Is there a way to create JPEG files without the photoshop file signature?

[tvdb]

When I try to upload images to some system I'm using, it fails on some JPEGs and others not. After some searching I found that at the bits and bytes level there is a signature that tells if a file is a JPEG or something else. Apparently JPEGs exported from photoshop have a slightly different signature, and apparently my system fails on them. They are still somewhat JPEGs but more like photoshop JPEGS. If I open and export the file in Gimp for example, it works without a problem.

So my question comes to if there is a way to export those images in photoshop as plain JPEG images?

[Test Screen Name]

No options because both are right. The real signature is only the first 4 bytes. Make sure you aren’t using CMYK, though, this isn’t widely supported in JPEG. 

[jazz-y]

Perhaps this is not about a signature, but about metadata. In some cases, I had problems due to the large amount of metadata that Photoshop writes to a file. The easiest way to remove them is exiftool.

[tvdb]

Good call, but there seems to be almost no metadata on the erroneous file.  I only checked it with the standard Preview app on mac.

[tvdb]

Thanks for your reply. The files are all in RGB so that's not the issue. 

I checked the hex dumps and they give me the results at the bottom. I also tried to manually change the erroneous files at the bytelevel, but to no avail.

The one that works starts with: FF D8 FF E0 00 10 4A 46 49 46

The one that doesn't work: FF D8 FF ED 00 2C 50 68

Both files end with: FF D9

[tvdb]

Update: manually changing the bytes does work, I did something wrong before with saving the file.

I changed FF D8 FF ED to FF D8 FF E0, and now it uploads.

[Test Screen Name]

Bear in mind that Adobe were one of the very first adopters of JPEG, and Photoshop one of the very first apps to make JPEG files. So your real question is, what is wrong with the system you are using?

All JPEG files should start FFD8FFE0. The JPEG file format is properly called JFIF, and is described in detail here: https://www.ecma-international.org/publications/files/ECMA-TR/ECMA%20TR-098.pdf This builds on the JPEG compression format, which is not described in that document. 

[tvdb]

You are probably right in saying that the system I'm using is too limiting. And perhaps the person who created the image did something wrong in photoshop when he/she exported it. 

I'm not here to attack the brand in any way. Just looking for a solution.

You wrote: "All JPEG files should start FFD8FFE0." So for some reason the erroneous files I have start with FFD8FFED, as I mentioned in another comment that last byte is the culprit.

[Test Screen Name]

Sorry, should start FFE8FF.

After this there are a sequence of fields that may appear in any order. Many JPEG files start with "JFIF APP0 marker" which means they will start FFE8FFF0 (FFF0 means App0). But Photoshop uses APP14 (FFFB) in your file. Both are legal, but it may be that the person who made your system looked at a small sample of files rather than the spec. Here is a partial list of APP tags (App14 is an Adobe tag, invented in the very early days even before JFIF). Changing APP14 to APP0 will produce a header that is ignored. Photoshop data will be lost (like resolution). This may not matter.

[Test Screen Name]

Sorry the APPx list is here https://exiftool.org/TagNames/JPEG.html

[tvdb]

Great, thank you very much. That solves my answer as to whether there is a setting in photoshop. I can continue now. 

[tvdb · Accepted solution]

For future reference, I solved my problem by using imageoptim. This tool has set the JFIF marker to APP0.

[Pixmonger]

I'm looking to resolve problems that my LG TV has displaying Photoshop processed jpegs. Some show, others don't. Very frustrating. I'm thinking of trying the imageoptim program you mentioned. Is it above board, safe, and actually does the trick? I'm a little skeptical as the descriptions at the site are not always well worded.

[Kenneth5FFC]

Just open and save them in paint.

[davescm]

The overarching jpeg file can have a number of formats within it.

The first and second bytes of a jpeg are always FFD8. This is mandatory.

This is usually followed by a marker (APP0 or APP1) indicating a JFIF or EXIF segment. So the third and fourth bytes are FFE0 for the older JFIF format and FFE1 for the newer  Exchangable Image Format (Exif) , which is used by Adobe when saving file.

However some files go straight to image segments or use other markers. Ideally a jpeg parser should be able to read any jpeg but many are written for the common cases above and hiccup when presented with anything else.

Dave

[Lumigraphics]

There are two (technically incompatible) versions of JPEG, JFIF and JPEG-EXIF. Most current libraries handle both with no problems.