JPEG to WebP — Delivery workflow

Worked example

Ship the WebP only where you know it is supported, and keep the original JPEG as the master and fallback.

Chatcument names the result with a -convert suffix, so lake.jpg arrives as lake-convert.webp. For a website, rename it to something descriptive such as lake-sunrise-1600.webp so the width is clear, and keep the JPEG with the same stem. A shop owner updating a catalogue of 40 photos can convert 12 at a time and keep two folders, jpg and webp, with matching names.

Modern browsers show WebP, but forms, email clients, marketplaces, print shops and older editing software may not. Exact support changes, so check the destination's current upload guide before replacing JPEG files. When in doubt, upload the JPEG and keep the WebP for your own pages.

The common mistake is replacing the only copy of a photo with the WebP. If a client later asks for a print version or a platform refuses WebP, you will have to recover from a lossy copy. Always keep the camera or master JPEG.

To hand the work over, give a colleague a short note with the source folder, the batch dates and the rule that everything is converted from the master at identical dimensions. Spot-check one file on the live page before the whole set goes out.

If an image matters for a campaign, preview it on a phone as well as a desktop browser before the page goes live.

JPEG photograph

WebP photograph

Keep the original JPEG for any destination that rejects WebP, and never overwrite it with the converted file.