cavif

convert images to AVIF format

TLDR

Convert an image to AVIF format

$ cavif [path/to/image.png]

Convert with specific quality (1-100)

$ cavif --quality [80] [path/to/image.jpg]

Convert with faster encoding speed (1-10)

$ cavif --speed [6] [path/to/image.png]

Convert and specify output path

$ cavif -o [path/to/output.avif] [path/to/image.png]

Convert multiple images to a directory

$ cavif -o [path/to/output_dir/] [image1.png] [image2.jpg]

Overwrite existing AVIF files

$ cavif --overwrite [path/to/image.png]

SYNOPSIS

cavif [--quality 1-100] [--speed 1-10] [-o path] [--overwrite] [--quiet] file...

cavif is a command-line tool written in Rust for converting PNG and JPEG images to AVIF (AV1 Image File Format). AVIF uses AV1 video codec compression, offering superior compression ratios compared to JPEG while maintaining image quality.By default, output files are saved with the same name but with an .avif extension. Existing files are not overwritten unless --overwrite is specified.

PARAMETERS

--quality 1-100

Output quality level. Higher values mean better quality and larger files. Default: 80

--speed 1-10

Encoding speed. 1 is slowest with best compression, 10 is fastest but lower quality. Default: 4

-o path

Output path. For multiple inputs, treated as a directory

--overwrite

Replace existing .avif files instead of skipping them

--quiet

Suppress output during conversion

--dirty-alpha

Preserve RGB values of fully transparent pixels (increases file size)

--color=rgb

Encode in RGB color space instead of YCbCr. Avoids color shifts but produces larger files

--depth=8

Encode using 8-bit color depth instead of default 10-bit for wider compatibility

CAVEATS

Speeds 1-2 are extremely slow but produce ~3-5% smaller files. Speeds 7+ significantly degrade compression and are not recommended.There is no lossless compression mode; quality 100 produces unreasonably large files without being truly lossless.Requires Rust 1.67 or later if building from source.

HISTORY

cavif was created by Kornel Lesinski as a pure Rust implementation of an AVIF encoder. AVIF itself was standardized in 2019 by the Alliance for Open Media, leveraging the AV1 video codec for still image compression.