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Convert JPG to AVIF on Mac: 3 Methods

Convert JPG to AVIF on Mac with GetCompress, avifenc, or FFmpeg. Resize first and keep a JPEG fallback in HTML.

By Petr Samokhin

Marketing sites still ship oversized JPEG heroes. AVIF often cuts bytes on modern browsers without an obvious quality hit on photos. It is a web delivery format, not a replacement for email or slides. Convert heroes, keep JPEG fallbacks in <picture>, and check analytics before you drop legacy formats.

Method 1: GetCompress

Best for: Marketing folders that need resize plus AVIF in one pass, with presets for heroes and thumbs.

GetCompress image settings with format and quality options for AVIF export
  1. Open GetCompress and drop JPEG heroes into the queue.
  2. Set output to AVIF, choose quality, and optional max width.
  3. Preview a photo and a gradient hero for banding.
  4. Export locally; keep JPEG masters for editors and fallbacks.

Save separate presets for heroes and thumbnails so one aggressive setting does not crush small product images. Processing stays on your Mac.

Method 2: avifenc in Terminal

Best for: Scripts and CI when you already use Homebrew.

brew install libavif
avifenc --min 22 --max 28 photo.jpg photo.avif

Batch:

mkdir avif-out
for f in *.jpg *.jpeg; do
 [ -f "$f" ] || continue
 avifenc --min 22 --max 28 "$f" "avif-out/${f%.*}.avif"
done
FlagsEffect
--min 20 --max 24Higher quality, larger files
--min 22 --max 28Balanced starting point
--min 26 --max 32Smaller thumbs; check banding

Resize first with Preview (Tools → Adjust Size) or sips -Z 2400 hero.jpg --out hero-resized.jpg. A 6000 px camera JPEG rarely helps if the hero displays at 1200 px.

Limitation: Slow on large folders. You babysit flags and fans.

Method 3: FFmpeg

Best for: Teams that already batch video with FFmpeg builds that include libaom-av1.

ffmpeg -i photo.jpg -c:v libaom-av1 -crf 30 photo.avif

Limitation: Quality and speed depend on your build. Prefer avifenc when AVIF is the only job.

Which method should you use

SituationStart here
Bulk heroes, presets, local previewGetCompress
CLI or CI with Homebrewavifenc
Existing FFmpeg image pipelineFFmpeg

Serve AVIF first and JPEG second in <picture>, with matching dimensions to avoid layout shift. Spot-check Lighthouse and real devices after deploy. General resize advice: compress images on Mac . For another modern web format, see PNG to WebP on Mac .

What AVIF is for

FormatBest forAvoid for
AVIFSite heroes, product gridsEmail, print, legacy CMS
JPEGFallback, universal shareMaximum compression on modern web
WebPMiddle-ground supportVery old browsers

Photos usually shrink more than flat UI screenshots. Gradients show banding first; tune quality there before you encode a full folder.

When a JPEG is enough

Keep JPEG alone for email, many CMS uploads, and social tools that reject AVIF.

GetCompress fits when you ship static sites regularly, need width caps without editing shell loops, and want local encoding of embargo campaign art. Keep JPEG masters in a source folder; commit AVIF and JPEG pairs for delivery. It does not replace your CMS or design tool.

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