Format decision guide
WebP, AVIF, and originals: give each file one clear job
Modern delivery files should make pages lighter without becoming your only copy. Keep source images recoverable, generate modern sidecars, and verify what visitors actually receive.
A safe default
- Keep the uploaded original as the recovery source.
- Generate WebP for compatible WordPress image sizes.
- Add AVIF only when your server supports it and a WebP or original fallback remains available.
- Test representative pages before changing cleanup or delivery rules.
What each format is for
- Original
- Your editing and recovery source
- Keep it unless you have a tested archival and rollback process. Future crops, formats, and quality decisions may need it.
- WebP
- The dependable modern delivery format
- A strong default for broad browser support and meaningful savings. Fast Imagery Free creates it locally without image quotas.
- AVIF
- An additional modern option
- Often smaller for photographs, but slower to encode and not always smaller for every image. Generate it alongside a fallback.
Verify delivery, not just file creation
Open a representative page in a private browser window, inspect the image request in developer tools, and confirm the response is a modern format at the expected dimensions. Repeat for a browser or configuration that needs the fallback. Clear page, CDN, and browser caches before treating a mismatch as a conversion error.