AVIF Image
| Format | AVIF Image |
|---|---|
| Short name | AVIF |
| Category | media |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, QNX |
| Crush support | Supported (ImageParser) |
| Status | Reviewed |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-04 |
Forensic relevance
AV1 Image File Format — a royalty-free still-image format based on the AV1 video codec, defined by AOM on top of HEIF (ISO/IEC 23008-12) with MIAF constraints (ISO/IEC 23000-22). Adopted by Chrome (2020), Firefox (2021), Safari (2022), Android 12 (2021), and increasingly by streaming and social media platforms for bandwidth-efficient image delivery. Like HEIC, AVIF uses the ISOBMFF ftyp box structure; the major brand 'avif' or 'avis' (for image sequences / animations) follows 'ftyp' at offset 4. Supports EXIF, XMP, and ICC colour profiles embedded in 'meta' boxes — GPS coordinates, capture timestamps, and device model are preserved when the originating app writes EXIF. AVIF files from social media have often had metadata stripped server-side, which is itself a forensic indicator of the image's provenance. The AV1 bitstream inside is distinct from H.265 (HEVC used in HEIC), so HEIC-specific codec detection tools will not recognise AVIF content. Animation / multi-frame AVIF ('avis' brand) is increasingly used as a GIF replacement — relevant when investigating multimedia evidence. Like HEIC, a C2PA (Content Credentials) manifest, when present, is carried in a top-level ISOBMFF 'uuid' box and can record generating/editing software and an IPTC Digital Source Type — a direct AI-generation/-editing signal.
Signatures
| Offset | Hex | ASCII (non-printable as .) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| offset 4 (0x4) | 66 74 79 70 61 76 69 66 | ftypavif | ftyp box with major brand 'avif' (AVIF image) |
| offset 4 (0x4) | 66 74 79 70 61 76 69 73 | ftypavis | ftyp box with major brand 'avis' (AVIF image sequence / animation) |
Known extensions
.avif
References
- AVIF — AOM specification https://aomediacodec.github.io/av1-avif/
- AVIF format overview (Library of Congress) https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000540.shtml
- HEIF — base format of AVIF (Library of Congress) https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000525.shtml
- ISOBMFF — ISO/IEC 14496-12:2026 base media file format https://www.iso.org/standard/85596.html
- C2PA Technical Specification (Content Credentials) https://spec.c2pa.org/specifications/specifications/2.4/specs/C2PA_Specification.html
Cite this entry
Crush Format Reference, “AVIF Image”. https://kalink0.github.io/crush-forensics/formats/avif/ — source: crush/data/build_formats_db.py at commit 640a2a9928f4e36a976b89901512a8dce824d093, built 2026-10-21 06:46:19 UTC.
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