JPEG Image Code Format 140.

429

INDEX

Introduction 2
What Is an Image, Anyway? 3
Transparency 3
File Formats 4
Bandwidth and Transmission 5
An Introduction to Image Compression 5
Information Theory 7
Compression Summary 7
The JPEG Algorithm 7
Phase One: Divide the Image 8
Phase Two: Conversion to the Frequency Domain 10
Phase Three: Quantization 11
Phase Four: Entropy Coding 13
Other JPEG Information 15
Color Images 15
Decompression 16
Sources of Loss in an Image 16
Progressive JPEG Images 18
Running Time 18
Variants of the JPEG Algorithm 19
JFIF (JPEG file interchange format) 19
JBIG Compression 19
JTIP (JPEG Tiled Image Pyramid) 19
JPEG 2000 19
Conclusion 20
References 21

Neeraj Kashyap Page 1 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

Introduction

Multimedia images have become a vital and ubiquitous component of everyday

life. The amount of information encoded in an image is quite large. Even with
the advances in bandwidth and storage capabilities, if images were not
compressed many applications would be too costly. The following research
project attempts to answer the following questions: What are the basic principles
of image compression? When is JPEG the best image compression algorithm?
How does JPEG work? What are the alternatives to JPEG? Do they have any
advantages or disadvantages? Finally, what is JPEG2000?

As applications developed that needed high quality imaging, compression

techniques were developed to satisfy the needs of the application. Development
of these compression techniques took time and the various methods were not
compatible with one another. While the number of applications increased
dramatically, so did the need for an image compression format that was versatile
enough to compress for all of the applications. Also, due to the nature of the
human eye, certain aspects of images can be taken into account to achieve an
even higher level of compression. These same aspects also allow images to be
compressed in ways that adapt to their transmission.
One of the most widely used applications for digital imaging is distribution on the
Internet. With its growing popularity, there is more need than ever to have a way
to send large amounts of image data over small bandwidth. The JPEG
compression is especially useful for this task. JPEG compression is able to take
advantage of the eyes lack of sensitivity to high frequency changes in the
intensity of an image. Furthermore, it can compress the high frequency changes
in the color information even further with close to no visible difference to the
human eye, while taking up much less space. An optional extension to the JPEG
standard allows for JPEG images to be encoded in a way such that as the image
is transmitted over a slow connection, the image can be displayed in increasing
detail. This allows the user to view several passes over the image as the image
is downloaded with the image gaining detail with each pass.
Throughout the course of this document, it is hoped that it will provide a clear
understanding of how JPEG compression works. Each step of the JPEG
compression process will be explained and implemented.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 2 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

What Is an Image, Anyway?

Basically, an image is a rectangular array of dots, called pixels. The size of the
image is the number of pixels (width x height). Every pixel in an image is a
certain color. When dealing with a black and white (where each pixel is either
totally white, or totally black) image, the choices are limited since only a single bit
is needed for each pixel. This type of image is good for line art, such as a
cartoon in a newspaper. Another type of colorless image is a grayscale image.
Grayscale images, often wrongly called “black and white” as well, use 8 bits per
pixel, which is enough to represent every shade of gray that a human eye can
distinguish. When dealing with color images, things get a little trickier. The
number of bits per pixel is called the depth of the image (or bitplane). A bitplane
of n bits can have 2n colors. The human eye can distinguish about 224 colors,
although some claim that the number of colors the eye can distinguish is much
higher. The most common color depths are 8, 16, and 24 (although 2-bit and 4-
bit images are quite common, especially on older systems).

There are two basic ways to store color information in an image. The most direct
way is to represent each pixel's color by giving an ordered triple of numbers,
which is the combination of red, green, and blue that comprises that particular
color. This is referred to as an RGB image. The second way to store information
about color is to use a table to store the triples, and use a reference into the table
for each pixel. This can markedly improve the storage requirements of an image.

