In the current digital world, it is difficult to avoid using either the WEBP or ODD file formats. However, the adoption of a given file format depends on the circumstance or area of application.
This article comprehensively compares ODD and WEBP images regarding image quality, browser support, compression technique, structure, support for animation and transparency, image size, browser support, and web performance.
When is WEBP better than ODD?
ODD images are open-standardized XML-based office documents, while WEBP images are smaller web pictures with high web responsiveness. This makes WEBP images suitable for creating web imagery with high visual acuity and improved web responsiveness.
WEBP images are significantly smaller, support animation and alpha channel transparency, and increase web responsiveness, making them the best option for web imagery.
When is ODD better than WEBP?
The ODD images are scalable downwards or upwards but retain high-resolution and high-quality standing, which increases their visual charm. WEBP images are smaller and increase web responsiveness, hence suitable for web imagery.
This makes ODD files suitable for creating, storing, and exchanging vector-based illustrations, drawings, and graphics between applications or social media platforms.
The advantages of ODD images include their ability to be easily converted to other file formats, their scalable size, their cost-effectiveness, and their support by most operating systems.
ODD versus WEBP Table Comparison
Element | ODD | WEB |
Transparency | Supports alpha transparency channel | Inherent support for alpha channel transparency |
File Size | Larger than WEBP files when compressed and uncompressed, scalable, and optimizes screen sizes. | Smaller than ODD files, it becomes pixelated when scaled up and resizable to a specific size limit. |
Image Quality | Highly-quality and high-resolution images. It is visually impressive and increases user experience. | Low and high-resolution images with high-quality features. Appealing web imagery. |
Performance | Smaller, visually impressive, and increases web responsiveness. | Smaller than ODD, visually appealing, and reduces web loading time. |
Structure | Structured as a single XML document and a collection of various sub-documents packaged together. Includes metadata namely 8-bit color channel, 128x128 pixels size limit, and 16 million colors. | It comprises macroblock fragments and encloses them in a RIFF-based container; it supports 24-bit RGB color and an 8-bit alpha channel. Reconstructs new pixels using predictive coding. |
Animation | Support animation and scenes rendering 3D objects | Supports animation using the WEBP-A variant. |
Storage | Stores encrypted and compressed data in pathname META-INF/manifest.xml, less storage space, and data last indefinitely. | Needs less storage space and compressed files stored indefinitely in Base64 encoding, CDN, file systems, and the cloud. |
Compression | Uses lossless compression with DEFLATE algorithms | Lossless and lossy compression with VP8L encoding |
Browser Support | Universally supported by all browsers | 96.86% support of modern browsers. Internet Explorer is not supported. |
Differences and similarities between WEBP and ODD images
The ODD and WEBP images share similarities in lossless compression, image quality, file size, support for animation, web performance, browser support, and transparency. Nevertheless, the file formats differ in storage mediums, structure, and lossy compression.
Transparency
Both WEBP and ODD support alpha channel transparency. However, unlike WEBP, ODD files offer full transparency support. The texts and structure of an ODD file assume the XML format and can thus be viewed without special tools.
The WEBP pixels' opacity or transparency supports transparent images, including graphics or logos with non-rectangular shapes. However, XML-aware devices that show the hierarchy of elements in an ODD file are convenient to interpret and view.
On the other hand, ODD uses attributes, elements, and parts with identifiable names. Basic tools can be used to interpret simple ODD documents. WEBP is a bitmapped file format that supports multi-sample pixels by encoding files with an alpha channel, allowing data transparency.
File Size
ODD files are relatively smaller but more significant than WEBP files. Unlike WEBP single-stored files, an ODD-packaged file contains multiple documents with different metadata.
ODD files can also be scaled to optimally increase image size, which is impossible with WEBP files. While scalability is possible with ODD files, multiple packaged office files increase their size, necessitating more storage space than WEBP files.
WEBP uses efficient VP8L algorithms to significantly compress images into smaller sizes than ODD DEFLATE algorithm compressed files. Lossless WEBP raster images are smaller than lossless vector graphics ODD images.
Image Quality
Both ODD and WEBP are high-resolution and high-quality file formats. An ODD file stores multiple packaged documents of varying sizes and color resolutions in a single file. Its scalability to any size without losing image quality makes it a high-quality image format.
