Well, That’s Unexpected—Here’s What ‘JPEG’ Actually Means
So much of our lives take place behind a screen. For many of us, we've got Google Drives, Zoom calls, Excel spreadsheets, DocuSign requests and new emails keeping us busy throughout the day. There are so many various formats of docs and attachments—but we don't always consider exactly what they mean or how they differ from one another.
Take file formats like JPEGs and PDFs—what makes them different, anyway? We'll cover JPEG's meaning as well as what its letters actually stand for. Trust us—you wouldn't expect it.
Related: Here’s Exactly What 'CC' Means in an Email and How It’s Different From 'BCC'
Canva/Parade
What Does JPEG Mean?
JPEG (sometimes styled "JPG") actually stands for "Joint Photographic Experts Group." Huh? Yep—it's an actual group.
According to the JPEG website, "The Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) committee (ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29/WG 1) has a long tradition in the creation of still image coding standards."
The site also explains that the group usually meets four times a year "to discuss and create the standards for coding of digital representations of images."
What Is the Meaning of a JPEG Image?
OK, so we know what JPEG stands for...but what exactly is the meaning of a JPEG image, then?
A JPEG image, according to Merriam-Webster, is "a computer file format for the compression and storage of digital images" or "an image stored in this format."
TechTarget further explains that a JPEG is "a graphic image file compressed with lossy compression using the standard developed by the ISO/IEC Joint Photographic Experts Group."
Related: 11 Best Phrases to Close an Email, Plus the #1 Way You *Don’t* Want to End Your Message
How To Pronounce JPEG
You pronounce JPEG as "JAY-PEG."
What Other File Formats Are There?
Besides JPEG, your computer may have files stored in other types like PDF, MP4, PPT, XLS, MPEG, PNG, TIFF, Doc, GIF and so many more.
Related: Oops, You're Probably Using 'Literally' Incorrectly—Here's What It Actually Means
JPEG vs. PDF: What's the Difference?
Both JPEGs and PDFs can stare and share images, but they have differences between them. For example, Adobe explains, "The primary use of JPEGs is for images, whereas PDFs can handle all sorts of text and image-based documents. Because JPEGs compress image data, its file sizes tend to be relatively small. This means that it’s a convenient way to share digital images over the web and email."
Also, if there is text on a PDF, you are able to copy and paste it elsewhere. However, you do not have that capability with a JPEG.
How Do I Convert a Picture to JPEG?
If you have a picture that's in another file format, open it up in Preview, go to "File," and then either click "Save As" or "Export." When the next screen pops up, there should be a drop-down to change your image format to a JPEG.
