What is it?

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) refers to a way of compressing and storing digital image files. JPEG has become the main standard for uploading images to the internet, sharing photos and for use in digital publishing, including for printed publications such as newspapers and magazines, which are created on computer design programs. These files often have the file extension .jpg

Other popular image file formats include GIF, TIFF and PNG.

JPEG compression is used to save space in storage, but especially to save bandwidth and time in transferring files on the internet.

How does it work?

The JPEG format reduces the size of digital files in two ways. First, any redundant information is removed. This does not reduce the quality of the image. Second, the mathematical algorithms may be used to further reduce the size but this does reduce the quality. These are called lossless and lossy compression. When you save an image as a JPEG file you can dictate the amount of loss.

In general a JPEG image retains as much clarity and quality as needed for the application.

Why is it useful?

Without the JPEG standard, photographic and other image files would burden servers and bandwidth.

What do you need to keep in mind about your child and JPEGs?

You may want to explain JPEG to your child so that they can use this process for best quality and flexibility when uploading, downloading and saving photos. It is also important to remember that once quality is removed from an image it can no longer be regained.

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