What is a JPG file?
JPG is the everyday photo format. It makes pictures far smaller by dropping detail your eye is unlikely to miss, and the result opens on practically any device ever made. It cannot hold transparency, so see-through areas come out solid. You can convert JPG files here, both into the format and out of it.
Specification
| Full name | JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .jpg, .jpeg, .jpe |
| Media type | image/jpeg |
| Compression | Lossy |
| Transparency | Not supported |
| Animation | Not supported |
| Multiple pages | — |
| Colour depth | 8 bits per channel, 24-bit colour |
| Size limits | — |
| Introduced | 1992 |
| Developed by | Joint Photographic Experts Group |
| Standard | Open |
| Browser support | Every browser, including older ones |
What JPG is used for
- Photographs on the web and in email
- Photos straight off a camera, which saves JPG by default
- Large photo libraries where storage size matters
- Anything that needs to open on absolutely any device
Strengths and limitations
What JPG does well
- Very small files for photos, at a quality that still looks good
- Opens instantly on virtually every device ever made
- Quality is a single dial, easy to tune for a size budget
Where JPG falls short
- Detail is thrown away, and each re-save takes a little more
- No transparency: see-through areas come out on a solid colour
- Visible blocking and ringing artefacts around sharp edges and text
Convert JPG to
Every target this format can be written out as, each on its own page.
Convert to JPG
Everything that can be turned into a JPG file.
Tools that accept JPG
Questions about JPG
What is a .jpg file?
JPG is the everyday photo format. The extension .jpg or .jpeg or .jpe identifies it, and its media type is image/jpeg.
How do I open a JPG file?
Any current browser will open it directly, so dragging the file into a tab is usually enough. Most operating systems also preview it without extra software.
Is JPG lossy or lossless?
Lossy. That means detail is discarded during encoding and each re-save compounds the loss, so keep an untouched master where quality matters.
What is JPG good for?
Very small files for photos, at a quality that still looks good. Opens instantly on virtually every device ever made. Quality is a single dial, easy to tune for a size budget. In practice that makes it a good fit for photographs on the web and in email, and Photos straight off a camera, which saves JPG by default.
What are the drawbacks of JPG?
Detail is thrown away, and each re-save takes a little more. No transparency: see-through areas come out on a solid colour. Visible blocking and ringing artefacts around sharp edges and text.