JPS File Format (.jps)

A JPS file is an ordinary JPEG photograph that holds two views of the same scene side by side, one for each eye, flagged as a stereo pair by an APP3 marker that most software simply ignores.

.jpsImage Files

JPS at a glance#

Full name	Joint Photographic Experts Group JFIF format
File extension	.jps
Category	Image Files
Compression	Lossy
FileFlip support	FileFlip reads and writes this format

What a .jps file can hold#

These are the things a JPS file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.

Transparency (alpha channel)	No
Embedded metadata	Yes
Colour profiles	Yes
Multiple images or pages	No

Strengths and limitations of JPS#

What JPS does well

Opens in any ordinary JPEG viewer, which just shows the double-width left-right pair as one flat photo
Keeps a stereo pair as a single file at a single resolution, so the two views can't get separated by an upload or an email attachment
Some stereo cameras with two lenses save JPS directly, so no extra step is needed to pair the two shots

Where JPS falls short

The APP3 marker that flags a file as stereo was never part of the JPEG standard, so most software shows the double-wide pair as a plain photo instead of a 3D image
No single published specification defines it; the marker convention comes from stereo software like VRex and StereoPhoto Maker rather than a standards body
Each eye's view only gets half the frame's horizontal resolution, since both views share one JPEG image

Save a stereo pair as JPS when the destination software, such as StereoPhoto Maker or an anaglyph viewer, reads the APP3 stereo marker and the pair needs to travel as one file.

Convert JPS to a plain JPG when only the flat side-by-side image matters, or split it into two separate JPGs when software needs the left and right views on their own.

How to open a .jps file#

A .jps file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts JPS into a format your machine already opens, and it does it in the browser tab rather than on a server.

Platform	Programs that open it
Windows	StereoPhoto Maker, XnView MP, Adobe Photoshop
macOS	Adobe Photoshop, XnView MP
Linux	XnView MP
Web	FileFlip

JPS questions people ask#

What is a JPS file?

A JPS file is a standard JPEG image containing two side-by-side views of the same scene, one per eye, for stereoscopic 3D viewing. An APP3 marker inside the file identifies it as a stereo pair, but the underlying image data is ordinary JPEG.

How do I view a JPS file in 3D?

Open a JPS file in stereo-aware software like StereoPhoto Maker, which reads the APP3 marker and can display the pair as an anaglyph, a cross-eyed or parallel side-by-side view, or feed it to a 3D display. Most JPS files on the internet use the cross-eyed arrangement, with the right-eye view stored on the left.

Can I open a JPS file like a normal JPEG?

Yes. Because a JPS file is a valid JPEG, any JPEG viewer opens it, but it will show the uncropped double-wide pair as a single flat photo rather than a 3D image, since ordinary viewers don't read the APP3 stereo marker.

Converting JPS files#

Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.