For more than two decades, the author’s typical web image workflow relied almost exclusively on JPEG, PNG, and SVG files. Although Google introduced WebP in 2010, the format saw limited adoption because Chrome added support in 2011 while other major browsers lagged—Edge in 2018, Firefox in 2019, and Safari in 2020—leaving WebP without baseline support for years. Even after browsers aligned, tools like Photoshop lacked native WebP export until 2022, making the format cumbersome to work with.
The turning point came when the author replaced Photoshop with Pixelmator Pro, which offers smooth WebP handling. In recent projects such as the “Liquid Glass” grumble‑pieces, the author found that WebP images were consistently smaller than comparable JPEGs or PNGs at the same visual quality, a result that aligns with Google’s own research on both lossy and lossless WebP variants. This removed the friction that had previously made WebP annoying to use.
Looking ahead, the author is curious about newer standards like AVIF and JPEG XL. AVIF already enjoys baseline browser support, and Google’s recent announcement of shipping JPEG XL support suggests it may soon reach universal availability. The hope is that, unlike the early WebP era, these formats will be accessible without waiting for tooling to catch up, allowing the author to adopt them as soon as they offer practical benefits—though it remains uncertain how quickly applications like Pixelmator Pro will add support.