Install libavif Utilities on Ubuntu 26.04

The libavif is an open-source library for working with the AVIF image format, providing efficient image compression with support for modern image features. It includes command-line utilities such as avifenc for encoding images and avifdec for decoding and inspecting AVIF files. This tutorial explains how to install libavif utilities on Ubuntu 26.04.

Install libavif Utilities

Ensure that the package lists are up-to-date:

sudo apt update

Install the libavif command-line utilities:

sudo apt install -y libavif-bin

Confirm that both the encoder and decoder utilities are available by checking their versions:

avifenc --version

avifdec --version

Testing libavif Utilities

Download a sample AVIF image for testing:

curl -sSo test.avif https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aomediacodec/libavif/master/tests/data/sofa_grid1x5_420.avif

Inspect the downloaded image with avifdec:

avifdec --info test.avif

The command will display information similar to the following:

Image decoded: test.avif
 * Resolution     : 1024x770
 * Bit Depth      : 8
 * Format         : YUV420
 * Chroma Sam. Pos: 0
 * Alpha          : Absent
 * Range          : Full
 * Color Primaries: 1
 * Transfer Char. : 13
 * Matrix Coeffs. : 6
 * ICC Profile    : Absent
 * XMP Metadata   : Absent
 * Exif Metadata  : Absent
 * Transformations: None
 * Progressive    : Unavailable
 * Gain map       : Absent
 * 1 timescales per second, 1.00 seconds (1 timescales), 1 frame
 * Frame:
   * Decoded frame [0] [pts 0.00 (0 timescales)] [duration 1.00 (1 timescales)] [1024x770]

Uninstall libavif Utilities

To completely uninstall libavif utilities and automatically clear dependencies that are no longer required, run this command:

sudo apt purge --autoremove -y libavif-bin