WEBP images are both high- and low-resolution images. Lossy WEBP images experience compression artifacts, leading to low-resolution and low-quality images. However, lossless WEBP is efficient and preserves high image quality.
Both file formats have a richer color depth of 8 bits, giving them high-quality stature. Lossless ODD and lossless WEBP images are visually impressive and increase user experience.
Performance
WEBP files are comparatively smaller than ODD files. ODD files store multiple encrypted documents under a single package, increasing the file depths and sizes.
The packaged ODD files are smaller but more significant than WEBP files; hence, ODD experiences slightly lower web responsiveness than WEBP. The smaller sizes of WEBP files reduce image loading times, resulting in enhanced user experience and optimization of search engines compared to ODD.
Structure
The ODD file format is a vector graphics format, just like WEBP files. It stores drawing data and graphics in a standardized XML-based format. The file format assumes two structures: a single XML document and a collection of various sub-documents.
WEBP is a bitmap file format that stores or defines images using pixels. A WEBP file predicts (video) pixels using a technique comparable to VP8. The VP8 breaks the frame into fragments called macroblocks, similar to all block-based codecs. VP8L or VP8 image data are enclosed within the RIFF-based container. Its pixel values use blocks beside them while encoding only the emerging differences. It uses pre-existing images to reconstruct new pixels using predictive coding.
Each package in an ODD file stores a component of a whole document, each with a defined structure using sub-documents. Every sub-document inside a package comprises a different document root but stores a specific feature of the XML document.
ODD and WEBP compare in terms of animation and transparency support. ODD images' s scalability and high quality make them versatile formats for creating, storing, displaying, and exchanging vector graphics drawings, illustrations, charts, and graphics. On the other hand, WEBP is a versatile file option for web images since it creates and stores smaller, richer, or higher-quality images, which enhance web performance.
Animation
Both ODD and WEBP images support animation. WEBP supports animation using a WEBP animated variant (WEP-A) that is compatible with animated images. A single animated WEBP file can merge lossy and lossy frames.
In contrast, ODD supports animations and scenes rendering 3D objects through specific lighting and projection. The primary ODD graphical markup for drawings is in the draw:page, which has frames, forms, drawing objects, and layers.
Animated WEBP is smaller, comparatively richer, and more appealing. At the same time, the draw:page elements in the ODD presentation slides include animations and associated texts, making animated ODD relatively larger but visually appealing.
Storage
ODD uses DEFLATE algorithms to significantly reduce file size, although they are larger than WEBP files. As such, ODD files necessitate more storage space than WEBP files.
The ODD file format encrypts and stores compressed and uncompressed charts, spreadsheets, Word documents, graphics data, and XML files in a standardized XML-based format. Conversely, WEBP encrypts and stores compressed image information.
The simple DEFLATE algorithm used by ODD and the VP8L algorithms of WEBP significantly compress files, enabling them to be stored for long periods.
The compressed and uncompressed WEBP image information is stored in file systems, Content Delivery Networks, cloud, and sub-directory files, folders, or programs. The ODD file package is stored in an XML file system called a manifest file, which is kept under the pathname META-INF/manifest.xml.
Compression
ODD uses only lossless compression, while WEBP uses lossy and lossless compression methods. The lossless compression technique in both ODD and WEBP preserves image data.
While ODD uses lossless DEFLATE algorithms, WEBP uses the VP8 video codec to compress lossless images and predictive coding during lossy compression. In both file formats, compressed images are smaller.
The arbitrary code generator in lossless ODD creates a random initialization vector for every ODD file. The derived key and initialization vectors are then used to encrypt and compress ODD file contents. In contrast, lossless WEBP reconstructs new pixels using fragments of an already processed image.
Browser Support
ODD files are universally supported by almost all older and latest browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Apple Safari, Brave, Vivaldi, Discord, and Internet Explorer.
Conversely, 93.3% of popular web browsers, namely Opera, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, and Brave, fully support WEBP, but not Internet Explorer.
Hence, ODD's extensive browser support and compatibility give it a comparative advantage over the WEBP file format.
Conclusion
WEBP and ODD file formats provide superior lossless compression, smaller file sizes, support transparency, and animation, are high-quality, and improve web responsiveness.
Although structurally different, ODD is a scalable office file format more suitable for storing vector-based drawings, illustrations, and graphics than WEBP.
On the other hand, WEB are comparatively smaller than ODD and loads faster, making them suitable for web imagery.