WebP is Google's web image format, released in 2010 and readable in every current browser. It holds two codecs under one extension: a lossy one derived from the VP8 video codec, which makes smaller files than JPEG at the same quality, and a lossless one that makes smaller files than PNG. Both support an alpha channel.
A WebP file can also hold many frames, so it does everything an animated GIF does and can replace it outright: full color instead of 256, real transparency, and much smaller files. It still plays in a plain image tag.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Compression | Both codecs: lossy (VP8) and lossless (VP8L) |
| Transparency | A full alpha channel in either codec |
| Animation | Read and written, with per-frame timing and a repeat count |
| Color profiles | Read and written as an embedded ICC profile |
| Inside other formats | WebP-compressed TIFF files are read as well |
| Export | Still and animated, lossy or lossless, with alpha and a profile |
These are properties of WebP itself. No program can do better with a .webp file.
| Limitation | Result |
|---|---|
| Precision | 8 bits per channel, in both codecs. A 16-bit document is reduced on export — to keep 16 bits use JPEG XL or JPEG 2000 |
| Color models | RGB only. Convert a CMYK document before exporting |
| Layers | The format holds flat frames, so export writes the flattened picture |
None beyond the format's own. WebP is read and written in both codecs, still and animated, with transparency and an embedded color profile.
Quality drives the lossy codec. 80 is a sensible default for photographs; higher keeps more detail and makes a larger file.
Lossless is not “quality 100” — it switches to the other codec entirely, the way PNG differs from JPEG. Use it for pixel art, screenshots, text and anything with hard edges or flat color; it makes much larger files for photographs.
Transparency keeps the alpha channel — turn it off to flatten transparent areas to opaque. ICC Profile embeds the document's color profile.
Choose Animated WebP to write a document's frames as an animation. Repeat sets how many times it plays, and 0 means forever.