npm install --save-dev lqip-loader

Generating Base64 & dominant colours palette for a jpeg image imported in your JS bundle:

PS: The large image file will be emitted & only 400byte of Base64 (if set to true in the loader options) will be bundled.

webpack.config.js:

{
  /**
   * OPTION A:
   * default file-loader fallback
   **/
  test: /\.jpe?g$/,
  loaders: [
    {
      loader: 'lqip-loader',
      options: {
        path: '/media', // your image going to be in media folder in the output dir
        name: '[name].[ext]', // you can use [hash].[ext] too if you wish,
        base64: true, // default: true, gives the base64 encoded image
        palette: true // default: false, gives the dominant colours palette
      }
    }
  ]

  /**
   * OPTION B:
   * Chained with your own url-loader or file-loader
   **/
  test: /\.(png|jpe?g)$/,
  loaders: [
    {
      loader: 'lqip-loader',
      options: {
        base64: true,
        palette: false
      }
    },
    {
      loader: 'url-loader',
      options: {
        limit: 8000
      }
    }
  ]
}

your-app-module.js:

import banner from './images/banner.jpg';

console.log(banner.preSrc);
// outputs: "data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhY.... 

// the object will have palette property, array will be sorted from most dominant colour to the least
console.log(banner.palette) // [ '#628792', '#bed4d5', '#5d4340', '#ba454d', '#c5dce4', '#551f24' ]
 
console.log(banner.src) // that's the original image URL to load later!

To save memory and improve GPU performance, browsers (including Chrome started from 61.0.3163.38) will now render a slightly more crisp or pixelated Base64 encoded images.

If you want the blur to be smooth really bad, here's a fix!

img {
  filter: blur(25px);
}

More history about the issue can be found here and here.

alternatively, you can fill the container with a really cheap colour or gradient from the amazing palette we provide.

• Medium web app
• Instagram native mobile app
• Polymer shop project

• Essential Image Optimization, An eBook by Addy Osmany

Related projects to this would be lqip module for Node as well as lqip-cli.

Thanks to Colin van Eenige for his reviewing and early testing.

MIT - Zouhir Chahoud