>Convert old JPG, PNG, and GIF images to WebP or AVIF.</strong> Modernize your Media Library and serve next-gen formats to supported browsers, with the original file preserved as a fallback.</li>
<li><strong>Optimize old formats in place.</strong> Make JPEG and PNG smaller without changing the format — useful when you want savings but don’t want a next-gen conversion. GIF, WebP, and AVIF compression are available through MegaOptim Cloud.</li>
</ol>
<p>The plugin is <strong>free</strong> when you use the local method (GD or Imagick on your server). For smarter compression — including further optimization of existing WebP and AVIF files — add an API key and use <strong>MegaOptim Cloud</strong>, available for around <strong>$54 per year</strong> on <strong>unlimited sites</strong>.</p>
<h4>Why Use MegaOptim?</h4>
<ul>
<li>Further compress existing WebP and AVIF images for extra savings</li>
<li>Convert JPEG, PNG, and GIF images to WebP or AVIF</li>
<li>Optimize JPEG and PNG in place with no format change (GIF/WebP/AVIF compression via Cloud)</li>
<li>Bulk process the WordPress Media Library</li>
<li>Browse and process folders outside the Media Library</li>
<li>Free local processing or smarter MegaOptim Cloud compression</li>
<li>Automatically convert or compress newly uploaded images</li>
<li>Serve WebP and AVIF with Apache <code>.htaccess</code> or PHP passthru</li>
<li>Track background jobs with a built-in queue monitor</li>
<li>Restore compressed originals from backup or remove generated next-gen files</li>
<li>Optionally process retina images generated by WP Retina 2x / Perfect Images</li>
<li>Use WP-CLI for bulk conversion, stats, reset, logs, and queue tools</li>
</ul>
<h4>Free Local Processing or MegaOptim Cloud</h4>
<p>MegaOptim works without an API key. If your server has GD or Imagick, you can convert JPEG/PNG/GIF to WebP, generate AVIF where your server supports it, and compress JPEG and PNG entirely on your own server — free, forever. GIF, WebP, and AVIF compression are available via MegaOptim Cloud.</p>
<p>For noticeably better results — including further compression of existing WebP and AVIF images, smarter JPEG/PNG optimization, and broader AVIF support — add a MegaOptim API key. MegaOptim Cloud offloads processing from your server and costs just <strong>$54 per year</strong> for <strong>unlimited sites</strong>. Get an API key from <a href="https://app.megaoptim.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow ugc">the MegaOptim dashboard</a> and see plans at <a href="https://megaoptim.com/pricing/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow ugc">MegaOptim pricing</a>.</p>
<h4>What MegaOptim 2.0 Can Do</h4>
<ul>
<li>Next-gen optimization: Further compress existing WebP and AVIF images through MegaOptim Cloud</li>
<li>Convert mode: Generate WebP or AVIF versions from JPEG, PNG, and GIF images</li>
<li>Compress mode: Optimize original images in place (no format change) with local or smart cloud compression</li>
<li>Media Library view: Process individual images, selected images, or run bulk jobs across the library</li>
<li>File System view: Browse folders on your server and bulk-process images outside the Media Library</li>
<li>Upload automation: Automatically convert or compress new uploads in the background</li>
<li>Delivery settings: Choose Apache <code>.htaccess</code> rules or PHP passthru rewriting to serve WebP and AVIF</li>
<li>Queue monitor: Watch active jobs, progress, failures, and background processing state</li>
<li>Tools page: Run restore actions for compressed originals or remove generated WebP/AVIF derivatives</li>
<li>Restore support: Restore compressed images from backup and regenerate thumbnails</li>
<li>Logging and diagnostics: Use the built-in log viewer and queue statistics through WP-CLI</li>
<li>Retina support: Optionally process <code>@2x</code> images created by WP Retina 2x or Perfect Images</li>
</ul>
<h4>Originals Preserved</h4>
<p>MegaOptim 2.0 keeps your original uploads in place and generates next-gen derivatives alongside them. On the front end, MegaOptim serves the best format the visitor’s browser supports while keeping the original file available as a fallback.</p>
<h4>Migration From Older MegaOptim Versions</h4>
<p>MegaOptim 2.0 includes background migration for legacy settings and older attachment data. Existing users can upgrade and let MegaOptim migrate data in batches, with progress shown inside the admin UI while migration is running.</p>


MegaOptim Image Optimizer – Optimize WebP & AVIF, Compress Images, Convert to WebP & AVIF

Further compress WebP and AVIF images, convert old JPG, PNG, and GIF uploads to next-gen formats, and optimize JPEG and PNG files in place.

AVIF Local Support vs MegaOptim Image Optimizer – Optimize WebP & AVIF, Compress Images, Convert to WebP & AVIF