Transparency

Transparency refers to the technique where certain pixels are layered on top of
other pixels so that the bottom pixels will show through the top pixels. This is
sometime useful in combining two images on top of each other. It is possible to
use varying degrees of transparency, where the degree of transparency is known
as an alpha value. In the context of the Web, this technique is often used to get
an image to blend in well with the browser's background. Adding transparency
can be as simple as choosing an unused color in the image to be the “special
transparent” color, and wherever that color occurs, the program displaying the
image knows to let the background show through.

Transparency Example:

Non-transparent Transparent
Figure 1: Transparency

Neeraj Kashyap Page 3 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

File Formats

There are a large number of file formats (hundreds) used to represent an image,
some more common then others. Among the most popular are:

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)

The most common image format on the Web. Stores 1 to 8-bit color or grayscale
images.

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)

The standard image format found in most paint, imaging, and desktop publishing
programs. Supports 1- to 24- bit images and several different compression
schemes.

SGI Image

Silicon Graphics' native image file format. Stores data in 24-bit RGB color.

Sun Raster

Sun's native image file format; produced by many programs that run on Sun
workstations.

PICT

Macintosh's native image file format; produced by many programs that run on
Macs. Stores up to 24-bit color.

BMP (Microsoft Windows Bitmap)

Main format supported by Microsoft Windows. Stores 1-, 4-, 8-, and 24-bit
images.

XBM (X Bitmap)

A format for monochrome (1-bit) images common in the X Windows system.

JPEG File Interchange Format

Developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group, sometimes simply called

the JPEG file format. It can store up to 24-bits of color. Some Web browsers
can display JPEG images inline (in particular, Netscape can), but this feature is
not a part of the HTML standard.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 4 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

The following features are common to most bitmap files:

Header : Found at the beginning of the file, and containing information such as
the image's size, number of colors, the compression scheme used, etc.

Color Table : If applicable, this is usually found in the header.

Pixel Data : The actual data values in the image.

Footer : Not all formats include a footer, which is used to signal the end of the
data.

Bandwidth and Transmission

In our high stress, high productivity society, efficiency is key. Most people do not
have the time or patience to wait for extended periods of time while an image is
downloaded or retrieved. In fact, it has been shown that the average person will
only wait 20 seconds for an image to appear on a web page. Given the fact that
the average Internet user still has a 28k or 56k modem, it is essential to keep
image sizes under control. Without some type of compression, most images
would be too cumbersome and impractical for use. The following table is used to
show the correlation between modem speed and download time. Note that even
high speed Internet users require over one second to download the image.

Modem Speed Throughput – How Much Data Download Time For a

Per Second 40k Image
14.4k 1kB 40 seconds
28.8k 2kB 20 seconds
33.6k 3kB 13.5 seconds
56k 5kB 8 seconds
256k DSL 32kB 1.25 seconds
1.5M T1 197kB 0.2 seconds
Figure 2: Download Time Comparison

Neeraj Kashyap Page 5 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

An Introduction to Image Compression

Image compression is the process of reducing the amount of data required to

represent a digital image. Removing all redundant or unnecessary information
does this. An uncompressed image requires an enormous amount of data to
represent it. As an example, a standard 8.5" by 11" sheet of paper scanned at
100 dpi and restricted to black and white requires more then 100k bytes to
represent. Another example is the 276-pixel by 110-pixel banner that appears at
the top of Google.com. Uncompressed, it requires 728k of space. Image
compression is thus essential for the efficient storage, retrieval and transmission
of images. In general, there are two main categories of compression. Lossless
compression involves the preservation of the image as is (with no information
and thus no detail lost). Lossy compression on the other hand, allows less then
perfect reproductions of the original image. The advantage being that, with a
lossy algorithm, one can achieve higher levels of compression because less
information is needed. Various amounts of data may be used to represent the
same amount of information. Some representations may be less efficient than
others, depending on the amount of redundancy eliminated from the data. When
talking about images there are three main sources of redundant information:

Coding Redundancy - This refers to the binary code used to represent gray
values.

