There seems to be no end to the things that people come across in their daily lives, but actually have no idea of its real name or sometimes, the actual way to use them. For example, people have been shocked to find out what IKEA actually stands for, or that the lunch meat SPAM actually is an acronym for its full name. Again, people have been stunned to find out what Walmart logo actually signifies.
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In a similar fashion, you would be stunned to find out what the photo file JPEG actually means. It's probably not what you expect!
Anyone who takes a selfie or a family photograph, or even people who are passionately into photography, is familiar with a JPEG, which is the file format in which most digital photos are saved, whether it be on the Internet or a digital camera. Here's what it means.
What is JPEG
JPEG is also referred to as JPG. If you are wondering what the difference between the two is, there is actually no difference at all. It refers to the same thing, but because older versions of the Windows Operating System required a three-digit file extension name, JPEG is also written as JPG sometimes.
JPEG helps to keep keep graphics files small by compressing the data. The method it uses for doing so, is called lossy compression.
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As per Britannica,
The JPEG standard works by averaging colour variation and discarding what the human eye cannot see, a process known as “lossy” compression. Depending on the level of compression, it is possible to compress an image by a factor of 100 to 1, though there may be some loss of quality at the compression limits.
What JPEG actually stands for?
JPEG actually stands for 'Joint Photographic Experts Group,' and if you're wondering if it is the name of a real group, you're absolutely on the right track.
JPEG is a real committee that is dedicated to creation of still image coding standards.
As per Britannica, the foundation for this committee was laid back in 1983, when the ISO wanted to start working on methods to create standards for the photos add to previously-text only computer screens. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international nongovernmental organisation that is involved with developing various standards to ensure the quality, safety and efficiency of products, services and systems, across the world.
Following these efforts, the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) was created 3 years later, in order to work on developing a new standard, the JPEG standard.
As per JPEG.Org,
specifically, the JPEG committee is Working Group 1 (WG 1), JPEG Coding of digital representations of images, of JTC 1's subcommittee 29 (SC 29), Coding of Audio, Picture, Multimedia and Hypermedia Information.
The JPEG 1 standard (ISO/IEC 10918) was created in 1992 (latest version, 1994) as the result of a process that started in 1986.
The committee is still very active and meets regularly to discuss coding standards for digital images. As per the website,
JPEG meets usually four times a year to discuss and create the standards for coding of digital representations of images.
However, the committee is not open to all. To participate in the work of the JPEG committee, you must be a member.
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Sources used:
JPEG.Org: 'ABOUT JPEG'
Britannica: JPEG
Parade: 'Well, That's Unexpected—Here's What 'JPEG' Actually Means'
