LanguageRelated extensions:
JPG images, which have been everywhere on the internet for decades, are now on the decline. New technologies like AVIF and WEBP offer higher quality and efficiency.
Why are you probably already using them, and what does their rise mean for everyday users and professionals?
JPG is at the end of its life
The JPEG image format (also known as JPG) has been one of the most widespread ways to store and share digital photos since its creation. Developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group, this format became popular thanks to its ability to compress image data significantly, minimizing file size while maintaining relatively high image quality.
Even though it has worked for over 30 years, as of 2024, there is still no successor that has completely replaced JPEG. However, new technologies are bringing advantages that this traditional format can no longer offer.
WEBP as the main alternative
On websites, JPEG is already often being replaced by the WEBP format, developed around 2010. This format, created by Google, supports both lossy and lossless compression. Its key features include:
- Significantly smaller file sizes while maintaining high image quality
- Support for transparency (the so-called alpha channel)
- The possibility of animations
Thanks to these features, WEBP is ideal for internet images, where loading speed is crucial.
Google also believes in AVIF
Other strong competitors are JPEG XL and AVIF. JPEG XL could be the natural successor to classic JPEG because it brings much better compression without visible quality loss. An advantage is also backward compatibility, which makes the transition easier.
The AVIF format, also developed by Google, uses modern compression technology that can save up to 50–75% of storage space compared to JPEG. Thanks to support from Google Chrome and other browsers, this format has the potential to become the standard. By contrast, JPEG XL is facing challenges—for example, Chrome ended its support already in 2023.
The development of image formats continues, and while JPEG is still relevant, its position is weakening. Modern formats offer better efficiency and flexibility, making them the future not only for websites but also for other areas of digital content.