Interpixel Redundancy - This refers to the correlation between adjacent pixels in

an image.

Psychovisual Redundancy - This refers to the unequal sensitivity of the human

eye to different visual information.

In comparing how much compression one algorithm achieves verses another,

many people talk about a compression ratio. A higher compression ratio
indicates that one algorithm removes more redundancy then another (and thus is
more efficient). If n1 and n2 are the number of bits in two datasets that represent
the same image, the relative redundancy of the first dataset is defined as:

Rd =1/CR, where CR (the compression ratio) =n1/n2

The benefits of compression are immense. If an image is compressed at a ratio

of 100:1, it may be transmitted in one hundredth of the time, or transmitted at the
same speed through a channel of one-hundredth the bandwidth (ignoring the
compression/decompression overhead). Since images have become so
commonplace and so essential to the function of computers, it is hard to see how
we would function without them.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 6 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

Compression Summary

Image compression is achieved by removing (or reducing) redundant information.

In order to effectively do this, patterns in the data must be identified and utilized.
The theoretical basis for this is founded in Information theory, which assigns
probabilities to the likelihood of the occurrence of each symbol in the input.
Symbols with a high probability of occurring are represented with shorter bit
strings (or code words). Conversely, symbols with a low probability of occurring
are represented with longer code words. In this way, the average length of code
words is decreased, and redundancy is reduced. How efficient an algorithm can
be, depends in part on how the probability of the symbols is distributed, with
maximum efficiency occurring when the distribution is equal over all input
symbols.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 7 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

The JPEG Algorithm

The Joint Photographic Experts Group developed the JPEG algorithm in the late
1980’s and early 1990’s. They developed this new algorithm to address the
problems of that era, specifically the fact that consumer-level computers had
enough processing power to manipulate and display full color photographs.
However, full color photographs required a tremendous amount of bandwidth
when transferred over a network connection, and required just as much space to
store a local copy of the image. Other compression techniques had major
tradeoffs. They had either very low amounts of compression, or major data loss
in the image. Thus, the JPEG algorithm was created to compress photographs
with minimal data loss and high compression ratios.

Due to the nature of the compression algorithm, JPEG is excellent at

compressing full-color (24-bit) photographs, or compressing grayscale photos
that include many different shades of gray. The JPEG algorithm does not work
well with web graphics, line art, scanned text, or other images with sharp
transitions at the edges of objects. The reason this is so will become clear in the
following sections. JPEG also features an adjustable compression ratio that lets
a user determine the quality and size of the final image. Images may be highly
compressed with lesser quality, or they may forego high compression, and
instead be almost indistinguishable from the original.
JPEG compression and decompression consist of 4 distinct and independent
phases. First, the image is divided into 8 x 8 pixel blocks. Next, a discrete
cosine transform is applied to each block to convert the information from the
spatial domain to the frequency domain. After that, the frequency information is
quantized to remove unnecessary information. Finally, standard compression
techniques compress the final bit stream. This report will analyze the
compression of a grayscale image, and will then extend the analysis to
decompression and to color images.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 8 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

Phase One: Divide the Image

Attempting to compress an entire image would not yield optimal results.

Therefore, JPEG divides the image into matrices of 8 x 8 pixel blocks. This
allows the algorithm to take advantage of the fact that similar colors tend to
appear together in small parts of an image. Blocks begin at the upper left part of
the image, and are created going towards the lower right. If the image
dimensions are not multiples of 8, extra pixels are added to the bottom and right
part of the image to pad it to the next multiple of 8 so that we create only full
blocks. The dummy values are easily removed during decompression. From this
point on, each block of 64 pixels is processed separately from the others, except
during a small part of the final compression step.

