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Responsive Image Optimization with srcset and sizes

Use srcset to offer image candidates and sizes to describe their rendered slot. Learn which descriptor model fits, when to use picture, and how to preserve fallback and layout space.
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Use srcset to offer the browser image candidates, and pair width-based candidates with sizes to describe how wide the image will appear in your layout. Use <picture> when the browser needs to choose a different crop or another conditional source, not merely a different resolution of the same image.

How srcset and sizes work together

srcset lists image resources and describes each candidate. With width descriptors such as 480w and 800w, those numbers describe the candidates’ intrinsic pixel widths. sizes tells the browser the expected rendered width—the layout slot the image will occupy under particular conditions. The browser considers that slot hint and the device pixel ratio when selecting a candidate, but it retains discretion over the final choice.

For example, this markup says that the image fills the viewport up to 600 CSS pixels wide and otherwise occupies half the viewport width:

<img
  srcset="photo-480.jpg 480w, photo-800.jpg 800w"
  sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 50vw"
  src="photo-800.jpg"
  width="1200"
  height="800"
  alt="A description of the image"
>

The file names, dimensions, and breakpoints here are illustrative, not performance measurements. Change the sizes conditions and lengths to match the image’s actual CSS layout. The src attribute provides a default image reference and should be retained as a fallback.

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Write sizes from the layout

Each entry in sizes is a media condition and a length. The browser uses the first matching condition as its slot-width hint. The final entry is commonly an unconditional length for cases that did not match an earlier condition. Use lengths that represent the rendered slot, such as 100vw for a full-viewport-width image or 50vw when it occupies half the viewport. If the CSS instead constrains the image to a narrower container, make the hint reflect that layout rather than blindly using the viewport width.

An inaccurate hint can undermine the choice: if sizes says an image is wider than the slot really is, the browser may select a larger candidate than the layout needs. Check the CSS at each relevant breakpoint and make the conditions describe the image’s slot—not the source file’s dimensions.

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Choose the right descriptor model

Situation Use What it describes
The rendered width changes with the layout Width descriptors such as 480w and 800w, plus sizes Candidate pixel widths and the expected rendered slot width
The rendered size stays constant, but display pixel density varies Density descriptors such as 1x and 2x, without sizes Candidate density for a fixed rendered-size image

These are different descriptor models. Use width descriptors with sizes for layout-dependent widths; do not mix density descriptors and width descriptors in the same candidate set.

When to use <picture> instead

Use srcset on an <img> when the candidates show the same image content and crop at different sizes. Choose <picture> with one or more <source> elements when a condition should select a different source—for example, a different crop for a layout or a format-specific source. Keep an <img> inside the <picture>; it remains the image element and fallback.

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Question Implementation choice
Are the alternatives the same image and crop, at different resolutions? Use srcset on <img>.
Should the crop or source change under an explicit condition? Use <picture> and conditional <source> elements, with a nested <img>.
Does the rendered width vary with layout? Use width descriptors and a sizes hint that matches the CSS slot.
Is only pixel density changing at a fixed rendered size? Use density descriptors; sizes is not needed for that model.

Preserve fallback behavior and layout space

Keep a usable src on the <img>. When the image’s intrinsic dimensions are known, provide its width and height as well. CSS can still control the responsive rendered size; the intrinsic ratio gives the browser information it can use to reserve space while the resource loads, helping reduce layout shifts.

<img
  src="photo-800.jpg"
  srcset="photo-480.jpg 480w, photo-800.jpg 800w, photo-1200.jpg 1200w"
  sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 50vw"
  width="1200"
  height="800"
  alt="A description of the image"
>

Choose alternative text that conveys the image’s purpose in its context. The sample description above is a placeholder for authoring, not text to copy unchanged.

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Check the implementation

  1. Determine whether the alternatives are the same crop or whether the crop or source changes conditionally.
  2. Measure the rendered slot at the page’s relevant layout conditions and write matching sizes hints if using width descriptors.
  3. List candidate files with accurate intrinsic-width descriptors, or use density descriptors if the rendered size is fixed and only density varies.
  4. Retain src, add known intrinsic width and height, and keep the <img> inside any <picture>.
  5. Inspect the layout and image choices at the relevant viewport widths and display densities; revise sizes if its hint does not match the CSS slot.
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Common problems and fixes

  • The browser downloads an image that looks too small or too large. Check that each width descriptor reflects the corresponding file’s intrinsic pixel width and that sizes reflects the rendered CSS slot. The browser considers the hint and display density, but the hint is not a command that guarantees a particular candidate.
  • The markup mixes 1x or 2x with 480w or 800w. Pick the model that matches the layout: density descriptors for a fixed rendered size, or width descriptors with sizes when rendered width varies.
  • An art-directed crop never changes. A resolution list describes alternatives of the same image; use conditional <source> elements in <picture> when the crop or source itself must change.
  • The page shifts as an image loads. Supply the image’s intrinsic width and height when known, and let CSS set the responsive rendered size.
  • A fallback image is missing. Keep a src reference on the <img>, including when it is nested in <picture>.

Performance expectations

srcset can give a browser smaller candidates to choose when the layout does not need the largest file, but there is no universal byte-saving percentage. The result depends on the actual source files, slot width, display density, compression, browser selection, and delivery conditions. The implementation guidance here does not establish a universal savings figure or a version-by-version browser support matrix; check compatibility requirements for the browsers your project supports.

Or skip the browser setup

If your task is capturing a page as an image rather than implementing responsive images in its HTML, ScreenshotNeo provides a screenshot API. For example, this cURL request captures a page as WebP:

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