JPEG vs TIF

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is the technical name for the JPG image format, standardized as ISO/IEC 10918. JPEG uses a lossy compression algorithm based on the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) to analyze and compress image data in 8×8 pixel blocks. This makes it extremely efficient for photographs and natural images with smooth color transitions. JPEG supports different color spaces including sRGB, Adobe RGB, and CMYK, and can embed EXIF metadata with camera settings, GPS coordinates, and timestamps. The format supports progressive encoding, where the image loads in increasing detail, improving perceived performance on slow connections. While JPEG doesn't support transparency, its universal compatibility and excellent compression make it the backbone of digital photography and web imagery.