what is a jpg file?

A JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) file is a digital image saved in the widely-used JPEG format. This format is used for storing, editing and displaying photographic images. JPEG files are the most common type of image files used on the internet and are ideal for web viewing and emailing due to their smaller file sizes compared to other image formats like Bitmap (BMP), TIFF or PNG.

JPEG files do not support transparency, meaning that any blank space in an image will be filled with a solid color such as white or black. They also don't support layers, so once an image is saved in this format all layers will be flattened into one. A benefit of using the JPEG file format is that it can use either 8-bit or 24-bit color palettes when compressing images, allowing the user to reduce file sizes dramatically without compromising too much on quality.

When it comes to editing a JPEG file, users are limited to changes within the boundaries of what the current contents of the image offers - such as cropping, brightness/contrast adjustments, color corrections and other small edits can be done if needed. As all layers are flattened within this format, no complex editing or layering can be done on these files. Once an edit has been made on a JPEG file and then saved again, some loss of quality may occur each time depending on how much compression applied while saving the image - this phenomenon is known as "generation loss".

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