What is a JPG file?

We call Joint Photographic Experts Group files JPG or JPEG files. These file formats offer an easy file storage solution for web-based graphics and images.

JPEG files operate in a compressed image file format that is easily rendered on website pages and in email messages. These compressed files contain allocation tables that tell computers where to read and decode each pixel in an image or graphic.

Many people use JPG files because of their high compression ratio of 10:1 for rendering stored graphics and images.

This versatile file format renders JPEG images with no signs of degradation or loss of image quality.

The JPG file format compresses files into small blocks of pixels that are easily readable by a wide variety of computer programs.

How to Convert an Image to JPG

  1. Open the image you want to convert in your desired photo editing program.
  2. Click on the "File" menu and then select "Save As."
  3. Select "JPEG" as the file format and click on "Save."

Convert an Image File Using Adobe Photoshop

  • Open the image you want to convert in Photoshop.
  • Select the Image > Mode > JPG.
  • The JPG mode will convert the image to a JPEG format.

Convert an Image File Using Windows

Start Windows Photo Gallery.

Select an image you would like to convert and click the "Photo" button in the upper-left corner of the window.

On the Photo tab, under "Options," select "JPEG (Optimized for Internet display)."

Under "Quality," select a level of compression suitable for your needs: Low (64), Medium (128), or High (256). You can also choose to create a lossless JPEG file if desired by selecting Lossless from the dropdown menu next to Quality and clicking

Convert an Image File Using MacOS

To convert an image to JPEG on a Mac, you can use the "JPEG" menu item in the "File" menu or use one of the following commands: $jpgconvert -quality 99 myimage.jpg

Convert an Image File Using Online Photo Editing Software

  • Open the image you want to convert in your desired photo editing program.
  • Click on the "File" menu and then select "Save As."
  • Select "JPEG" as the file format and click on "Save."

JPEG file Alternatives

People looking for JPG file alternatives often look to GIF file types as an easy alternative. 

A GIF file is an alternate format that can be used to archive photos. A GIF consists of a series of pictures stored as a unit, with each picture occupying one byte in memory. This makes it much smaller than a JPEG file, which can contain up to 8 megabytes of data.

Because graphics processors can process and display GIF files more quickly than they can handle JPEGs, they are sometimes used for logos or graphics on web pages instead of images.

Why would I need to convert a JPEG file?

Many websites and online applications we use have specific parameters for uploading and downloading image files. JPG is a file format that makes it easy to convert image and graphics files for downloading and uploading on popular websites. JPEG files take up less disk space than other image formats and can be easily converted to other file types.

Benefits of Using JPEG files

There are several benefits to using JPEG files over other file formats. JPEG is a compression format that helps reduce the size of images, making them easier to store and transmit across a wide variety of websites and mobile applications. 

Users can also compress images that are saved in JPEG format more easily than those saved in other formats, which can cause smaller file sizes without loss of quality.

Because JPEG files use less storage space than equivalent images stored as PNG or TIFF files, they're often preferred for large image collections, such as photo albums or digital wallpaper displays.