diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 0eb0039..79f9f93 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -57,4 +57,9 @@ EVENT_BUS_BACKEND=db
 # NATS_STREAM_NAME=MOVIES_DIARY_EVENTS
 # NATS_CONSUMER_NAME=worker
 
+# Image conversion (optional — converts stored images to save disk space)
+# Disable by default; enable in the worker by setting ENABLED=true.
+# IMAGE_CONVERSION_ENABLED=false
+# IMAGE_CONVERSION_FORMAT=avif   # avif | webp
+
 RUST_LOG=presentation=debug,tower_http=debug,worker=info,application=info
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 87d1aa3..9a273e2 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -33,12 +33,19 @@ COPY crates/adapters/tmdb-enrichment/Cargo.toml   crates/adapters/tmdb-enrichmen
 COPY crates/domain/Cargo.toml                     crates/domain/Cargo.toml
 COPY crates/presentation/Cargo.toml               crates/presentation/Cargo.toml
 COPY crates/tui/Cargo.toml                        crates/tui/Cargo.toml
+COPY crates/adapters/image-converter/Cargo.toml   crates/adapters/image-converter/Cargo.toml
 COPY crates/worker/Cargo.toml                     crates/worker/Cargo.toml
 
 # Stub every crate so cargo can resolve and fetch deps
 RUN find crates -name "Cargo.toml" | sed 's|/Cargo.toml||' | \
     xargs -I{} sh -c 'mkdir -p {}/src && echo "fn main(){}" > {}/src/main.rs && echo "" > {}/src/lib.rs'
 
+# libwebp-dev: required at build time by the `webp` crate (C bindings)
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+    libwebp-dev \
+    pkg-config \
+ && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
 RUN cargo fetch
 
 # Now copy real sources (invalidates cache only on source changes)
@@ -60,6 +67,7 @@ FROM debian:bookworm-slim
 RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
     ca-certificates \
     wget \
+    libwebp7 \
  && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
 WORKDIR /app
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 31255e0..a8c06c6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ adapters/
   poster-fetcher       — downloads poster images
   image-storage        — stores images (posters + user avatars) on local filesystem or S3-compatible storage
   poster-sync          — event handler: triggers poster fetch+store on MovieDiscovered
+  image-converter      — optional background worker: converts stored images to AVIF or WebP; backfills existing images via a 24h periodic job
   tmdb-enrichment      — event handler: fetches full movie profile (cast, crew, genres, keywords, box office) from TMDb on MovieEnrichmentRequested; resolves IMDb IDs automatically
   template-askama      — Askama HTML rendering
   rss                  — RSS/Atom feed generation
@@ -96,6 +97,10 @@ IMAGE_STORAGE_PATH=./images
 # MINIO_ACCESS_KEY_ID=minioadmin
 # MINIO_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=minioadmin
 
+# Image conversion (optional — converts stored images to AVIF or WebP to save space)
+# IMAGE_CONVERSION_ENABLED=false
+# IMAGE_CONVERSION_FORMAT=avif   # avif or webp
+
 # Optional
 HOST=0.0.0.0
 PORT=3000