How to write WebP images in Java

In this article, I will walk you through how to write out images as WebP images in Java. We also have a related article covering how to read WebP files in Java.

ImageIO does not support WebP images by default so you will need to use an ImageIO plugin or an external library. I will demonstrate using an Open source ImageIO plugin (which extends ImageIO to provide WebP support), and using the JDeli Image Library.

What is WebP?

WebP is a new image format created by Google to work on web browsers. WebP images are designed to be small and therefore fast to load, using both lossy and lossless compression. You can read more about the WebP image format in another article. The filename extension for WebP files is: .webp

If you are just looking for a WebP Viewer, JDeli includes a built-in Image Viewer.

How to write a WebP image in Java with ImageIO

Step 1 Download webp-imageio plugin and add it to your classpath.
Step 2 Create a File (or OutputStream) object

File file = new File("/path/to/outputFile.webp"));

Step 3 Pass image, WebP type, and File (or OutputStream) object into write method

ImageIO.write(bufferedImage, "webp", file);

How to write an image as a WebP file with JDeli

Step 1 Add JDeli to your class or module path. (download link to the trial jar).
Step 2 Create a File (or OutputStream) object

File file = new File("/path/to/outputFile.webp"));

Step 3 Pass image, WEBP type, and File (or OutputStream) object into write method

JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "webp", file);

In JDeli you can also use a typesafe version

JDeli.write(bufferedImage, OutputFormat.WEBP, file);

or pass in a WebpEncoderOptions object for more control over WebP image output, such as level of Compression.

WebpEncoderOptions options = new WebpEncoderOptions();
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, options, file);

Start reading and writing images with one line of code

Read: BufferedImage image = JDeli.read(streamOrFile);

Write: JDeli.write(myBufferedImage, OutputFormat.HEIC, outputStreamOrFile)

Learn more >>