OrigiSafe — Advanced Image Optimizer (WebP) — Keep Originals Safe

Keep Originals Safe, convert JPEG/PNG images to WebP and makes WebP the canonical file. WP returns .webp URLs, Keeping originals safely archived.

How it works (high level)

1. Convert

   • For a JPG/PNG attachment, the plugin generates a WebP for the full image and all WordPress-generated sizes.
   • Conversion is done through WordPress’ image editor system (WP_Image_Editor), meaning it uses GD or Imagick (whichever your server supports) with WebP support enabled.

2. Move originals

   • The original JPG/PNG files are moved to:
     • wp-content/uploads/_originals/...
   • The folder structure mirrors your uploads structure.

3. Update WordPress to serve WebP

   • Attachment “file” + metadata are updated so WordPress serves .webp as the attachment file.
   • Attachment mime type is updated to image/webp.

4. Optional: Replace old URLs everywhere

   • If enabled, the plugin can replace old .jpg/.png URLs across:
     • post content
     • postmeta
   • Replacement is serialized-safe (does not break serialized arrays).

Background jobs (keeps running after page reload)

Conversion/repair/sweep jobs are designed to run in the background. They keep ticking even if you refresh the page or close the tab.

The plugin uses multiple loopback methods (admin-post / REST / public tick fallback) so it can keep working even on restrictive hosting setups.

Log + “it looks frozen” note

A rolling “terminal style” log is written to: – wp-content/uploads/hsbc-webp-only/logs/webp-only.log

If the log appears to freeze in the admin page: – click Refresh Log, or – refresh the page

The job may still be running server-side; refreshing the log/page usually catches up.

Usage

Go to Media → WebP Only.

Settings

• Quality
  • WebP quality for conversion (0–100).
• Batch size
  • How many items to process per tick. Smaller batches reduce server load.
• Replace old .jpg/.png URLs across content + postmeta (serialized-safe)
  • Recommended if your site content contains hard-coded image URLs.
• Sweep Include / Exclude
  • Used by the Sweep tools to control which folders are scanned.

Conversion Jobs (buttons)

Start Bulk Convert – Converts Media Library attachments (JPG/PNG) in batches. – Moves originals to uploads/_originals/. – Updates attachment metadata so WordPress serves .webp. – Optional URL replacement (content + postmeta).

Start Repair/Cleanup – Repairs inconsistencies if something was partially converted or moved. – Useful after restores/migrations or if some attachments have mismatched metadata. – Optional URL replacement.

Start Folder Sweep – Scans the filesystem for eligible images (based on your Sweep Include/Exclude rules). – Designed for sites with additional image folders beyond standard uploads. – Optional URL replacement.

Stop Job – Stops the currently running job.

Maintenance / Cleanup (buttons)

Delete duplicate _originals – Deletes backup files in uploads/_originals/ *only when* an identical file already exists in uploads/. – This is a cleanup tool for situations where originals were restored back into uploads and you no longer need the archived duplicate.

Delete duplicate _webp – Removes orphaned WebP cache files in: – uploads/_webp/ – Only deletes WebP files that no longer match anything in uploads/ or uploads/_originals/.

Delete duplicate sweep _originals – Maintenance cleanup for non-uploads roots (folders under wp-content/) that contain their own _originals/ folders. – It uses your Sweep Include list to find those roots. – Only deletes a file from <root>/_originals/ when the same file exists at <root>/ AND the file size matches (safe duplicate).

Revert Everything – Restores original JPG/PNG files from uploads/_originals/ back into uploads/. – Reverts attachment metadata so WordPress serves the originals again.

Log controls

Refresh Log – Pulls the latest log tail into the admin screen.

Reset Log – Clears the log file.

Requirements

• WordPress’ image editor must support WebP.
  • GD with WebP support, or
  • Imagick with WebP support
• If WebP conversion is not supported on your server, conversion/repair/sweep will refuse to run (revert tools can still work).