JPEG vs JPG – What’s the Difference?

Are you wondering which is a better file format JPEG vs JPG? Or do you want to know what the difference between them is? If you’re unsure which of these 2 file formats is best, then you’re at the right place.

Someone who works on a computer and has worked a lot with digital images will definitely have used JPGs and JPEGs before. They both are the most commonly used image formats to save digital images. 

Having said that, most of you’re still wondering what the difference is between them. And which one is better to use?

So, to answer these questions, we present to you the comparison between “JPEG vs JPG”. In this article, we’ll explain what a “.jpg” and “.jpeg” file extensions are, compare them to one another, and which might work best for you.

Let’s get started!

What is JPEG?

JPEG is a commonly used image file format that is used to store and save digital images on your computer. This is the definition that has been fed to us since the very beginning.

But did you know that JPEG can be referred to as three different alterations? If not then, let’s talk a little about these references.

1. JPEG Lossy Compression

Have you all realized that, when you upload a large image to your website, it somehow affects your site’s speed and performance? It takes forever to load on the front end which kills the experience of your visitor.

If this is something that bothers you then, you should somehow optimize those images. When you do so it not only reduces the file size of that image but also improves loading times. Hence, you can surely provide an excellent user experience.

At that very moment, when JPEG comes in handy. Here, JPEG acts as a lossy compression method that ensures the size of the images remains as small as possible. As a result, in the front end, the images will load quickly when someone wants to view them.

In lossy compression, the file size of the image will be compressed. This will permanently reduce the size by eliminating unnecessary information from the image. When you do so, you’ll surely have to suffer in terms of image quality.

However, to your PLUS, most of the visitors won’t even realize as the change is quite small in number.

You’ll find this method is mostly used for photographs and complex still images. But did you know that you can find out whether the image quality is good or bad just by looking at its file size?

Yes, you can do so by checking the file size of the image. If the size of the file is smaller, then the quality of the image will be bad. In fact, when you  edit and save a single image recursively, this will worsen the quality of the image.

Nevertheless, as an alternative to lossy compression, you can perform lossless compression.

What is a Lossless Compression?

As an alternative, lossless compression works quite differently to save your images in a different format. As it uses PNG format to save your image file.

In this method, you’ll never have to sacrifice the quality of the image. Unlike lossy compression, it doesn’t eliminate any information from your image. 

Therefore, the final file size of your image after lossless compression will always be bigger. Indeed, this may result in slower page loading times.

2. Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)

Have we told you what JPEG abbreviates into? JPEG stands for the Joint Photographic Experts Group.

JPEG is an ISO/IEC group that created the JPEG image format. The group is a subcommittee of the ISO (International Organization for Standardization).

ISO

They’re the well-known group of experts that develops and maintains picture coding standards under the ISO. ISO is responsible for developing standards to ensure the quality, safety, and efficiency of products, services, and systems.

In fact, ISO also set some standards for digital images too. So that, the website owners can provide their users and consumers with the best image quality and services.

This independent, non-governmental, international organization has a membership of over 164 countries. They’re working together to develop international standards that cover many aspects of technology, management, and manufacturing.

3. JPEG File Format

Lastly, the term JPEG is also referred to as a file format that is used to store and save digital images. You might have seen this format quite often since it’s the most used option when you save an image after editing it.

In fact, it’s a type of file format that you can use to convert it into another format such as JPG. 

FUN FACTS!!

Here are some amazing fun facts about the .jpeg file format –

  • JPEG files are the most common and universally recognized image file format used by digital cameras.
  • Its small file sizes allow you to quickly transfer images and provide fast access for viewing online.
  • To your surprise, it supports 16,777,216 colors, which are produced using 8 bits of each in the RGB color model.
  • It tries to keep its file size as small as possible.
  • With lossy compression, you can reduce the size of an image by up to 50-75% when saved.
  • It makes post-processing easier. As you can easily set the white balance and saturation in JPEGs with the click of the shutter.

