PNG to AVIF: transparent images at a fraction of the size
This PNG to AVIF converter re-encodes PNG images as AVIF while keeping their transparency. It suits illustrations, product cut-outs, banners, screenshots and other web graphics that are heavy as PNG. Everything happens in your browser with the open-source @jsquash/avif encoder (Apache-2.0), running in a background worker, so you get a progress bar instead of a frozen page.
AVIF supports a full alpha channel, high bit depths and wide-gamut colour, and its AV1-based compression usually leaves PNG far behind on file size. Because PNG sources are so often graphics with crisp coloured edges, this page encodes colour at full 4:4:4 resolution by default.
How to use the PNG to AVIF Converter
- Drop PNG files on the upload area, click to browse or paste with Ctrl+V. The AVIF encoder downloads once, the first time you convert.
- Set Quality — 60–75 suits most graphics; raise it for text-heavy screenshots.
- Keep Full colour resolution (4:4:4) ticked for logos, charts and interface screenshots; untick it for photo-like images to save a little more.
- Choose an Encoding speed, then follow the progress bar.
- Check the edges in the preview against the Original, then download the AVIFs one by one or as a ZIP.
PNG to AVIF Converter features
Transparency preserved
The PNG’s alpha channel is encoded as an auxiliary AV1 image inside the AVIF, at the same quality level as the colour.
4:4:4 by default
Full-resolution colour keeps red text, thin coloured lines and icon edges crisp, which matters more for graphics than for photos.
Responsive while encoding
A module worker does the heavy lifting; a progress bar with a time estimate tracks each file.
Speed presets
Fastest, Balanced and Smallest files map to the encoder’s speed 10, 8 and 6.
Batch and ZIP
Convert a whole folder of assets and download one archive.
Why AVIF beats PNG for most web graphics
PNG was standardised in 1996 as a patent-free replacement for GIF. Its lossless compression — per-row prediction filters followed by DEFLATE — is excellent for flat colours and simple shapes but struggles with gradients, textures, photos and soft shadows, which describe most modern web graphics.
AVIF, published by the Alliance for Open Media in 2019, compresses with the AV1 codec. At sensible quality settings it discards only detail that is hard to see, and it describes large smooth areas very cheaply. For transparent images the alpha channel is coded as its own greyscale image, so outlines stay clean while the colour data shrinks.
Getting crisp results from graphics
- Text and interface screenshots: use quality 75–90 with 4:4:4 on. Lossy codecs blur hard edges first, so check small text in the preview.
- Pixel art and tiny icons: lossy AVIF is not ideal — keep the PNG, or use PNG to WebP at quality 100 for lossless WebP.
- Large banners and illustrations: quality 55–70 usually looks identical to the PNG at a small fraction of its size.
- Many big files: choose Fastest, or reduce the dimensions first with the image resizer — encoding time grows with the pixel count.
AVIF, WebP and PNG for transparent images
| PNG | WebP | AVIF | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy or lossless | Lossy (lossless possible) |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bit depth per channel | 8 or 16 | 8 | 8, 10 or 12 |
| Chroma for lossy | — | Always 4:2:0 | 4:2:0, 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 |
| Encoding speed | Fast | Fast | Slow |
| Browser support | Universal | All current browsers | All current browsers (Safari 16+, Edge 121+) |
PNG to AVIF Converter FAQ
How do I convert PNG to AVIF?
Drop the PNG files on this page, set the quality and speed, and wait while the progress bar runs. Each AVIF can then be downloaded on its own, or the whole batch as a ZIP.
Does AVIF support transparency like PNG?
Yes. AVIF stores an alpha channel, so transparent backgrounds and soft edges are kept. This converter encodes the alpha at the same quality as the colour.
What does the 4:4:4 option do?
It stores colour at full resolution instead of a quarter (4:2:0). Files are slightly larger, but coloured text, thin lines and sharp icon edges stay crisp — usually worth it for graphics.
Is PNG to AVIF lossless?
Not with these settings — the encoder is lossy, even at high quality. Keep the PNG as your master copy and use the AVIF for delivery on the web.
Why does conversion take so long for large PNGs?
AV1 encoding is computationally heavy and runs on your own processor. Time grows with the number of pixels; the Fastest speed setting or smaller dimensions help.
Where can I use AVIF images?
On websites viewed in current browsers, in many content management systems and CDNs, and in newer apps. For email attachments, documents and older software, PNG or JPG remain safer.