JFIF is a predecessor to JPEG, which, jointly with WEBP, is among the current image formats. Each boasts unique features. JFIF offers benefits that are hardly available in WebP files and vice versa, making both formats complement each other.
The article extensively compares JFIF and WEBP's structure, compression, transparency, browser support, file size, storage, animation, image quality, and performance.
When is WEBP better than JFIF?
WEBP images are smaller, increasing web responsiveness and user experience, while JFIF images are comparatively larger than WebP but compressed to increase web responsiveness. Thus, web WEBP creates lively imagery that enhances website performance and user experience.
WEBP file type is a detailed image, smaller, and requires less bandwidth than JFIF, making it the best file format for storing, displaying, and exchanging lively and incredible web imagery.
When is JFIF better than WebP?
JFIF images are smaller and highly structured, while WEBP images are pixelated and become blurry under intense lossy compression. This gives JFIF additional information required for photographs and logos, including color space and resolution.
The advantages of JFIF images include a standardized structure, making it effortless for most devices and software to display and interpret image information consistently; relative compatibility with most applications, platforms, and systems; and structures and markers, which offer additional information regarding the image.
JFIF versus WEBP Table Comparison
| Aspect/Factor | JFIF | WEBP |
| Transparency | Does not support transparency | Supports transparency. |
| File Size | Larger than WebP files. | Smaller file sizes. |
| Image Quality | It supports 8-bits per channel (24-bit RGB color). | Supports 24-bit RGB color and an optional 8-bit alpha channel (for transparency). |
| Performance | There is a slower loading time than WEBP files. | Faster loading time compared to JFIF. |
| Structure | A raster graphics file format with a JFIF APP0 (Application) marker, SOI, and marker code values FFh E0h and marker data characters. | A raster graphic format using block prediction based on TrueMotion, DC, vertical, and horizontal. |
| Animation | It does not support animation and animated images | Supports animation and animated images |
| Storage | Stores JPEG-encoded compressed data and can be stored in file systems. | Store both uncompressed and compressed images. |
| Compression | It uses JPEG lossy compression | Uses lossless and lossy compression |
| Browser Support | Supported by Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Safari, and Internet Explorer. Discord and Vivaldi need plug-ins to be supported. | Supported by Safari, Opera, Edge, Firefox, and Chrome. They are unsupported by Internet Explorer and older browsers. |
Differences and similarities between WEBP and JFIF images
JFIF and WEBP file formats show similarities in lossy compression technique, storage mediums, and browser support. The file formats differ in structure, animation support, lossless compression, transparency support, performance, file size, image quality, and browser support.
Transparency
JFIF files do not support transparency, while WEBP files do. While JPEG hardly supports transparency, its structure is transparent, although JPEG coding may depend on the algorithms used and the tools needed to read its files. Transparent images require sophisticated tools or software to build.
WEBP supports multi-sample pixels by encrypting files with an alpha channel, which allows information to be transparent. The alpha channel in WEBP files is linked to every pixel, indicating the file’s transparency level. It supports alpha transparency, which enables varied and precise transparency levels.
Both file formats support metadata and color profiles, which dictate transparent image backgrounds, although transparent backgrounds in WEBP files are more easily created than in JFIF files.
File Size
The lossy-WEBP and lossy-JFIF files are comparatively smaller. WebP and JFIF files also support and store rich metadata, including bit depth and a wide color range. JFIF further supports grayscale, and YCbCr, while WebP supports YUV and RGBA.
JFIF files support 8 bits per channel, whereas WEBP supports 24 bits per pixel for color images and 32 bits per pixel for images with an alpha channel. The maximum image dimensions for JFIF files can be large but are limited by software to around 65,535 x 65,535 pixels. In comparison, WEBP supports a maximum image dimension of 16,383 x 16,383 pixels (approximately 268 megapixels). Thus, WebP files achieve smaller file sizes than JFIF files due to more advanced compression techniques.
Image Quality
JFIF is a high-quality format. It uses 8 bits per channel (8 bits x 3), resulting in a maximum 24-bit color depth (16,777,216 colors). JFIF offers resolution or aspect ratio data using an application segment extension to JPEG. It can store metadata and resolution, enabling JFIF to offer high—and low-resolution levels.
Conversely, a WEBP image is of high quality. It supports a bit depth of 24-bit RGB color with an 8-bit alpha channel. The WEBP format uses 8 bits for each of three RGB color channels, totaling 24-bit RBG color support.
