Modern Image Formats

Description

This plugin adds WebP and AVIF support for media uploads within the WordPress application. By default, AVIF images will be generated if supported on the hosting server, otherwise WebP will be used as the output format. When both formats are available, the output format can be selected under Settings > Media. Modern images will be generated only for new uploads, pre-existing images will only converted to a modern format if images are “Regenerated”.

By default, only modern image format sub-sizes will be generated for JPEG uploads – only the original uploaded file will still exist as a JPEG image, generated image sizes use be WebP or AVIF files. To change this behavior, there is a checkbox in Settings > Media “Also output JPEG” that – when checked – will result in the plugin generating both JPEG and WebP or AVIF images for every sub-size (noting again that this will only affect newly uploaded images, i.e. after making said change).

This plugin was formerly known as WebP Uploads.

Installation

Installation from within WordPress

  1. Visit Plugins > Add New.
  2. Search for Modern Image Formats.
  3. Install and activate the Modern Image Formats plugin.

Manual installation

  1. Upload the entire webp-uploads folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory.
  2. Visit Plugins.
  3. Activate the Modern Image Formats plugin.

FAQ

Where can I submit my plugin feedback?

Feedback is encouraged and much appreciated, especially since this plugin may contain future WordPress core features. If you have suggestions or requests for new features, you can submit them as an issue in the WordPress Performance Team’s GitHub repository. If you need help with troubleshooting or have a question about the plugin, please create a new topic on our support forum.

Where can I report security bugs?

The Performance team and WordPress community take security bugs seriously. We appreciate your efforts to responsibly disclose your findings, and will make every effort to acknowledge your contributions.

To report a security issue, please visit the WordPress HackerOne program.

How can I contribute to the plugin?

Contributions are always welcome! Learn more about how to get involved in the Core Performance Team Handbook.

I’ve activated the Modern Image Formats plugin, but WebP images are not always generated when I upload a JPEG image. Why?

There are two primary reasons that a WebP image may not be generated:

  1. The Modern Image Formats plugin has identified that the WebP version of the uploaded JPEG image would have a larger file size than the original JPEG image, so it does not generate the WebP version.
  2. The JPEG image was not uploaded to the Media Library. At this time, WebP versions are only generated for images to the Media Library. WebP versions are not generated for JPEG images that are added to your site in other ways, such as in a template file or the Customizer.

With the Modern Image Formats plugin activated, will the plugin generate JPEG and WebP versions of every image that I upload?

By default, the Modern Image Formats plugin will only generate WebP versions of the images that you upload. If you wish to have both WebP and JPEG versions generated, you can navigate to Settings > Media and enable the Generate JPEG files in addition to WebP option.

Reviews

March 25, 2024 1 reply
Simple Plugin, that does it’s one simple job very good. Definitely a recommendation!
February 5, 2024 1 reply
I’ve had a hard time with an issue making it impossible for my users to upload their profile avatar (using Peepso plugin). Trying to debug the Ajax call, I’ve observed an error 500 message, making the whole website unresponsive when being called upon avatar confirmation. After proceeding by elimination, I finally located the issue to this new extension I had installed some time ago. Next time I’ll be more prudent…
January 20, 2024 5 replies
The plugin does exactly what it says; Adds support for WebP images and automatically converts the pictures you upload to that specific format. However, not having the option to convert existing images is a big feature missing from the plugin for me. I don’t know what you have in your future plans, but what would you recommend for converting old images to WebP and deleting their original format to save disk space? I’m currently using WebP Express, but I wonder if you recommend something else?
January 18, 2024 2 replies
Had to go back to the original performance plugin and all works fine.
Read all 9 reviews

Contributors & Developers

“Modern Image Formats” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

“Modern Image Formats” has been translated into 7 locales. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.

Translate “Modern Image Formats” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

2.0.2

Enhancements

  • I18N: Add context to Modern Image Formats section title. (1287)

Bug Fixes

  • Improve compatibility of styling picture elements. (1307)

2.0.1

Bug Fixes

  • Fix fatal error when another the_content filter callback returns null instead of a string. (1283)

2.0.0

Features

  • Add picture element support. (73)
  • Add AVIF image format support. Add setting for output image format to choose between WebP and AVIF. (1176)

Enhancements

  • Improve Settings->Media controls for Modern Image Formats. (1273)
  • Remove obsolete fallback script now that picture element is supported. (1269)

1.1.1

Enhancements

  • Prepend Settings link in webp-uploads. (1146)
  • Improve overall code quality with stricter static analysis checks. (775)
  • Bump minimum PHP requirement to 7.2. (1130)

Documentation

  • Updated inline documentation. (1160)

1.1.0

  • Add link to WebP settings to plugins table. (1036)
  • Rename plugin to “Modern Image Formats”. (1101)
  • Use plugin slug for generator tag. (1103)
  • Delete option when uninstalling the Modern Image Formats plugin. (1116)
  • Bump minimum required WP version to 6.4. (1062)
  • Update tested WordPress version to 6.5. (1027)

1.0.5

  • Exclude “.wordpress-org” directory when deploying standalone plugins. (866)

1.0.4

  • Bump minimum required PHP version to 7.0 and minimum required WP version to 6.3. (851)

1.0.3

  • Add standalone plugin assets. (815)

1.0.2

  • Fix WebP handling when editing images based on WordPress 6.3 change. (796)

1.0.1

  • Bump tested up to version to 6.3. (772)

1.0.0

  • Initial release of the Modern Image Formats plugin as a standalone plugin. (664)