# PhotoshopElements

# About the JPEG format

The JPEG format supports 24‑bit color, so it preserves the subtle variations in brightness and hue found in photographs. A progressive JPEG file displays a low-resolution version of the image in the web browser while the full image is downloading.

JPEG image compression is called lossy because it selectively discards image data. A higher quality setting results in less data being discarded, but the JPEG compression method may still degrade sharp detail in an image, particularly in images containing type or vector art.

Note: Artifacts, such as wavelike patterns or blocky areas of banding, are created each time you save an image in JPEG format. Therefore, you should always save JPEG files from the original image, not from a previously saved JPEG.
Original image (left), and optimized JPEG with Low quality setting (right)

The JPEG format does not support transparency. When you save an image as a JPEG file, transparent pixels are filled with the matte color specified in the Save For Web dialog box. To simulate the effect of background transparency, you can match the matte color to the web page background color. If your image contains transparency and you do not know the web page background color, or if the background is a pattern, you should use a format that supports transparency (GIF, PNG‑8, or PNG‑24).

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- Create a matted GIF or PNG image

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- This page on the Web