Phase one may optionally include a change in colorspace. Normally, 8 bits are
used to represent one pixel. Each byte in a grayscale image may have the value
of 0 (fully black) through 255 (fully white). Color images have 3 bytes per pixel,
one for each component of red, green, and blue (RGB color). However, some
operations are less complex if you convert these RGB values to a different color
representation. Normally, JPEG will convert RGB colorspace to YCbCr
colorspace. In YCbCr, Y is the luminance, which represents the intensity of the
color. Cb and Cr are chrominance values, and they actually describe the color
itself. YCbCr tends to compress more tightly than RGB, and any colorspace
conversion can be done in linear time. The colorspace conversion may be done
before we break the image into blocks; it is up to the implementation of the
algorithm.

Finally, the algorithm subtracts 128 from each byte in the 64-byte block. This
changes the scale of the byte values from 0…255 to –128…127. Thus, the
average value over a large set of pixels will tend towards zero.

The following images show an example image, and that image divided into an 8 x
8 matrix of pixel blocks. The images are shown at double their original sizes,
since blocks are only 8 pixels wide, which is extremely difficult to see. The image
is 200 pixels by 220 pixels, which means that the image will be separated into
700 blocks, with some padding added to the bottom of the image. Also,
remember that the division of an image is only a logical division, but in figure 3
lines are used to add clarity.

Before: After:
Figure 3: Example of Image Division

Neeraj Kashyap Page 9 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

Phase Two: Conversion to the Frequency Domain

At this point, it is possible to skip directly to the quantization step. However, we

can greatly assist that stage by converting the pixel information from the spatial
domain to the frequency domain. The conversion will make it easier for the
quantization process to know which parts of the image are least important, and it
will de-emphasize those areas in order to save space.

Currently, each value in the block represents the intensity of one pixel
(remember, our example is a grayscale image). After converting the block to the
frequency domain, each value will be the amplitude of a unique cosine function.
The cosine functions each have different frequencies. We can represent the
block by multiplying the functions with their corresponding amplitudes, then
adding the results together. However, we keep the functions separate during
JPEG compression so that we may remove the information that makes the
smallest contribution to the image.

Human vision has a drop-off at higher frequencies, and de-emphasizing (or even
removing completely) higher frequency data from an image will give an image
that appears very different to a computer, but looks very close to the original to a
human. The quantization stage uses this fact to remove high frequency
information, which results in a smaller representation of the image.

There are many algorithms that convert spatial information to the frequency
domain. The most obvious of which is the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT).
However, due to the fact that image information does not contain any imaginary
components, there is an algorithm that is even faster than an FFT. The Discrete
Cosine Transform (DCT) is derived from the FFT, however it requires fewer
multiplications than the FFT since it works only with real numbers. Also, the DCT
produces fewer significant coefficients in its result, which leads to greater
compression. Finally, the DCT is made to work on one-dimensional data. Image
data is given in blocks of two-dimensions, but we may add another summing
term to the DCT to make the equation two-dimensional. In other words, applying
the one-dimensional DCT once in the x direction and once in the y direction will
effectively give a two-dimensional discrete cosine transform.

The 2D discrete cosine transform equation is given in figure 4, where C(x) = 1/Ö2
if x is 0, and C(x) = 1 for all other cases. Also, f (x, y) is the 8-bit image value at
coordinates (x, y), and F (u, v) is the new entry in the frequency matrix.
1 é7 7
F (u , v ) = × C (u )C (v )êåå f (x, y ) cos
(2 x + 1) × up cos (2 y + 1) × vp ù
ú
4 ë x =0 y =0 16 16 û
Figure 4: DCT Equation

Neeraj Kashyap Page 10 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

We begin examining this formula by realizing that only constants come before the
brackets. Next, we realize that only 16 different cosine terms will be needed for
each different pair of (u, v) values, so we may compute these ahead of time and
then multiply the correct pair of cosine terms to the spatial-domain value for that
pixel. There will be 64 additions in the two summations, one per pixel. Finally,
we multiply the sum by the 3 constants to get the final value in the frequency
matrix. This continues for all (u, v) pairs in the frequency matrix. Since u and v
may be any value from 0…7, the frequency domain matrix is just as large as the
spatial domain matrix.

