How to Create AVIF Images with GIMP

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is a modern image format that delivers significantly better compression and quality than legacy formats like JPEG and WebP. This guide explains how to convert and export images into the AVIF format using GIMP, the popular free and open-source image editor, alongside a few quick alternative open-source command-line tools.

Prerequisites

Native AVIF support was introduced in GIMP version 2.10.22 via the libheif library. Before starting, ensure that your installation of GIMP is updated to version 2.10.22 or higher. You can verify your version by navigating to Help > About GIMP.

Step-by-Step Guide to Exporting AVIF in GIMP

1. Open Your Image

Launch GIMP and open the image you want to convert by going to File > Open, or drag and drop your file into the GIMP workspace. Perform any necessary cropping, resizing, or color adjustments before exporting.

2. Open the Export Dialog

Click File in the top menu and select Export As... (or use the shortcut Shift + Ctrl + E).

3. Set the File Extension

In the Export Image window:

• Name your file and append .avif to the end of the filename (e.g., my-image.avif).
• Alternatively, expand the Select File Type (By Extension) menu at the bottom of the dialog box and scroll down to select AVIF image (*.avif).
• Choose your destination folder and click Export.

4. Adjust AVIF Export Settings

A dialog box titled Export Image as AVIF will appear with several compression parameters:

• Lossless: Check this box if you require pixel-perfect preservation of the original image data without any compression artifacts. Note that lossless AVIF files will be larger.
• Quality: If "Lossless" is unchecked, adjust the quality slider between 0 and 100. A setting between 60 and 80 usually provides an optimal balance between visual fidelity and small file size for web use.
• Speed: This slider controls the CPU effort used during encoding. Slower speeds result in better compression efficiency and smaller files, while faster speeds reduce processing time.
• Metadata options: Toggle options such as EXIF data, XMP, and color profiles depending on whether you want to preserve camera metadata or strip it to minimize file weight.

5. Finalize the Export

Click the Export button. GIMP will process the image and save your new AVIF file to the designated directory.

Alternative Open-Source Methods

If you need to batch-process images or prefer working from the terminal, other open-source tools can create AVIF images quickly:

ImageMagick

With ImageMagick installed (v7.0.10-25 or later with libheif support), convert an image using:

magick input.jpg -quality 75 output.avif

FFmpeg

If your FFmpeg build includes libsvtav1 or libaom-av1, convert images directly via the command line:

ffmpeg -i input.png -c:v libaom-av1 -crf 30 output.avif