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JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

JPEG is the most widely used image format for photographs and complex images. It uses lossy compression to achieve small file sizes while maintaining acceptable visual quality. JPEG supports 24-bit color (16.7 million colors) and is universally supported by browsers and devices.

MIME Type

image/jpeg

Type

Binary

Compression

Lossy

Advantages

  • + Excellent compression for photographs
  • + Universal browser and device support
  • + Adjustable quality/size trade-off
  • + Small file sizes for web delivery

Disadvantages

  • Lossy compression degrades quality on re-saves
  • No transparency support
  • Not suitable for text, line art, or sharp edges

When to Use .JPG

Use JPEG for photographs, complex images with gradients, and any scenario where small file size matters more than pixel-perfect quality.

Technical Details

JPEG uses discrete cosine transform (DCT) based compression. Quality can be adjusted from 1-100, with higher values preserving more detail at larger file sizes.

History

JPEG was developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group and published as ISO 10918-1 in 1992. It became the dominant photo format on the web by the mid-1990s.

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