JFIF: JPEG with Header | Generated by AI
JFIF stands for JPEG File Interchange Format — it’s essentially a way of packaging JPEG-compressed image data so that different software and devices can exchange it reliably.
Here’s the essence of it:
- Purpose – JFIF was designed in the early 1990s to standardize how JPEG images are stored and transferred, because raw JPEG data alone didn’t define important details like pixel density or color space.
- File Extension – Usually
.jfif, but many JPEG images (.jpg/.jpeg) are actually stored in JFIF format internally. -
Structure –
- JPEG-encoded image data (the compressed pixels)
- JFIF APP0 marker segment (metadata like resolution, aspect ratio, and color space)
- Metadata – Includes information such as DPI (dots per inch), thumbnail image, and aspect ratio hints.
- Compatibility – JFIF is basically a subset of the broader JPEG standard, so most image viewers, browsers, and cameras can read it without issue.
In short:
A .jfif file is just a JPEG image with a small, standardized header that makes it easy to exchange between systems without confusion about resolution or color interpretation.
If you want, I can also explain how JFIF differs from EXIF JPEGs that cameras produce, since that’s a common source of confusion. Would you like me to cover that?