Image formats: JPG and JPEG - what are the differences?

If you save an image file, this can be done in JPG or JPEG format, depending on the program. We explain where the differences are in this practical tip.

Difference between the image formats JPG and JPEG

• JPEG stands for "Joint Photographic Experts Group" and, like PNG, is a standard that defines how an image is compressed. However, there are several subspecies of the format, such as JPG, JPEG, JPE and JFIF. These each define other values ​​that are not determined by the standard, such as the respective color space.
• In earlier versions of Windows, JPG was mainly used as an abbreviation for JPEG. Windows often had problems opening images with the JPEG extension because the system was originally only able to process three-letter file extensions.
• For the same reason, the identical formats TIF and TIFF, MPG and MPEG, as well as HTM and HTML still exist today.
• Conclusion: JPG is both the short file extension of JPEG and thus a leftover from the old DOS days, as well as a sub-format of JPEG.

In this practical tip, you can read exactly where the difference between the PNG and JPG image formats lies.