Figma AVIF Support: Import and Export Explained

Modern graphic design workflows increasingly encounter AVIF due to its superior compression and quality retention on the web. This guide explains how design tools—primarily Figma—handle AVIF files, clarifies the fundamental technical distinction between AVIF rasters and vectors, and details the current methods available for importing and exporting these assets within your design pipeline.

AVIF: Raster vs. Vector Clarification

Before integrating AVIF into design workflows, it is essential to understand that AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is strictly a raster image format. Developed by the Alliance for Open Media, it adapts the AV1 video codec to compress still bitmap images. AVIF cannot store vector data, paths, or control points. Vector graphics continue to rely on formats like SVG, EPS, or PDF. When working with tools like Figma, any AVIF interaction applies solely to raster bitmaps.

Importing AVIF into Figma

Figma runs on modern web technologies and Chromium-based desktop wrappers, both of which natively support AVIF decoding.

• Direct Placement: You can import AVIF files by dragging and dropping them directly onto the canvas or using the File > Place Image command.
• Image Fills: Figma treats imported AVIF files like any standard raster format (such as PNG or JPEG). The file is applied as an image fill within a shape or frame, allowing you to crop, adjust exposure, modify contrast, and apply blend modes.
• Performance: Because AVIF provides high visual fidelity at significantly lower file sizes, importing AVIF rasters can reduce overall memory overhead in large Figma canvases containing numerous high-resolution assets.

Exporting AVIF from Figma

As of current versions, Figma does not offer native, out-of-the-box AVIF export options in its primary export menu. The default export formats remain PNG, JPG, SVG, and PDF. To export designs as AVIF files from Figma, you must use alternative workflows:

• Community Plugins: The Figma Community offers dedicated plugins that process canvas layers into AVIF format. These plugins convert frame contents into raster data and encode them directly using JavaScript-based AVIF encoders before triggering a browser download.
• Intermediate Export and Conversion: The most common production workflow involves exporting designs from Figma as uncompressed PNGs, followed by batch conversion using external CLI tools, image processing scripts, or web utilities like Squoosh.
• Automated Build Pipelines: For production design systems, teams typically export raw SVGs (for vectors) or high-resolution PNGs (for rasters) into development repositories, allowing server-side build steps (using tools like Sharp or ImageMagick) to generate final AVIF assets automatically.

AVIF Handling in Other Design Software

Other industry-standard design tools share similar constraints regarding AVIF:

• Adobe Photoshop: Supports opening and saving AVIF files natively in recent releases, handling them exclusively as raster layers.
• Adobe Illustrator: Because Illustrator is a vector-based editor, AVIF files can only be embedded or linked as flattened raster objects. Illustrator cannot export native vectors to AVIF.
• Sketch: Relies on native macOS image decoders. Newer versions of macOS support AVIF viewing, allowing drag-and-drop raster placement, though native export typically still requires third-party plugins or post-processing scripts.