When To Use The JPEG Format

The .jpg or .jpeg, pronounced jay-peg, is the most commonly used file type extension for images on, and off, the web. But, the .jpg format was not meant for everything, and originally was to be used for web only photographs.

Digital camera companies first used this format for saving camera images, because, if you couldn't have saved but a few images to your storage card, you probably would not have bought the camera.

The format JPEG, Joint Photographic Experts Group, was introduced to the world in 1992 for use on the web to compress files for transfer, and can compress files as much as 10:1. This compression does not come without a price. Images saved as jpeg lose part of the detail each time they are resaved. This may not matter for images that are only viewed on the web, but is very important for images intended for print.

Photographs for web benifit the most from jpeg compression, allowing them to be downloaded much more quickly. While photos meant for print, should be saved primarily as RAW or TIFF. They may also be saved as PNG, PICT or BMP. Vector images, like line drawings or illustrations, do not take advantage of jpeg compression and should be saved as GIF files.

I have worked in higher education and graphic design for over 15 years. It is frustrating when a student returns from a once in a lifetime trip abroad to find that their photographs do not have the resolution to be printed at the size they wish. Since storage media has become so cheap, it is wise to only use the JPEG format for files to be used only on the web.


Subscribe to RSS Feed