When saving digital images, the file format matters. Every image must use a standard that can be opened and reconstructed in the future. Ideally, that standard is the same format used to create it—this avoids headaches and keeps fidelity intact.
The most common format, by far, is JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). Its popularity is not due to perfect quality but to two advantages:
Compression — files are often 1/10 the size of the original. Accessibility — the format is open source, so no license fees are required.
That’s why apps and online platforms love JPEG.
But here’s the catch: JPEG achieves smaller sizes by throwing away data. Imagine a photo captured by a camera or scanner: the first bit is recorded faithfully, but the next nine bits are averaged before saving the next real one. In other words, 90% of the saved information is approximation, not the exact signal the sensor saw. This is called lossy compression.
For everyday use, JPEG is “good enough.” For screen display at 72 dpi, it looks perfect. But print that same file at 8×10, and you may see the compromises. To complicate things, there are multiple levels of JPEG compression—so images downloaded from free online libraries are often more compressed than what you saved originally.
Lossless Alternatives
If you want to keep all the original data, you need a lossless format:
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is the archival gold standard. Museums around the world store collections in TIFF precisely because it captures subtle details without loss. Some early digital cameras even offered TIFF as a save option. If you own one of those, treasure it. PNG is another free lossless format, widely used for digital work and likely to endure. PSD (Adobe Photoshop) is proprietary, but still trusted for layered or working files—if you assume Photoshop itself will remain accessible.
Personally, I save all my important images as TIFF. My camera captures both RAW and JPEG simultaneously, and I convert the best RAW files into TIFFs. This step is time-sensitive: RAW formats are proprietary and change over time, so they should not be relied on for archival storage.
The Problem of Longevity
Saving images isn’t just about format. It’s about future-proofing. I’ve saved files on floppies (gone), 800k/1.4 MB disks (gone), Zip/Jazz drives (gone), CDs (phasing out), mechanical hard drives (declining). Now I use solid-state drives, but I know that too will change. The key is to keep migrating your files to new media as technology advances.
Bottom Line
For snapshots and casual images, JPEG is fine. For long-term, important work, use TIFF or another lossless format. Always ask: What is my final intention? If it’s digital-only display, compression doesn’t matter much. But if it’s preservation—or future printing—you’ll want every bit of data you can keep.
Technology is both simple and complicated. Simple if you know your goal. Complicated if you forget to plan ahead.
