Plugin guide: images
Converter for Media: WebP and AVIF images
Images are usually the heaviest part of a page. Converter for Media makes WebP (and optionally AVIF) copies of your images and serves them to browsers that support them, without changing a single image address.
What it does
When you upload a JPG or PNG, the plugin saves a WebP copy next to it in wp-content/uploads-webpc/. When a browser asks for the image, rules in the uploads folder's .htaccess file check whether the browser accepts WebP (or AVIF) and, if a copy exists, send the smaller file instead. The address in your page stays the same, so nothing in Divi or your content has to change. WebP files are typically 25 to 35 percent smaller than JPG at the same quality; AVIF is smaller still.
Settings > Converter for Media
| Setting | Our choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Next-gen image formats | WebP (free). AVIF needs the PRO plan | WebP works in every current browser. AVIF is smaller again, but creating AVIF files is part of the paid plan. The free plugin already includes the rules that serve AVIF files if they exist. |
| Supported directories | uploads (add themes only if your theme folder holds large images) | Your Media Library is where nearly all your images live. |
| Supported files extensions | .jpg, .jpeg, .png | These are the formats that gain the most. |
| Conversion strategy | Optimal (recommended) | Picks a sensible quality per image. Visitors will not see a difference; your page weight will drop. |
| Image loading mode | via .htaccess (recommended) | The fastest mode: Apache picks the right file and PHP is never involved. Use one of the other modes only if images stop loading, which can happen on Nginx-only hosting. |
| Conversion of new images | On (Automatically convert new images when uploading to Media Library) | New uploads are converted as you add them. |
| Extra features: keep images metadata (EXIF or XMP) | Off | Camera and location data add weight, and can reveal where a photo was taken. |
Convert the images you already have
This is the step most people miss. Automatic conversion only covers new uploads. After installing the plugin, scroll down the settings page and click Start Bulk Optimization. Leave the tab open until it finishes; a site with thousands of images can take a while. Run it again (without Force the conversion of all images again) any time you suspect some images were skipped.
Before uploading, resize photos to the size they are shown at. A 4000 pixel phone photo shown 1200 pixels wide is still four times too big, even as WebP. 1600 to 2000 pixels wide is plenty for a full-width image.
Check that it works
- Open a page with images in Chrome, press F12 and choose the Network tab, then reload.
- Click an image that ends in
.jpg. Under Response Headers,content-typeshould readimage/webp(orimage/avif). - Compare the Size column with the original file in the Media Library.
Caveats
- CDNs and proxies: because one address serves different files to different browsers, a CDN must respect the
Vary: Acceptheader. Cloudflare's free plan does not; the plugin has a Cloudflare setting for this, or use one of the other loading modes. - Old images still showing? Clear your page cache (how) and your browser cache.
- Deleting the plugin leaves the
uploads-webpcfolder behind. Delete it by hand if you uninstall for good.
Precision Web Hosting plans include free AVIF and WebP optimization, so our customers get AVIF without buying the PRO plan.
Rather have us do it for you?
Precision Web Hosting builds, secures and hosts WordPress sites with every setting on this site already done. Tell us about your project and we will send you a quote.