Help me convert .jpg.xml to a format i can manipulate

If the file really is a jpg, you should be able to edit the file name and simply remove the .xml extension. Even without doing that, if the file is a valid jpg you should be able to open it in an image editor. If that file really is just an xml file (text based), then the link you were trying to save from is not meant to be right clicked or Control clicked and saved.

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What happens when you remove the .xml extension? Provided that it's a valid JPEG file in the first place, removing the .xml extension should work. Make sure to remove the period as well, so it's just

<filename>.jpg

What happens if you remove the .xml, and then change the .jpg part to something else, like .png? In mac, just changing the file extension usually changes the file type as well.

Try opening the <filename>.jpg in Preview. Or cover flow.

Chances are, it will probably open in Adobe CS. Try that and see if the image appears. If it does, then use the Save As command.

If you google .xml you'll see it is not an Adobe product but an open source general-purpose specification for creating custom markup languages. Have the photographer resend the file. Tell him all you need is the file name with .jpg extension.

I've had those files a while back, but I've always had an original image file with it. I think that the file is something that Adobe programs make to "record" something about the file (perhaps a "change log", to undo past the last save?)

Chances are, the file is not an actual image. Get your friend to resend the original image file.