.JPEG File Extension
File TypeJPEG Image
Developer | Joint Photographic Experts Group |
Popularity |
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Category | Raster Image Files |
Format | Binary |
What is a JPEG file?
A JPEG file is an image saved in a compressed graphic format standardized by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG). It supports up to 24-bit color and is compressed using lossy compression, which may noticeably reduce the image quality if high amounts of compression are used. JPEG files are commonly used for storing digital photos and web graphics.
In the early 1980s, no technology existed that allowed users to easily compress and share digital images with one another. In 1982, the JPEG workgroup began designing a compression standard that could be used to reduce image files' size, making them easier to share, while retaining as much of their quality as possible.
In 1992, the workgroup created the JPEG file format. JPEG files are images created using a lossy compression algorithm, which actually destroys some data contained within the original image file. However, this data loss is mostly unnoticeable to the human eye. Because the JPEG standard continues to allows users to produce sharable, high-quality image files, and because it is so embedded within technologies used to create and share images, it is still the most common image compression standard in use today.
NOTE: A JPEG file also contains metadata that describes the contents of its file, such as the color space, color profile, and image dimension information. Image files saved in the JPEG format are more commonly appended with the .JPG extension than the JPEG extension.
How do I open a JPEG file?
You can open a JPEG file with any program that supports images. There are a large amount of free and commercial image viewing and editing applications available for desktop and mobile platforms, including:
- Microsoft Windows Photos (Windows)
- Apple Preview (Mac)
- Adobe Photoshop (Windows, Mac)
- GIMP (cross-platform)
You can also view a JPEG in your web browser by dragging and dropping it into your browser window.