<!--Change the browser window width to see the image change.-->

<picture>
  <source
    srcset="/shared-assets/images/examples/surfer.jpg"
    media="(orientation: portrait)" />
  <img src="/shared-assets/images/examples/painted-hand.jpg" alt="" />
</picture>

To decide which URL to load, the type attributes to select a compatible image that best matches the current layout and capabilities of the display device.

The <img> element serves two purposes:

1. It describes the size and other attributes of the image and its presentation.
2. It provides a fallback in case none of the offered <source> elements are able to provide a usable image.

Common use cases for <picture>:

• Art direction. Cropping or modifying images for different media conditions (for example, loading a simpler version of an image which has too many details, on smaller displays).

• Offering alternative image formats, for cases where certain formats are not supported.

  Note: For example, newer formats like Image file type and format guide.

• Saving bandwidth and speeding page load times by loading the most appropriate image for the viewer's display.

If providing higher-density versions of an image for high-DPI (Retina) display, use object-fit property to control how the image is resized to fit within the frame.

If the <source>'s media condition evaluates to false, the browser skips it and evaluates the next element inside <picture>.

<picture>
  <source srcset="mdn-logo-wide.png" media="(min-width: 600px)" />
  <img src="mdn-logo-narrow.png" alt="MDN" />
</picture>

It is composed of a comma-separated list of image descriptors. Each image descriptor is composed of a URL of the image, and either:

• a width descriptor, followed by a w (such as 300w); OR
• a pixel density descriptor, followed by an x (such as 2x) to serve a high-res image for high-DPI screens.

Make sure to note that:

• width and pixel density descriptors should not be used together
• a missing pixel density descriptor implies 1x
• duplicate descriptor values are not allowed (2x & 2x, 100w & 100w)

The following example illustrates the usage of srcset attribute with the <source> element to specify a high-density and standard-resolution image:

<picture>
  <source srcset="logo.png, logo-1.5x.png 1.5x" />
  <img src="logo.png" alt="MDN Web Docs logo" height="320" width="320" />
</picture>

The srcset attribute can also be used on the <img> element without needing the <picture> element. The following example demonstrates how to use the srcset attribute to specify standard-resolution and high-density images, respectively:

<img
  srcset="logo.png, logo-2x.png 2x"
  src="logo.png"
  height="320"
  width="320"
  alt="MDN Web Docs logo" />

The sizes attribute is not mandatory when using srcset, but it is recommended to use it in order to provide additional information to the browser to help it select the best image source.

Without sizes, the browser will use the default size of the image as specified by its dimensions in pixels. This may not be the best fit for all devices, especially if the image is displayed on different screen sizes or in different contexts.

Please note that sizes will have its effect only if width dimension descriptors are provided with srcset instead of pixel ratio values (200w instead of 2x for example). For more information on using srcset, see the <source> element is skipped.

<picture>
  <source srcset="photo.avif" type="image/avif" />
  <source srcset="photo.webp" type="image/webp" />
  <img src="photo.jpg" alt="photo" />
</picture>