While modern browsers can figure out an image's size after it finishes loading, specifying the and height beforehand is a best practice for several performance and usability reasons:

: When dimensions are missing, the browser cannot reserve the correct space while the rest of the page loads. This leads to "Cumulative Layout Shift" (CLS), where content suddenly jumps around as images pop into view, frustrating users who have already started reading.

: Explicitly stating the dimensions helps ensure the image doesn't appear distorted. For a image, the aspect ratio is approximately

A useful post regarding image dimensions like highlights the technical importance of explicitly defining these attributes in your HTML.

: In modern web development, these attributes are often used alongside CSS ( max-width: 100%; height: auto; ) to ensure the image scales down correctly for mobile screens while still preserving the reserved space on desktop.

: Setting these attributes allows the browser to calculate the page layout immediately, speeding up the initial rendering process.

. Keeping this ratio consistent prevents the "stretched" look often seen when only one dimension is specified.