Having said all this, a JPEG file format isn’t an ideal option for images with a sharp color palette. In this case, the colors will blend together if it was saved as a .png, which displays individual pixels as a combination.

Now that we get to know a bit about JPEG, let’s look at what JPG is.


What is JPG?

At the very first look, you might think both JPEG and JPG look similar. The only difference you’ll see is that one of them is missing the letter “e” to it. And that’s TRUE too.

The only difference between jpeg vs jpg is the number of characters and that’s it. Besides that, there isn’t any difference between those two file types.

It might sound crazy at the very beginning but hear us out first.

The only reason why JPG exists in the first place is because of the earlier versions of Windows operating systems. At that time, the MS-DOS 8.3 and FAT-16 file systems could only take upto a maximum 3-letter limit when it came to file names.

MSDOS

Meanwhile, UNIX-based operating systems (OS) like Mac and Linux didn’t bother to add a limit to file names. Therefore, such an operating system uses a .jpeg file extension to save the images as JPEGs.

Similarly, when it comes to old Windows OS, it gets shortened to .jpg to save those same types of images.

Nevertheless, with time, today’s Windows OS will accept both 3- or 4-letter file extensions such as .jpeg or .jpg. However, many people are still used to the JPG format to save their images.

This is also the reason why many popular photo editing tools such as Adobe Photoshop saves all JPEG images by default to the .jpg file extension. In this way, the users won’t get confused when they switch between the operating systems.


What are the Similarities Between JPG and JPEG?

Okay, so you know that .jpeg and .jpg are functionally the exact same thing. Indeed, they both refer to the same digital image format and have no differences between the JPG and JPEG formats.

Having said that, you might now think what are the similarities between them then. To clear it out, in this section we’ll look at some of the similarities between JPEG and JPG images.

1. Both of These Are Raster Images

Many of you might think that images stored under the jpeg and jpg are two different image types. But that’s not true. Both JPEG and JPG images are raster images, not vector images.

What are Raster and Vector Graphics?

Raster images define two-dimensional images that are built from pixels ––  a small addressable element or dot of a picture represented on a screen. When these tiny pixels come together in great quantities it helps to create highly detailed images such as photographs.

Therefore, the more pixels on an image indicates the higher quality of that image or vice versa. However, due to their pixel-based nature, the images have to suffer in terms of quality when zooming up in size.

Indeed, it prefers graphic formats like GIF, JPEG, PNG, PCX, etc. In fact, it’s mostly used for non-lined images such as photographs, scanned artwork, or detailed graphics.

Raster (JPEG) vs Vector (PDF) Files
Raster (JPEG) vs Vector (PDF) Files

Similarly, a vector image uses mathematical representations like lines, polygons, and curves with fixed points on a grid to produce an image. The best example of a vector image would be for printing. As it’s composed of a series of mathematical curves.

Unlike raster images, you can scale up or down without any worry about the quality degradation of the image. As vector images don’t rely on pixels to create the image.

Even more, it supports file extensions such as SVG, EPS, PDF, AI, and DXF.

2. Both Types of Losses Image Quality

We’ve already discussed earlier that both .jpeg and .jpg use lossy compression to shrink the size of the image. Meanwhile, as a consequence of that action, it results in deteriorating the quality of that image. Isn’t it heartbreaking?

The very reason to reduce the size of the image is to have a faster loading time when uploading onto your website. Therefore, when you use the file extension (.jpeg or .jpg) your image’s file size will always be smaller than the original. 

JPEG and JPG
JPEG and JPG

Now you know that both JPEGs and JPGs serve the same purpose. Their only goal is to reduce the file size of images for faster loading time and a better viewing experience. In fact, you can use any one of those file extensions to save the compressed image for further use.

Having said that, we cannot say which one is better. Since both of them serve the same purpose and shouldn’t be any matter of concern in the first place.

Lastly, it is all up to your preference on which file extension to use for saving your following beautiful digital images.


When to Use JPEG Images?

