Picture Element Responsive and Retina Images
WordPress has introduced the srcset feature into core which is great but this plugin goes a step further to help theme developers use the picture element with a fallback to a standard image tag and srcset.
Consider an alternative
Picture Element Responsive and… shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 10 years ago, and scores 23/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 9 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 4.7 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & supportDaily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Picture Element Responsive… stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| picture | >100 |
| responsive images | >100 |
| retina images | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About Picture Element Responsive and Retina I…
From the official readme · v1.0.0Description
WordPress has introduced the srcset feature into core which is great but this plugin goes a step further to help theme developers use the picture element with a fallback to a standard image tag and srcset.
This plugin also offers support for on the fly image generation plugins. In fact it’s hugely encouraged to use one as this plugin can cause image uploads to slow down otherwise.
It also offers support for 2x and 3x images for retina screens so you can serve the best image possible for your visitors.
Define image sizes
First you need to define your image sizes, similar to add_image_size. This particular function is optional but recommended because it also creates 2x and 3x images for retina.
E.G. add_image_size_for_picture('mobile_images', 320, 0, true);
Using images in your template
Once your sizes are defined you can call them in your template like so:
generate_picture($some_attachment_id, [
'mobile_images' => '(max-width: 320px)'
], [
'class' => 'some-class-name',
'data-item' => 1
]);
The second argument array is in the format of image size name : media query that way you can specify as many different responsive sizes as you need to.
The third argument allows you to add attributes to the source/img tag.
Integrating with on the fly image generation plugins
Adding upload sizes to wordpress and slow down the image upload significantly as we generate three times as many images that you add a size for. This can cause the upload to time out if you are using a server with a low amount of cpu cores.
To solve this we recommend using a plugin that will create these images independent of the upload and not affect users. For this purpose we have three filters available for you to change the functions we call underneath the hood.
responsive_retina_images_add_size_function is the function to call when adding a new size, by default this calls `add_image_size`
'responsive_retina_images_source_function is the function to call when pulling the image from the database, by default this calls `wp_get_attachment_image_src`
responsive_retina_images_source_function_index is the index at which to access the url returned from `responsive_retina_images_source_function`, by default this is `0`
For example if you were to integrate with Fly Dynamic Image Resizer you could add the following to your functions.php.
add_filter('responsive_retina_images_add_size_function', function() { return 'fly_add_image_size'; });
add_filter('responsive_retina_images_source_function', function() { return 'fly_get_attachment_image_src'; });
add_filter('responsive_retina_images_source_function_index', function() { return 'src'; });
Installation
- Upload the plugin or install via the WordPress interface and activate it.
- Add your image sizes using the
add_image_size_for_picture, this follows the same syntax asadd_image_size - In your template call
generate_picturewith the arguments of the attachment_id, an array of the image sizes you want to use, and then any attributes you want to add to the source/img tags.
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Picture Element Responsive an… alternatives
All picture plugins →FAQ
Picture Element Responsive and Reti…: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 10, 2026
Is Picture Element Responsive and… free?
Yes. Picture Element Responsive and… is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Picture Element Responsive and… safe to use in 2026?
Picture Element Responsive and… shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 10 years ago, and scores 23/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Picture Element Responsive and…?
Picture Element Responsive and… is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 1,722 times since it launched in February 2017. It was downloaded 58 times in the last 30 days.
Does Picture Element Responsive and… work with WordPress 7.1?
Picture Element Responsive and… is officially tested up to WordPress 4.7.38, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Picture Element Responsive and… last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.0, was released on February 23, 2017 (10 years ago).
Who makes Picture Element Responsive and…?
Picture Element Responsive and… is developed and maintained by christhewanderer.
What are the best alternatives to Picture Element Responsive and…?
The most popular alternatives to Picture Element Responsive and… are ImageMagick Engine (60K+ installs), Easy Watermark (30K+ installs) and Simple User Avatar (20K+ installs).
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