cwebp

Convert an image to WebP format

$ cwebp [input.png] -o [output.webp]

$ cwebp -q [80] [input.jpg] -o [output.webp]

$ cwebp -lossless [input.png] -o [output.webp]

$ cwebp -resize [800] [600] [input.jpg] -o [output.webp]

$ cwebp -alpha_q [90] [input.png] -o [output.webp]

$ cwebp -near_lossless [60] [input.png] -o [output.webp]

cwebp [options] inputfile **-o** outputfile.webp

cwebp is Google's encoder for the WebP image format. WebP provides superior compression compared to JPEG and PNG while supporting both lossy and lossless modes, as well as animation and alpha transparency.
The encoder accepts PNG, JPEG, TIFF, and WebP inputs. For lossy compression, the -q parameter controls the quality-size tradeoff. For lossless, the -z parameter controls compression effort.
WebP is widely supported in web browsers and offers 25-34% smaller file sizes than JPEG at equivalent quality. The lossless mode typically achieves 26% smaller files than PNG.

-o FILE

Output WebP file path.

Compression quality (0-100, default 75). Higher is better quality.

Encode image losslessly.

Near-lossless preprocessing (0-100, 0 is maximum preprocessing).

Alpha channel quality (0-100).

Resize to specified dimensions.

Crop the input image.

Preset: default, photo, picture, drawing, icon, text.

Compression method (0-6, higher is slower/better).

Lossless compression preset (0-9).

Verbose output.

Very high quality settings may produce files larger than the source. Some older software doesn't support WebP. Lossy WebP introduces artifacts similar to JPEG. Near-lossless mode modifies pixels slightly for better compression.

WebP was developed by Google and released in 2010, based on the VP8 video codec. The cwebp encoder is part of the libwebp reference implementation. WebP achieved widespread browser support by 2020 and is recommended for web image optimization.

dwebp(1), gif2webp(1), cjpeg(1), convert(1)