This is what the abbreviation JPEG stands for

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There seems to be no end to the things you encounter daily, but you have no idea what they’re called and sometimes how to use them. For example, people have been shocked to find out what IKEA stands for or what’s behind the term “brownout.” Again, people have been stunned to learn what the abbreviation “S.O.S.” means.

You’ll be similarly baffled when you learn what the photo file “JPEG” means. It’s probably not what you expect!

Anyone who takes a selfie or a family photo, or even people passionate about photography, is familiar with the “JPEG” format in which most digital photos are stored, whether on the Internet or a digital camera. Here’s what it means.

What is “JPEG”?

“JPEG” is also referred to as “JPG.” If you’re wondering the difference between the two, there is no difference. They are the same thing, but because older versions of the Windows operating system require a three-character file extension, “JPEG” is sometimes written as “JPG.”

“JPEG” helps keep graphics files small by compressing the data. The method used to do this is called “lossy compression.”

Britannica explains it as follows:

The “JPEG” standard works by averaging the colour variations and omitting what the human eye cannot see. Depending on the degree of compression, it is possible to compress an image by a factor of 100 to 1. Some loss of quality may occur at the compression limits.
What does “JPEG” stand for now?

“JPEG” stands for “Joint Photographic Experts Group,” if you’re wondering if that’s the name of a natural group, you’re absolutely on the right track.

The JPEG is a committee dedicated to creating standards for encoding still images.

According to Britannica, the foundation for this committee was laid back in 1983, when the ISO began working on methods to create standards for the photographs that would be added to previously text-only computer screens. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an international non-governmental organization involved in developing various standards to ensure the quality, safety and efficiency of products, services and systems worldwide.

Following this effort, three years later, the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) has been formed to develop a new standard, the “JPEG Standard”.

The JPEG.Org statement reads:

Specifically, the “JPEG” committee is Working Group 1 (W.G. 1), JPEG Coding of digital representations of images, of Subcommittee 29 (SC 29) of J.T.C. 1, Coding of Audio, Picture, Multimedia and Hypermedia Information.
The “JPEG 1” standard (ISO/IEC 10918) was created in 1992 (the last version in 1994) as a result of a process started in 1986.

The committee is still very active and meets regularly to discuss encoding standards for digital images. The website states:

JPEG meets four times yearly to discuss and set standards for encoding digital image representations.
However, the committee is not open to all. To participate in the work of the JPEG committee, one must be a member.