> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://cloudinary.com/documentation/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Cloudinary Image & Video release notes: April 7, 2026 We publish Cloudinary Image and Video API release notes periodically to give you a quick overview of all the new features, enhancements, and fixes that we've recently released for Cloudinary developers. When relevant, they may also give sneak previews of upcoming features and/or other share important announcements. > **READING**: : :title=See also [Assets (DAM) release notes](digital_asset_management_release_notes) • [MediaFlows release notes](mediaflows_release_notes) • [Cloudinary-supported integrations release notes](integrations_release_notes) [Product Gallery changelog](product_gallery_changelog) • [Upload Widget changelog](upload_widget_changelog) ## SDKs and libraries ### Start Using Cloudinary Skills for AI-assisted Cloudinary development Cloudinary Skills help your AI agent follow best practices, suggest the right features for your use case, and reduce implementation errors. You can install them from the [Cloudinary Skills pack](https://github.com/cloudinary-devs/skills) using: ```bash npx skills add cloudinary-devs/skills ``` The current version of the Cloudinary Skills pack includes three skills, with more to come in the future. ![Cloudinary Skills pack](https://cloudinary-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_700,h_413,g_west/f_auto/q_auto/docs/cloudinary_skills "thumb: w_500,dpr_2, width: 500, popup: true") You can also install the Cloudinary Skills pack from the Marketplace plugins for [Claude](https://claude.com/plugins/cloudinary) and [Cursor](https://cursor.com/marketplace/cloudinary). We welcome your feedback on the Cloudinary Skills pack. Please share your feedback via the [GitHub repository](https://github.com/cloudinary-devs/skills/issues). [Learn more](cloudinary_llm_mcp#cloudinary_skills) ### Next.js SDK now fully supported by Cloudinary The Next.js SDK is now officially supported and maintained by Cloudinary. Previously a community-developed project, the SDK now benefits from Cloudinary's in-house maintenance to ensure consistent updates, comprehensive support, and seamless integration with Cloudinary's latest features. This transition means you can expect: * Direct support from Cloudinary's engineering team * Improved documentation and examples * Faster bug fixes and feature implementations The SDK continues to provide the same powerful components you rely on, with ongoing improvements to performance, developer experience, and feature coverage. [Learn more](nextjs_integration) ## Cloudinary Video ### Optimize & Resize in Video Player Studio The **Optimize** section of the [Video Player Studio](video_player_studio) has been renamed to **Optimize & Resize** and now lets you configure resize and crop, HDR video delivery, and responsive breakpoints directly from the UI. These settings apply to progressive delivery and are also available programmatically via the Video Player API. ![Optimize & Resize settings in the Video Player Studio, showing resize/crop, HDR, and breakpoints options](https://cloudinary-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/bo_1px_solid_gray/f_auto/q_auto/docs/video_player_studio/video-player-studio-resize-crop2 "thumb: w_540,dpr_2, width: 540, popup: true") You can now change the aspect ratio and resize behavior of your videos. Select from landscape (16:9), portrait (9:16), or square (1:1) aspect ratios, and select a resize mode: **Smart Crop**, **Fill**, or **Pad** with a custom background color. ```js // Smart crop to portrait format const player = cloudinary.videoPlayer('player', { aspectRatio: '9:16', cropMode: 'smart' }); ``` The Studio also supports [HDR video delivery](#hdr_video_delivery_in_the_video_player) and [responsive breakpoints](#video_player_responsive_breakpoints), described in detail below. [Learn more](video_player_studio#resize_and_crop) ### HDR video delivery in the Video Player The Cloudinary Video Player can now automatically deliver HDR (High Dynamic Range) video to viewers whose devices and browsers support it, while falling back to a tone-mapped SDR version on unsupported devices. When enabled, the player detects HDR-capable displays using the browser's `(dynamic-range: high)` media query and applies `dr_high`, `vc_h265`, and `f_mp4` transformations to deliver H.265 HDR content. On non-HDR devices, the video is delivered as tone-mapped SDR, preventing washed-out colors. Enable HDR delivery by setting the `hdr` parameter to `true`: ```js const player = cloudinary.videoPlayer('player', { cloudName: 'demo', publicId: 'sample_hdr_video', hdr: true }); ``` [Learn more](video_player_customization#hdr_video_delivery) ### Video Player responsive breakpoints The Cloudinary Video Player can now automatically select the optimal video resolution based on the player's container width and the viewer's device pixel ratio (DPR). This prevents delivering unnecessarily large video files to smaller screens, improving load times and reducing bandwidth. Enable breakpoints with a single setting: ```js const player = cloudinary.videoPlayer('player', { cloudName: 'demo', breakpoints: true }); ``` The player rounds the required width up to the nearest standard rendition (640, 848, 1280, 1920, 2560, or 3840 pixels) and applies a [`c_limit`](transformation_reference#c_limit) transformation. Use `maxDpr` to cap the DPR used for calculations (default: 2.0). [Learn more](video_player_customization#responsive_breakpoints) ### Video Config API You can now programmatically retrieve and update per-video player configurations using the Video Config REST API. This API lets you manage the same player settings that the [Video Player Studio](video_player_studio) saves through its UI, so you can automate player configuration workflows. **Example: Retrieve a video's player configuration** ```curl curl https://api.cloudinary.com/v2/video//player/config/video/ \ -u : ``` **Example response:** ```json { "request_id": "6ec0bd7f11c043da975e2a8ad9ebae0b", "data": { "playerOptions": { "controls": true, "loop": true, "colors": { "base": "#1532a8" } }, "sourceOptions": { "sourceTypes": ["hls"] } } } ``` For