Image Compression

What Does Image Compression Mean?

Image compression is the process of encoding or converting an image file in such a way that it consumes less space than the original file.

It is a type of compression technique that reduces the size of an image file without affecting or degrading its quality to a greater extent.

Techopedia Explains Image Compression

Image compression is typically performed through an image/data compression algorithm or codec. Typically such codecs/algorithms apply different techniques to reduce the image size, such as by:

• Specifying all similarly colored pixels by the color name, code and the number of pixels. This way one pixel can correspond to hundreds or thousands of pixels.
• The image is created and represented using mathematical wavelets.
• Splitting the image into several parts, each identifiable using a fractal.

Some of the common image compression techniques are:

• Fractal
• Wavelets
• Chroma sub sampling
• Transform coding
• Run-length encoding