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How to Convert Images to WebP?
WebP is an image file format that can easily be converted to any other needed format such as PNG or JPEG using an online platform. Some of them are even for free to some extent.
Before we get into that, let’s take a closer look at the WebP format. What it is, its main characteristics, and its uses, among other relevant details you’d want to know before choosing the image file format you’ll use on your website.
What is WebP File Format?
With the objective to replace the JPEG, PNG and GIF file formats, in 2010 Google developed the WebP format. This kind of format supports lossy and lossless compression as well as animation and transparency.
Lossy compression is an irreversible type of compression, where data from the original file is discarded. This kind of method discards inexact approximations of data.
On the other hand, the lossless type of compression allows the original data to be reconstructed, without losing any of the original data.
When creating websites, speed and performance are essential aspects you need to consider if you want your site to rank as high quality. Image optimization has come to be the main factor to achieve both of those aspects. By reducing the file sizes through compression, it’ll be easier and faster for the site to load and that’s one of the main objectives when creating a website.
Why To Use WebP Format?
As we mentioned before, images have an important role in the performance of a website. That being said, the reason why WebP is so significant is that it is a pixel-based format specifically created for online images, which supports lossy and lossless compression.
This kind of format has a predictive coding method that only includes necessary data without jeopardizing the visual result of the image. This means that the image is small-sized and high quality at the same time.
Which Web Browsers Natively Support WebP
When choosing to use WebP it’s important to know that it’s not a supported format for every web browser. However, the images on your site will not appear broken if they are set up properly.
The web browsers that currently do not support WebP image format are Google Chrome 4 to 21. With some of the latest versions of Chrome, the support of the WebP format is only partial.
The Goggle Chrome version for Android supports WebP files from version 25.
Microsoft Edge supports these files from version 18. It’s not supported in Safari browser version 3.1 to 11.1 and Mozilla Firefox browser version 2 to 61.
These specifications include either lossy or lossless kind of compression of the files. If you’re planning to use WebP files on your website, it’s important for you to choose the right compression method.
Why did Google Release WebP as Open Source?
WebP is an open-source image format, which means that is it publicly accessible to be seen and modified by anyone who wants to use it. Upon its released, Google believes that an open-source format will encourage users to make suggestions and editions that in the end will benefit the characteristics of the image format.
What is the Maximum size a WebP Image Can Be?
Measured in pixel dimensions, the maximum allowed for WebP image format is 16383 x 16383.
One interesting fact about the size format of WebP files is that if you want to convert a JPG or PNG format to WebP, the resulting image can be larger than the original image without compromising its quality, due to the color spaces that WebP files support.
Converting WebP Images
As previously mentioned, there are different online apps that will provide you with the necessary tools to convert WebP formats into JPEG, PNG or GIF depending on your preferences. Once you’ve understood the main characteristics of each format you can use, then you can make the decision on which one you prefer.
Find below a list of the most popular online platforms, most of them are free to use to a certain extent, you can use to convert WebP files to any other format, or the other way around.
Convertio.co
This online platform allows you to upload image files from your computer, Google Drive or Dropbox, and choose the file format you want to be the end result. It only takes a few seconds to convert your WebP files to PNG or JPEG or the other way around.
Like most of these online apps, it’s free up to a certain extent. In this case, you can upload images up to 100MB, or you’ll have to register and get the premium version of the site.
Cloudconvert.com
This is a platform that converts almost every file format to the one you need online and for free in just a few seconds. WebP files can be converted to a wide variety of formats such as GIF, JPG, and PNG, among others.
When choosing the file you want to convert there are several other specifications you can add, such as width, height, and the additions of watermarks if that’s what you want.
ezgif.com
This online platform will allow you to create WebP files from JPG, PNG, and MP4 among others in several seconds, following a few simple steps. This app allows editions of the files and the addition of certain specifications to the resulted files, such as the size, and the possibility to create animated WebP files upon GIF, JPG, PNG, APNG, HEIC, or others you can choose.
Tiny-img.com
With this application, you can convert JPG and PNG files into WebP automatically and up to 10 images at a time. there are different options for conversion. With the first one, the image will be reduced to the maximum possible option without jeopardizing its quality. With the second you can choose how much you want the image to be reduced.
This app has an additional option that automatically adds ALT tags and titles to the images which will improve your SEO positioning.
