Files with the .JPG extension contain graphic image data, compressed in a lossy way using a chosen algorithm. The compression has been standardized by the Joint Photographic Expert Group, which is where the name of the JPEG extension comes from, often used alongside JPG. JPG files are commonly used as an alternative to PNG, GIF, and TIF formats when creating web pages – this is thanks to their good compression rate, which ensures shorter loading times.

What is more, most digital camera manufacturers support the saving of files in this very format, which is moreover also supported by most image editing programs. The main disadvantage of JPG files is the loss of quality, which, after the file is edited and saved multiple times, can really ruin the image.