wp-media
FEATURE REQUEST: Use Native Wordpress WebP Support
Wordpress v5.8.x introduced native support for the WebP image format. This support also extends to the default image 'thumbnail' conversions Wordpress automatically generates i.e. by default if I upload a WebP image, Wordpress will automatically create 1024px, 300px and 150px variants of that image in the WebP format.
Currently, Imagify gives the customer the option of also converting standard thumbnail variants to WebP but at the expense of:
- increased website hosting server load, because Wordpress creates thumbnail variants automatically, which ultimately will not be used
- increased Imagify API calls and server load, because the resulting standard thumbnail variants are having to be converted to WebP
- monthly conversion quotas (e.g. Starter Plan) - due to unnecessary image conversions
If Imagify converted the uploaded image to WebP prior to running Wordpress' own thumbnail generation routine, then all of the issues above would be avoided, Wordpress would simply generate WebP thumbnails natively.
So the expected use case would be:
- User uploads standard image e.g. jpg
- If Wordpress version >5.8
- If WebP conversion option selected
- Convert image to WebP
- Inform Wordpress of new WebP image (->automated creation of WebP thumbnails)
- Else,
- Optimise standard image
- Inform Wordpress of new non-WebP image (->automated creation of standard thumbnails)
Because we are making use of Wordpress' native WebP support, no further code manipulation would be required e.g. <img> to <picture> tags.
Implementing this feature requests would:
- Reduce website server load
- Reduce Imagify server load
- Reduce overall conversion time
- Reduce API calls
- Simply user options
- Simply Imagify code
- Improve user experience
- Improve Imagify reputation and sales because no other plugin on the market currently does this
Wordpress' native support for WebP offers Imagify the opportunity to do more with less.
David.
