Webp is a containerized image format that maintains both lossy and lossless compression. It is being developed by Google based on technology acquired with the purchase of On2 Technologies and is intended for mobile applications and for web pages. One of its main intentions is to optimize searches in the browser, something that was hurting all the servers in the world. Since Google was its developer, the main use was initially in Chrome to later be used in the same way in Firefox, Edge and Opera.
Main Features
- This type of graphic file can be 30% lighter than a JPEG or PNG.
- It is capable of preserving the same image quality and includes the ability to save transparency.
- Its uniqueness lies in the possibility of storing sequences so it also works as a GIF.
- Its maximum resolution of 16,383 × 16,383 pixels is perfect for tablets, mobiles and computers.
- In lossy comprehension, the size of the image is reduced, being able to select the quality we want.
- In lossless compression the size decreases without reducing its quality, this reduction is less than in lossy compression.
- Webp was able to gather EXIF and XMP metadata which are what cameras usually create.
- May include ICC color profiles (describe color space)
The Webp format aims to replace and improve the capabilities of the JPEG, GIF and PNG formats. Files in this format at the moment cannot be opened with the usual Windows, Linux or Mac imaging programs. However, some browsers do not support this format. So if we open a Webp image on the computer, a window will open where we can view it. Anyway, if we don’t want to use the browser, there are some free applications that offer support for Webp.