WebP

WebP (pronounced "weppy") is a modern image format developed by Google for use on the web. It was designed to be a more efficient alternative to older image formats such as JPEG, PNG, and GIF. By using improved compression, WebP can produce graphics with similar or better visual quality at significantly smaller file sizes.

The WebP format supports lossy and lossless compression, allowing it to efficiently store everything from simple graphics to detailed photographs. It also supports transparency through an 8-bit alpha channel, similar to PNG, and can include animations, making it a practical replacement for animated GIFs. Most modern web browsers, image editors, and file viewers can open WebP images, and Google's libwebp library provides tools for creating and converting them.

Technical Information

The WebP file format is a RIFF-based container format that stores image data encoded with VP8 for lossy compression or VP8L for lossless compression. It can also store optional metadata and color profile information. The container structure allows WebP images to include EXIF or XMP metadata, ICC color profiles, and multiple animation frames in a single file.

While still not as popular as JPEG and PNG, the WebP format has gained significant traction in recent years, and many popular websites use it.

File extension: .WEBP