JPEG Compression
JPEG compression is a widely used lossy compression method for digital images, particularly photographs, that reduces file size by discarding some visual information deemed less important to human perception. It employs techniques like discrete cosine transform (DCT), quantization, and entropy encoding to achieve high compression ratios while maintaining acceptable image quality. This standard, developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group, is foundational in digital imaging for web, photography, and storage applications.
Developers should learn JPEG compression when working with image processing, web development, or multimedia applications to optimize storage and bandwidth usage, as it enables efficient transmission and display of images online. It is essential for use cases like photo sharing platforms, e-commerce sites with product images, and mobile apps where fast loading times are critical, though it's not suitable for images requiring exact pixel-perfect reproduction, such as logos or text-heavy graphics.