Did you know that JPEG files can display up to 16.8 million colors even when their size remains relatively small? This is the reason why it’s a go-to- file format for many photographers and bloggers (publishers). 

i. For Photographic Images 

The pictures shot with digital cameras tend to be in a raw format. In fact, it helps to possibly get the image in its actual color and surroundings.

Not just that digital cameras, in itself use .jpg formats. As it can be compressed into much smaller file sizes than other types of image files. In fact, it’s a great way to reduce the amount of storage space needed for images.

This will not only allow you to render images quickly but also open them faster online without sacrificing too much quality.

ii. For Web Content

The very best use that anyone can get from its web publishers and bloggers. Anyone who has a website can actually benefit from using JPEG files on their website.

The use of JPEG files will make the images load faster on websites. With that, you’ll be able to give a great user experience to your visitors. Not just that, you can use JPEG files for email attachments because they’re small enough to send quickly.


What are the Pros and Cons of JPEG Files?

In this section of the article, let’s look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of JPEG files.

Starting off with pros…

Pros of JPEGs

  • JPEG files are quite popular and universally recognized image file formats.
  • In addition, it’s seamlessly compatible with most web browsers, software, and apps.
  • Provides quick transfer and fast access for viewing online.
  • You’ll find JPEG file format to be typically smaller in file size than the original image format.
  • Allows you to easily convert it into other file formats such as PNG and GIF.

Cons of JPEGs

  • Due to lossy compression and heavily compressed images, you might have to suffer with the quality of the image.
  • Sometimes JPEG format images can be difficult to edit because the quality of the image is reduced and compressed too much.
  • Not so well suited for images with sharp edges or large areas of uniform color

Why Should You Compress the Images?

Image compression is the process of reducing the size of an image while maintaining as much quality as possible. In this way, you can easily store, transfer, and display images, without sacrificing the image’s visual quality.

Now the question might arise why image compression is important. For that, here are some reasons why you should compress the image before adding it to the website:

  • A compressed image will help you with website optimization. When images are uncompressed it takes longer to load, causing your visitors to bounce because of this.
  • This helps to reduce the amount of data being transmitted.
  • Any compressed images can be sent and uploaded easily. Meanwhile, uncompressed images take quite a time and some email servers also come with file size limits.
  • Lastly, it helps with reducing and saving the storage impact on your hard drive.

FAQs on JPEG vs JPG

1. How to convert .jpg to jpeg file format?

In a Windows OS, select the image and click on the Open option. After that, click on the File option followed by the Export As option. With this, a dialogue box will appear and under the Save as type drop-down menu, choose the JPEG file type. Lastly, click on the Save button to save your changes.
Or else, you can also use free online converter tools that help you convert JPEG to JPG files. Such as Convertio and Canva.

2. Are there any differences between JPEG vs JPG?

To be honest, there isn’t any difference between the JPEG and JPG formats. The only difference is the number of characters used.

3. What is the difference between JPG, GIF, and PNG?

Mostly, JPGs are used for photographs and pixel-based images whereas PNGs are used for transparent images and vector graphics. Meanwhile, GIFs are usually used for images that contain animations and visual effects.

4. What is the difference between PDF and JPG?

Let us just make it clear that both PDF and JPG are two different file types. A PDF is a document file type that contains images with text while a JPG is an image file type with text on the image.
Even more, PDFs often deliver higher quality than JPEGs. It’s because JPEGs compress images that cause a loss in the quality of an image.


Conclusion

That’s all, folks! We’ve come to the end of our comparison between JPEG vs JPG.

Although you might have been using JPGs and JPEGs every day, you still might not know that both are the same. Hence, we’re glad that now you know exactly what the similarities and differences are between them.

If you have any further queries about JPGs and JPEGs, then please leave a comment below. We’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Also, let us know which other file formats are you using the most. You can share your pick in the comments section below. 

You may also like our other articles on the best image optimization plugins for WordPress. Besides that, to get yourself inspired check out the article Best About Me Examples for Inspirations. Be sure to go through it once.

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