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Definition
JPEG XL (JXL) is a next-generation image format designed to replace JPEG. It offers superior compression, lossless JPEG recompression (making existing JPEGs 20% smaller without quality loss), progressive decoding, and support for HDR and wide color gamut.
JPEG XL was developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group as a true successor to the original JPEG standard. It combines technologies from Google's PIK format and Cloudinary's FUIF format. One standout feature is lossless JPEG transcoding — existing JPEG files can be converted to JXL at roughly 20% smaller size and converted back to byte-identical JPEGs.
The format supports an impressive range of features: lossy and lossless compression, progressive decoding (images appear at low quality first and sharpen as they load), transparency, animation, HDR content, and color depths up to 32 bits per channel. Compression efficiency rivals AVIF while encoding and decoding are significantly faster.
Unfortunately, browser support has been controversial. Chrome added and then removed JPEG XL support. Safari supports it starting in version 17. Firefox has not added support. This uncertain browser landscape has slowed adoption, though JPEG XL remains popular in photography and archival use cases where its lossless JPEG recompression and high quality are valued.