Image MIME Reference
FLIF
Free Lossless Image Format
image/flif
VS
JPEG-LS
image/jls
JPEG-LS
A complete technical comparison of Free Lossless Image Format and JPEG-LS — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | FLIF | JPEG-LS |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | Yes | ✕ No |
| Animation Support | Yes | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | Yes | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | Yes | Yes |
| EXIF Metadata | Yes | ✕ No |
| ICC Color Profile | Yes | ✕ No |
Free Lossless Image Format
image/flif
Extension
.flif
Container
FLIF Bitstream
Compression
Lossless (MANIAC Entropy Coding)
Algorithm
MANIAC (Meta-Adaptive Near-zero Integer Arithmetic Coding)
Color Depth
1-bit to 16-bit (Per Channel), Grayscale, RGB, RGBA, CMYK
Developed by
Jon Sneyers and Pieter Wuille (Cloudinary)
Released
2015
Magic Bytes
46 4C 49 46
JPEG-LS
image/jls
Extension
.jls.jl
Container
JPEG Bitstream
Compression
Lossless / Near-Lossless (Predictive Coding)
Algorithm
LOCO-I (Low Complexity Lossless Compression for Images)Golomb-Rice Coding
Color Depth
8-bit, 12-bit, 16-bit (Per Channel)
Developed by
Joint Photographic Experts Group (ISO/ITU-T) & HP Labs
Released
1999
Magic Bytes
FF D8 FF F7
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | FLIF | JPEG-LS |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ | ✕ |
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
FLIF
FLIF Strengths
- Achieves some of the highest lossless compression ratios ever developed for raster images
- Incredible progressive decoding allows an image to be highly recognizable even after only 5% of the file has been downloaded
- Supports animations and complex alpha channels losslessly
Limitations
- Officially abandoned in favor of JPEG XL
- Zero native support in web browsers or standard operating system previewers
- Encoding speed can be significantly slower than standard PNG or WebP compression
JPEG-LS
JPEG-LS Strengths
- Provides state-of-the-art lossless compression ratios for continuous-tone images, often outperforming Lossless JPEG and JPEG 2000
- Extremely fast and computationally inexpensive to encode/decode, requiring no complex floating-point math or DCTs
- Highly resilient in constrained hardware environments, making it ideal for medical equipment and deep-space probes (e.g., Mars rovers)
Limitations
- Zero native support in web browsers or standard consumer operating systems
- Lacks the advanced resolution scalability and progressive decoding features found in JPEG 2000
- Primarily relegated to niche enterprise sectors (healthcare/DICOM and aerospace) rather than consumer adoption
When to choose which format
FLIF
Use FLIF when…
- Archival of Uncompressed Image Assets
- Bandwidth-Constrained Progressive Image Loading (Historical)
- Medical and Scientific Imaging Storage
JPEG-LS
Use JPEG-LS when…
- Medical Imaging (DICOM Encapsulation)
- Space and Planetary Imaging (NASA/ESA)
- Industrial Machine Vision
- Scientific Archival Storage