JFIF supports RGB, Grayscale, and YCbCr color spaces, while WEBP supports RBG, RGBA, and YUV pixels. However, WEBP files are of relatively higher quality than JFIF files. Both file formats capture and store detailed image information, giving them richer color depths and expansive resolution levels.
Performance
WEBP uses advanced and efficient lossless and lossy compression algorithms, while JFIF uses JPEG encoding algorithms that significantly minimize file sizes. Thus, the compressed JFIF and WEBP files require less storage space.
Lossless-WEBP’s V8 predictive and entropy algorithms significantly minimize image sizes while preserving image quality. Lossy-JFIF with JPEG encoding algorithms reduces file sizes by 5%.
In both cases, the smaller files improve web responsiveness and offer an impressive user experience. However, WEBP has the best web performance compared to JFIF.
Structure
JFIF and WEBP files are both raster graphics formats. The WEBP file format structure comprises block prediction. The values from three blocks predict each block from the left and above it. The block decoding follows a raster scan sequence, namely top to bottom and left to right.
WebP’s four basic block prediction modes are TrueMotion, DC, vertical, and horizontal. Its file has an animation or a still image, a compressed pixel matrix. The file further contains metadata, a color profile, and transparent information. The pixel matrix makes up the space of the image.
The bit numbering in both file formats does not compare. The bit numbering in a WEBP file chunk diagram commences from 0 for the most significant bit, as RFC 1168 describes. On the other hand, JFIF data comprises byte streams, usually storing 16-bit word values in big-endian Format.
A JFIF-compliant file is a JFIF APP0 (Application) marker immediately following the SOI, consisting of marker code values FFh E0h and the characters JFIF in the marker data.
Besides the JFIF marker segment, there are one or more optional JFIF extension marker segments, followed by the actual image data. Each marker consists of two bytes (FF followed by a byte that specifies the type of marker). Markers can either be stand-alone or indicate the start of a marker segment.
Animation
WEBP supports animation, while JFIF does not. JFIF does not support multiple frames or lively content. Its file structure comprises individual pixels or image frames, which makes short animations difficult to create. Users cannot create looped animated images or image sequences using JFIF.
On the other hand, the WEBP file format combines efficient lossless and lossy compression, increasing its support for transparency and making it ideal for animated images and graphics. It offers lively and striking animations ideal for luring and engaging website users, giving it an edge over JFIF.
While JFIF supports still images and not lively content, WEBP file format exceeds the confines of still pictures and boasts dynamic support for animations and animated images.
Storage
JFIF stores uncompressed raster thumbnail data and compressed JPEG-encoded data streams or bitmap data. WEBP similarly includes metadata stored in either compressed or uncompressed Format.
Data in both file formats are smaller, necessitating less storage space, but can be stored indefinitely in DVD, cloud, CDN, CD, file systems, the Content Delivery Network (CDN), hard drives, floppy drives, cloud, and Base64 encoding. The indefinite storage depends on the situation, handling process, and storage medium.
Compression
JFIF uses lossy compression, primarily employing DCT, quantization, and entropy coding like Huffman coding or Arithmetic coding, while WEBP uses lossless and lossy compression techniques.
Lossy-JFIF compression minimizes file sizes by reducing spaces between data values and storing vital image information. It does this while striving to preserve image quality, but due to JPEG's lossy nature, compression artifacts can occur at higher compression levels.
Lossy WEBP uses methods from the VP8 video codec, such as block prediction, DCT, and entropy coding. On the other hand, lossless WEBP uses predictive coding, transform coding, and entropy coding, similar to VP8L.
Uncompressed JFIF files preserve image quality, although they are significantly larger than lossy compressed JFIF. Similarly, lossless WEBP images are smaller than uncompressed WEBP images while maintaining quality.
Browser Support
JPEG and WEBP are modern file formats widely supported and adopted across platforms, applications, and browsers. However, JFIF enjoys more browser support and compatibility than WebP.
Opera Mini, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, and Chrome support WEBP and JFIF. However, WebP is unsupported by Internet Explorer, which supports JFIF files. Besides, JFIF is supported by Vivaldi and Discord with plug-ins installed, which is not the case with WebP.
Conclusion
JFIF is a traditional file format with features adopted by JPEG, while WEBP is among the next-generation file formats. Both have increased storage efficiency, high web responsiveness, and improved user experience.
JFIF is the best file format for complex photos or images without text, as it maintains excellent image quality and significant file sizes.
In contrast, WEBP best balances file size, image quality, and web performance, making it a more versatile image format for web imageries than JFIF.