diff --git a/src/_webp.c b/src/_webp.c
index dfda7048d..5cbf48f68 100644
--- a/src/_webp.c
+++ b/src/_webp.c
@@ -89,8 +89,8 @@ HandleMuxError(WebPMuxError err, char *chunk) {
 
 static int
 import_frame_libwebp(WebPPicture *frame, Imaging im) {
-    if (strcmp(im->mode, "RGBA") && strcmp(im->mode, "RGB") &&
-        strcmp(im->mode, "RGBX")) {
+    if (im->mode != IMAGING_MODE_RGBA && im->mode != IMAGING_MODE_RGB &&
+        im->mode != IMAGING_MODE_RGBX) {
         PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, "unsupported image mode");
         return -1;
     }
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ import_frame_libwebp(WebPPicture *frame, Imaging im) {
         return -2;
     }
 
-    int ignore_fourth_channel = strcmp(im->mode, "RGBA");
+    int ignore_fourth_channel = im->mode != IMAGING_MODE_RGBA;
     for (int y = 0; y < im->ysize; ++y) {
         UINT8 *src = (UINT8 *)im->image32[y];
         UINT32 *dst = frame->argb + frame->argb_stride * y;
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ typedef struct {
     PyObject_HEAD WebPAnimDecoder *dec;
     WebPAnimInfo info;
     WebPData data;
-    char *mode;
+    ModeID mode;
 } WebPAnimDecoderObject;
 
 static PyTypeObject WebPAnimDecoder_Type;
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ _anim_decoder_new(PyObject *self, PyObject *args) {
     const uint8_t *webp;
     Py_ssize_t size;
     WebPData webp_src;
-    char *mode;
+    ModeID mode;
     WebPDecoderConfig config;
     WebPAnimDecoderObject *decp = NULL;
     WebPAnimDecoder *dec = NULL;
@@ -409,10 +409,10 @@ _anim_decoder_new(PyObject *self, PyObject *args) {
     webp_src.size = size;
 
     // Sniff the mode, since the decoder API doesn't tell us
-    mode = "RGBA";
+    mode = IMAGING_MODE_RGBA;
     if (WebPGetFeatures(webp, size, &config.input) == VP8_STATUS_OK) {
         if (!config.input.has_alpha) {
-            mode = "RGBX";
+            mode = IMAGING_MODE_RGBX;
         }
     }
 
@@ -455,7 +455,7 @@ _anim_decoder_get_info(PyObject *self) {
         info->loop_count,
         info->bgcolor,
         info->frame_count,
-        decp->mode
+        getModeData(decp->mode)->name
     );
 }