The frequency domain matrix contains values from -1024…1023. The upper-left
entry, also known as the DC value, is the average of the entire block, and is the
lowest frequency cosine coefficient. As you move right the coefficients represent
cosine functions in the vertical direction that increase in frequency. Likewise, as
you move down, the coefficients belong to increasing frequency cosine functions
in the horizontal direction. The highest frequency values occur at the lower-right
part of the matrix. The higher frequency values also have a natural tendency to
be significantly smaller than the low frequency coefficients since they contribute
much less to the image. Typically the entire lower-right half of the matrix is
factored out after quantization. This essentially removes half of the data per
block, which is one reason why JPEG is so efficient at compression.

Computing the DCT is the most time-consuming part of JPEG compression.

Thus, it determines the worst-case running time of the algorithm. The running
time of the algorithm is discussed in detail later. However, there are many
different implementations of the discrete cosine transform. Finding the most
efficient one for the programmer’s situation is key. There are implementations
that can replace all multiplications with shift instructions and additions. Doing so
can give dramatic speedups, however it often approximates values, and thus
leads to a lower quality output image. There are also debates on how accurately
certain DCT algorithms compute the cosine coefficients, and whether or not the
resulting values have adequate precision for their situations. So any programmer
should use caution when choosing an algorithm for computing a DCT, and
should be aware of every trade-off that the algorithm has.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 11 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

Phase Three: Quantization

Having the data in the frequency domain allows the algorithm to discard the least
significant parts of the image. The JPEG algorithm does this by dividing each
cosine coefficient in the data matrix by some predetermined constant, and then
rounding up or down to the closest integer value. The constant values that are
used in the division may be arbitrary, although research has determined some
very good typical values. However, since the algorithm may use any values it
wishes, and since this is the step that introduces the most loss in the image, it is
a good place to allow users to specify their desires for quality versus size.

Obviously, dividing by a high constant value can introduce more error in the
rounding process, but high constant values have another effect. As the constant
gets larger the result of the division approaches zero. This is especially true for
the high frequency coefficients, since they tend to be the smallest values in the
matrix. Thus, many of the frequency values become zero.

Phase four takes advantage of this fact to further compress the data.

The algorithm uses the specified final image quality level to determine the
constant values that are used to divide the frequencies. A constant of 1 signifies
no loss. On the other hand, a constant of 255 is the maximum amount of loss for
that coefficient. The constants are calculated according to the user’s wishes and
the heuristic values that are known to result in the best quality final images. The
constants are then entered into another 8 x 8 matrix, called the quantization
matrix. Each entry in the quantization matrix corresponds to exactly one entry in
the frequency matrix. Simply coordinates determine correspondence; the entry
at (3, 5) in the quantization matrix corresponds to entry (3, 5) in the frequency
matrix.

A typical quantization matrix will be symmetrical about the diagonal, and will have
lower values in the upper left and higher values in the lower right. Since any
arbitrary values could be used during quantization, the entire quantization matrix
is stored in the final JPEG file so that the decompression routine will know the
values that were used to divide each coefficient.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 12 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

Figure 5 shows an example of a quantization matrix.

Figure 5: Sample Quantization Matrix

The equation used to calculate the quantized frequency matrix is fairly simple.
The algorithm takes a value from the frequency matrix (F) and divides it by its
corresponding value in the quantization matrix (Q). This gives the final value for
the location in the quantized frequency matrix (F quantize). Figure 6 shows the
quantization equation that is used for each block in the image.
æ F (u , v ) ö
FQuantize (u , v ) = çç ÷÷ + 0.5
è Q(u , v ) ø
Figure 6: Quantization Equation

By adding 0.5 to each value, we essentially round it off automatically when we

truncate it, without performing any comparisons. Of course, any means of
rounding will work.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 13 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

Phase Four: Entropy Coding

After quantization, the algorithm is left with blocks of 64 values, many of which
are zero. Of course, the best way to compress this type of data would be to
collect all the zero values together, which is exactly what JPEG does. The
algorithm uses a zigzag ordered encoding, which collects the high frequency
quantized values into long strings of zeros.
To perform a zigzag encoding on a block, the algorithm starts at the DC value
and begins winding its way down the matrix, as shown in figure 7. This converts
an 8 x 8 table into a 1 x 64 vector.

