For over 30 years, JPG has been the image format we all know and use. It has characterized the beginnings of the internet as well as digital photography. However, technology has overtaken the long-serving format and more powerful alternatives are entering the market. What does this mean for the future of JPG and which formats could soon take its place? Find out more in this article.
The era of JPG: A format with a history
JPG was developed to compress photos with lossy compression, which greatly reduced file sizes–a decisive advantage in the early days of the Internet when storage space and bandwidth were still scarce resources. To this day, JPG is one of the most widely used image formats, as it is supported by almost all devices and applications.
However, progress also has its downsides. Lossy compression often leads to visible artefacts that can impair image quality. Heavy compression in particular results in unsightly, pixelated, or blocky areas in the image, which spoil the overall impression.
Pixelation in the image is a typical artefact of JPG compression.
PC-Welt
Why JPG is losing importance
With the enormous progress in computer and software technology, the possibilities for image compression have also developed further. Today, modern image formats offer far better compression without compromising image quality. For many photographers, designers, and website operators, it’s becoming increasingly unattractive to rely on the outdated JPG format.
Another factor is the outdated technology behind JPG: modern formats can fulfil today’s requirements for color depth, resolution, and compression much better. For example, JPG only supports eight bits per color channel, which is not sufficient for HDR images and sophisticated color management systems.
The new competitors: AVIF, JPEG XL, and WebP
AVIF: The compression artist
AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is one of the most promising formats that could replace JPG. It is based on the AV1 video codec and offers impressive compression performance that significantly reduces the size of photos while maintaining the same quality. With support for HDR and a color depth of up to 12 bits per channel as well as transparency options, AVIF is particularly future-proof.
Another advantage of AVIF is its ability to display animations, making it a modern and more efficient alternative to the outdated GIF format. It has been supported by the most important browsers such as Chrome and Firefox since 2020, and Apple also followed suit with Safari in 2022.
JPEG XL: the logical successor
JPEG XL is designed as the direct successor to the JPG format. It offers a similar user-friendliness and is highly compatible, while at the same time enabling more efficient compression. With JPEG XL, users can easily save 50 to 75 per cent of storage space without compromising image quality. It also supports a color depth of up to 32 bits and huge resolutions, which makes it particularly attractive for professional applications.
WebP: The all-rounder for the web
WebP, a format developed by Google, is particularly important for the web. It combines the advantages of JPG and PNG by supporting both lossy and lossless compression as well as transparency.
WebP scores particularly well for images with transparent backgrounds and is already integrated into many web applications such as WordPress and Twitter. However, despite its advantages, WebP has not yet achieved the same popularity as JPG.
HEIC and HEIF: Apple’s foray into the future
With HEIC (High Efficiency Image Coding) and HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format), Apple has introduced its own image format, which is primarily used on iPhones and some top-of-the-line cameras. It offers better compression with the same quality, supports transparency, and a color depth of up to 16 bits. HEIC/HEIF could replace the JPG format in the long term, but has the disadvantage of incurring license fees for encoding.
The outlook: Which formats will prevail?
JPG has served us well for a long time, but it’s clear that the format no longer fulfils the requirements of the modern digital world. AVIF, WebP, and HEIC/HEIF now offer far more efficient compression and better image quality. These formats are technically more advanced and better suited to the needs of photographers, designers, and web developers. However, not all promising alternatives will be able to establish themselves.
One example of this is JPEG XL. Although this format offers many advantages and is considered the logical successor to the JPG format, Google removed it from the Chrome browser at the turn of the year 22/23 and also from all other Chromium-based browsers
The reason? An alleged lack of interest. This decision could seal the fate of JPEG XL before it has even had a chance to really catch on. After all, the global market share of Chromium browsers is around 70-80 percent.
This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.