details on using the API, see [Managing video settings via the API](video_player_how_to_embed#managing_video_settings_via_the_api). For the full endpoint specification, see the [Video Config API reference](video_config_reference). ## Asset and account management ### Basic Auth for Upload API The Upload API now supports Basic Authentication as an alternative to signature-based authentication. This simplifies integration for server-side uploads where you can securely store your API credentials. With Basic Auth, you can authenticate using your API key and API secret in the request header: ```curl curl -X POST https://api.cloudinary.com/v1_1//image/upload \ -u : \ -F "file=@/path/to/image.jpg" ``` Basic Auth is particularly useful for: * Server-to-server uploads where credentials can be securely managed * Simplifying authentication workflows without generating signatures * Integrations that prefer standard HTTP Basic Authentication For details, see [Upload API authentication](upload_images#authentication). ### MCP remote servers: Streamable HTTP and observability headers Cloudinary's remote Asset Management, Environment Config, and Structured Metadata MCP servers now use the **Streamable HTTP** endpoint (`/mcp`) by default. The previous SSE endpoint (`/sse`) is deprecated for these servers and will be removed in a future version. The `/sse` endpoint also accepts POST requests as an alias for `/mcp`, so existing clients that send Streamable HTTP to `/sse` continue to work, but use `/mcp` for new configurations. (The **Analysis** MCP server continues to use `/sse`.) Additionally, when using API key authentication with remote MCP servers, you can now enable **header embedding** so each tool result includes an `_headers` field with API rate-limit information and request IDs. [Learn more](cloudinary_llm_mcp#optional_authenticating_remote_mcp_servers_with_api_keys) ### Optional API key in Media Library widget The `api_key` parameter is now optional when initializing the Media Library widget. When provided, the API key is validated to ensure it belongs to the specified `cloud_name`, adding an extra layer of security. When omitted, the widget authenticates solely through the user's Cloudinary login credentials. This simplifies widget integration for use cases where API key validation is not required: ```js // Initialize without api_key window.mediaLibraryHandler = cloudinary.createMediaLibrary( { cloud_name: 'my_company', username: 'john_doe@mycompany.com', button_class: 'myBtn', button_caption: 'Select Image or Video' }, { insertHandler: function(data) { data.assets.forEach(asset => { console.log('Inserted asset:', asset.public_id); }); } } ); ``` [Learn more](media_library_widget) ### Opt in to receive billing documents via email For customers who first upgraded from a free to a paying plan on or after March 26, 2026 and are using automated payments (Credit Card, Google Pay, or Apple Pay), billing documents, including invoices, receipts, and credit memos, aren't sent by email by default. All documents are available for download in the **Console**. If you do want to receive monthly billing documents via email, you can opt in from the **Billing Information** page in the Console. > **NOTES**: > > * If you pay by bank transfer, you'll always receive invoices via email, regardless of this setting. > * If you upgraded to a paid plan prior to March 26, 2026, you'll continue to receive monthly billing documents by email until you opt out, via the **Billing Information** page in the Console. ![Billing email opt-in setting](https://cloudinary-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/docs/billing_email_optin.png "thumb: w_540,dpr_2, width:540, with_code:false, with_url:false, popup:true") [Change opt-in settings](https://console.cloudinary.com/app/settings/billing/info) ### IP address masking for privacy compliance Cloudinary offers IP address masking to help customers comply with privacy and data protection requirements. When enabled, this feature masks and encrypts source IP addresses for CDN delivery requests, actively deleting part of the addresses upon receipt (the last IPv4 octet and last 3 IPv6 octets are nullified), so that end user IP addresses aren't retained in Cloudinary's systems. This optional feature ensures that IP addresses of end users are masked in all logs and databases, including CDN logs and headers. In cases where the full IP address is necessary for security purposes, the original IP address is kept encrypted but expires after one calendar day. > **NOTE**: To request IP address masking for your product environment, [contact Cloudinary support](https://support.cloudinary.com/hc/en-us/requests/new). [Learn more](solution_overview#ip_address_masking) ## Announcements ### Cloudinary Moderation is now generally available (GA) **Cloudinary Moderation**, our AI-based product for keeping visual content on-brand, high-quality, and consistent at scale, has completed its Beta program and is now generally available. Cloudinary Moderation uses AI tailored to your visual guidelines to validate assets for brand consistency, quality, and compliance. It functions like a dedicated brand reviewer, ensuring every asset meets your standards before it goes live. By automating what used to be a time-consuming manual task, it creates a scalable, reliable guardrail for teams handling high-volume content across marketing, marketplaces, and UGC flows. [Learn more](cloudinary_moderation) ### Discontinuation of the Pixelz - Remove the Background add-on Cloudinary is no longer accepting new customers for the **Pixelz - Remove the Background** add-on. For background removal, use the [Cloudinary AI background removal transformation](background_removal), which provides powerful AI-based background removal capabilities. ## Register for notifications Make sure you always know when we publish new release notes with the **Image and Video release notes RSS feed**: Grab this [RSS link](/documentation/rss/cloudinary-pm-release-notes.xml) to watch for new Image and Video release notes in your favorite RSS reader.