Dreamkatcha looks at JPG file formats
There’s a great website called Fileinfo.com. It is a one-stop
reference point for common and not-so-common file extensions. Every file
format from JPG to TIF and D64 (the last named format being the
Commodore 64’s disk file format on the slow 1541 disk drive). Inspired
by this website is our look at the file formats you come across. For the
first article in this series, we look at the JPG file format. Most
images on ta
website design will be comprised of JPEGS or sometimes PNG.
The first version of the JPG file formats was released on the 18
September 1992. Back then, we were dabbling with Amiga 1200s; some of us
at school used BBC Master System and Acorn Archimedes computers. At
home, Commodore 64s, ZX Spectrums, and Amstrad CPCs were popular with
younger children (whose elder siblings bought Amigas and Atari STs).
JPG or JPEG?
The most common file extension is .JPG rather than .JPEG, though they
represent the same file formats. The three (or four) character file
extension is an acronym of Joint Photographic Experts Group. It is the
most common image file format used on countless websites. It supports a
resolution up to 24 bits, but has one limitation: its lossiness.
When a file format is lossy, the resolution degrades if an image is
expanded beyond its original size. For example, an image measuring 640 x
480 pixels, expanded to 1280 x 960 pixels will have fuzzy image
quality. Expanded up to 2560 x 1920, your image would look like
something from Pages From Ceefax (albeit with 16.7 million colours and
similarly chunky pixels). With a JPG image, anti-aliasing is necessary
for smooth lifelike images.
It is by far the most popular image file format, used on many
smartphones, digital cameras, and websites. JPG came of age in the late
1990s, when the file format’s light footprint was seen on countless
websites. Still to this day, it is Top Dog.
Dreamkatcha, 20 June 2017.
JPG graphic image by Jane Kelly (via Shutterstock).
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