Figure 7: Zigzag Ordered Encoding

All of the values in each block are encoded in this zigzag order except for the DC
value. For all of the other values, there are two tokens that are used to represent
the values in the final file. The first token is a combination of {size, skip} values.
The size value is the number of bits needed to represent the second token, while
the skip value is the number of zeros that precede this token. The second token
is simply the quantized frequency value, with no special encoding. At the end of
each block, the algorithm places an end-of-block sentinel so that the decoder can
tell where one block ends and the next begins.
The first token, with {size, skip} information, is encoded using Huffman coding.
Huffman coding scans the data being written and assigns fewer bits to frequently
occurring data, and more bits to infrequently occurring data. Thus, if a certain
values of size and skip happen often, they may be represented with only a
couple of bits each. There will then be a lookup table that converts the two bits
to their entire value. JPEG allows the algorithm to use a standard Huffman table,
and also allows for custom tables by providing a field in the file that will hold the
Huffman table.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 14 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

DC values use delta encoding, which means that each DC value is compared to
the previous value, in zigzag order. Note that comparing DC values is done on a
block-by-block basis, and does not consider any other data within a block. This
is the only instance where blocks are not treated independently from each other.
The difference between the current DC value and the previous value is all that is
included in the file. When storing the DC values, JPEG includes a size field and
then the actual DC delta value. So if the difference between two adjacent DC
values is –4, JPEG will store the size 3, since -4 requires 3 bits. Then, the actual
binary value 100 is stored. The size field for DC values is included in the
Huffman coding for the other size values, so that JPEG can achieve even higher
compression of the data.

Other JPEG Information

There are other facts about JPEG that are not covered in the compression of a
grayscale image. The following sections describe other parts of the JPEG
algorithm, such as decompression, progressive JPEG encoding, and the
algorithm’s running time.

Color Images

Color images are usually encoded in RGB colorspace, where each pixel has an
8-bit value for each of the three composite colors. Thus, a color image is three
times as large as a grayscale image, and each of the components of a color
image can be considered its own grayscale representation of that particular color.

In fact, JPEG treats a color image as 3 separate grayscale images, and

compresses each component in the same way it compresses a grayscale image.
However, most color JPEG files are not three times larger than a grayscale
image, since there is usually one color component that does not occur as often
as the others, in which case it will be highly compressed. Also, the Huffman
coding steps will have the opportunity to compress more values, since there are
more possible values to compress.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 15 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

Decompression

Decompressing a JPEG image is basically the same as performing the

compression steps in reverse, and in the opposite order. It begins by retrieving
the Huffman tables from the image and decompressing the Huffman tokens in
the image. Next, it decompresses the DCT values for each block, since they will
be the first things needed to decompress a block. JPEG then decompresses the
other 63 values in each block, filling in the appropriate number of zeros where
appropriate. The last step in reversing phase four is decoding the zigzag order
and recreate the 8 x 8 blocks that were originally used to compress the image.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 16 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

Sources of Loss in an Image

JPEG is a lossy algorithm. Compressing an image with this algorithm will almost
guarantee that the decompressed version of the image will not match the original
source image. Loss of information happens in phases two and three of the
algorithm.
In phase two, the discrete cosine transformation introduces some error into the
image, however this error is very slight. The error is due to imprecision in
multiplication, rounding, and significant error is possible if the DCT
implementation chosen by the programmer is designed to trade off quality for
speed. Any errors introduced in this phase can affect any values in the image
with equal probability. It does not limit its error to any particular section of the
image.

