Skip to content

Output Formats API

Sharp supports multiple image output formats, each with its specific options and use cases.

JPEG Format

Basic Usage

javascript
import sharp from 'sharp';

sharp('input.png')
  .jpeg()
  .toFile('output.jpg');

JPEG Options

javascript
sharp('input.png')
  .jpeg({
    quality: 80,           // Quality (1-100)
    progressive: false,     // Progressive JPEG
    chromaSubsampling: '4:4:4', // Chroma subsampling
    mozjpeg: false,        // Use mozjpeg encoder
    trellisQuantisation: false, // Trellis quantization
    overshootDeringing: false,  // Overshoot deringing
    optimiseScans: false,  // Optimize scans
    quantisationTable: 0   // Quantization table
  })
  .toFile('output.jpg');

Quality Settings

javascript
// High quality
sharp('input.png').jpeg({ quality: 95 })

// Medium quality
sharp('input.png').jpeg({ quality: 80 })

// Low quality (smaller files)
sharp('input.png').jpeg({ quality: 50 })

PNG Format

Basic Usage

javascript
sharp('input.jpg')
  .png()
  .toFile('output.png');

PNG Options

javascript
sharp('input.jpg')
  .png({
    progressive: false,     // Progressive PNG
    compressionLevel: 6,    // Compression level (0-9)
    adaptiveFiltering: false, // Adaptive filtering
    palette: false,         // Palette mode
    quality: 100,          // Quality (palette mode only)
    colours: 256,          // Number of colors (palette mode only)
    dither: 0.5,          // Dithering (0-1)
    force: false           // Force PNG output
  })
  .toFile('output.png');

Transparency Handling

javascript
// Preserve transparency
sharp('input.png')
  .png()
  .toFile('output.png');

// Add white background
sharp('input.png')
  .flatten({ background: { r: 255, g: 255, b: 255 } })
  .png()
  .toFile('output.png');

WebP Format

Basic Usage

javascript
sharp('input.jpg')
  .webp()
  .toFile('output.webp');

WebP Options

javascript
sharp('input.jpg')
  .webp({
    quality: 80,           // Quality (1-100)
    alphaQuality: 100,     // Alpha quality (1-100)
    lossless: false,       // Lossless compression
    nearLossless: false,   // Near-lossless compression
    smartSubsample: false, // Smart subsampling
    reductionEffort: 4,    // Reduction effort (0-6)
    mixed: false,          // Mixed mode
    force: false           // Force WebP output
  })
  .toFile('output.webp');

Lossless WebP

javascript
// Lossless compression
sharp('input.png')
  .webp({ lossless: true })
  .toFile('output.webp');

// Near-lossless compression
sharp('input.png')
  .webp({ nearLossless: true, quality: 60 })
  .toFile('output.webp');

AVIF Format

Basic Usage

javascript
sharp('input.jpg')
  .avif()
  .toFile('output.avif');

AVIF Options

javascript
sharp('input.jpg')
  .avif({
    quality: 80,           // Quality (1-100)
    lossless: false,       // Lossless compression
    effort: 4,             // Compression effort (0-6)
    chromaSubsampling: '4:4:4', // Chroma subsampling
    force: false           // Force AVIF output
  })
  .toFile('output.avif');

TIFF Format

Basic Usage

javascript
sharp('input.jpg')
  .tiff()
  .toFile('output.tiff');

TIFF Options

javascript
sharp('input.jpg')
  .tiff({
    quality: 80,           // Quality (1-100)
    compression: 'jpeg',   // Compression method
    pyramid: false,        // Pyramid mode
    tile: false,           // Tiled mode
    tileSize: 256,         // Tile size
    xres: 1,              // X resolution
    yres: 1,              // Y resolution
    resolutionUnit: 'inch', // Resolution unit
    force: false           // Force TIFF output
  })
  .toFile('output.tiff');

Compression Options

javascript
// JPEG compression
sharp('input.jpg').tiff({ compression: 'jpeg' })

// LZW compression
sharp('input.jpg').tiff({ compression: 'lzw' })

// No compression
sharp('input.jpg').tiff({ compression: 'none' })

// Deflate compression
sharp('input.jpg').tiff({ compression: 'deflate' })

Raw Format

Output Raw Pixel Data

javascript
// Output RGB raw data
const rawData = await sharp('input.jpg')
  .raw()
  .toBuffer();

// Output RGBA raw data
const rawData = await sharp('input.jpg')
  .ensureAlpha()
  .raw()
  .toBuffer();

Multi-format Output

Output Multiple Formats Simultaneously

javascript
const image = sharp('input.jpg').resize(800, 600);

// Output multiple formats
await Promise.all([
  image.clone().jpeg({ quality: 80 }).toFile('output.jpg'),
  image.clone().png().toFile('output.png'),
  image.clone().webp({ quality: 80 }).toFile('output.webp'),
  image.clone().avif({ quality: 80 }).toFile('output.avif')
]);

Responsive Images

javascript
async function generateResponsiveImages(inputPath) {
  const sizes = [320, 640, 1280, 1920];
  const formats = ['jpeg', 'webp', 'avif'];

  const promises = [];

  for (const size of sizes) {
    for (const format of formats) {
      const image = sharp(inputPath).resize(size);

      switch (format) {
        case 'jpeg':
          promises.push(
            image.clone().jpeg({ quality: 80 })
              .toFile(`output-${size}.jpg`)
          );
          break;
        case 'webp':
          promises.push(
            image.clone().webp({ quality: 80 })
              .toFile(`output-${size}.webp`)
          );
          break;
        case 'avif':
          promises.push(
            image.clone().avif({ quality: 80 })
              .toFile(`output-${size}.avif`)
          );
          break;
      }
    }
  }

  await Promise.all(promises);
}

Format Detection

Auto-select Format Based on File Extension

javascript
function getOutputFormat(filename) {
  const ext = filename.split('.').pop().toLowerCase();

  switch (ext) {
    case 'jpg':
    case 'jpeg':
      return 'jpeg';
    case 'png':
      return 'png';
    case 'webp':
      return 'webp';
    case 'avif':
      return 'avif';
    case 'tiff':
    case 'tif':
      return 'tiff';
    default:
      return 'jpeg';
  }
}

async function convertImage(inputPath, outputPath) {
  const format = getOutputFormat(outputPath);
  const image = sharp(inputPath);

  switch (format) {
    case 'jpeg':
      await image.jpeg({ quality: 80 }).toFile(outputPath);
      break;
    case 'png':
      await image.png().toFile(outputPath);
      break;
    case 'webp':
      await image.webp({ quality: 80 }).toFile(outputPath);
      break;
    case 'avif':
      await image.avif({ quality: 80 }).toFile(outputPath);
      break;
    case 'tiff':
      await image.tiff({ compression: 'jpeg' }).toFile(outputPath);
      break;
  }
}

Performance Optimization

Stream Output

javascript
const fs = require('fs');

// Stream processing
fs.createReadStream('input.jpg')
  .pipe(sharp().jpeg({ quality: 80 }))
  .pipe(fs.createWriteStream('output.jpg'));

Memory Optimization

javascript
// Use Buffer instead of files
const buffer = await sharp('input.jpg')
  .jpeg({ quality: 80 })
  .toBuffer();

// Output directly to response
app.get('/image', async (req, res) => {
  const buffer = await sharp('input.jpg')
    .resize(300, 200)
    .jpeg({ quality: 80 })
    .toBuffer();

  res.set('Content-Type', 'image/jpeg');
  res.send(buffer);
});

Released under the Apache 2.0 License.