What does JPEG stand for?

JPEG (often seen with its file extension .jpg or .jpeg) stands for "Joint Photographic Experts Group", which is the name of the group who created the JPEG standard.

JPEG is a commonly used method of digital image compression: when you create an image or capture a photo and save the picture in a JPEG format you will reduce the quality of the image in exchange for making its file size smaller.

This particular compromise between size and quality is popular on the internet as JPEGs are generally quick to upload and download, even on slower internet connections. The JPEG format is also useful for digital cameras for taking good quality photos that take up little space on digital camera memory cards.