Phase three, on the other hand, is designed to eliminate data that does not
contribute much to the image. In fact, most of the loss in JPEG compression
occurs during this phase. Quantization divides each frequency value by a
constant, and rounds the result. Therefore, higher constants cause higher
amounts of loss in the frequency matrix, since the rounding error will be higher.
As stated before, the algorithm is designed in this way, since the higher
constants are concentrated around the highest frequencies, and human vision is
not very sensitive to those frequencies. Also, the quantization matrix is
adjustable, so a user may adjust the amount of error introduced into the
compressed image. Obviously, as the algorithm becomes less lossy, the image
size increases. Applications that allow the creation of JPEG images usually
allow a user to specify some value between 1 and 100, where 100 is the least
lossy. By most standards, anything over 90 or 95 does not make the picture any
better to the human eye, but it does increase the file size dramatically.
Alternatively, very low values will create extremely small files, but the files will
have a blocky effect. In fact, some graphics artists use JPEG at very low quality
settings (under 5) to create stylized effects in their photos.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 17 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

Progressive JPEG Images

A newer version of JPEG allows images to be encoded as progressive JPEG

images. A progressive image, when downloaded, will show the major features of
the image very quickly, and will then slowly become clearer as the rest of the
image is received. Normally, an image is displayed at full clarity, and is shown
from top to bottom as it is received and decoded. Progressive JPEG files are
useful for slow connections, since a user can get a good idea what the picture
will be well before it finishes downloading. Note that progressive JPEG is simply
a rearrangement of data onto a more complicated order, and does not actually
change any major aspects of the JPEG format. Also, a progressive JPEG file will
be the same size as a standard JPEG file. Finally, displaying progressive JPEG
images is more computationally intense than displaying a standard JPEG, since
some extra processing is needed to make the image fade into view.
There are two main ways to implement a progressive JPEG. The first, and
easiest, is to simply display the DC values as they are received. The DC values,
being the average value of the 8 x 8 block, are used to represent the entire block.
Thus, the progressive image will appear as a blocky image while the other values
are received, but since the blocks are so small, a fairly adequate representation
of the image will be shown using just the DC values.
The alternative method is to begin by displaying just the DC information, as
detailed above. But then, as the data is received, it will begin to add some higher
frequency values into the image. This makes the image appear to gain
sharpness until the final image is displayed. To implement this, JPEG first
encodes the image so that certain lower frequencies will be received very
quickly. The lower frequency values are displayed as they are received, and as
more bits of each frequency value are received they are shifted into place and
the image is updated.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 18 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

Variants of the JPEG Algorithm

Quite a few algorithms are based on JPEG. They were created for more specific
purposes than the more general JPEG algorithm. This section will discuss
variations on JPEG. Also, since the output stream from the JPEG algorithm must
be saved to disk, we discuss the most common JPEG file format.

1. JFIF (JPEG file interchange format)

2. JBIG Compression

3. JTIP (JPEG Tiled Image Pyramid)

4. JPEG 2000

JPEG 2000

JPEG 2000 is the “next big thing” in image compression. It is designed to

overcome many of the drawbacks that JPEG had, such as the amount of loss
introduced into computer-generated art and bi-level images. Unfortunately, the
final standard is not complete, but some general information about JPEG 2000 is
available, and it is presented here.

This algorithm relies on wavelets to convert the image from the spatial domain to
the frequency domain. Wavelets are much better at representing local features
in a function, and thus create less loss in the image. In fact, JPEG 2000 has a
loss less compression mode that is able to compress an image much better than
JPEG’s loss less mode. Another benefit of using wavelets is that a wavelet can
examine the image at multiple resolutions, and determine exactly how to process
the image.

Another benefit of JPEG 2000 is that it considers an entire image at once,

instead of splitting the image into blocks. Also, JPEG 2000 scales very well, and
can provide good quality images at low bit rates. This will be important, since
devices like cellular phones are now capable of displaying images. Finally,
JPEG 2000 is much better at compressing an image while maintaining high
quality. Given a source image, if one compares a JPEG image with a JPEG
2000 image (assuming both are compressed to the same final size), the JPEG
2000 image will be much clearer, and will never have the blocky look that JPEG
can sometimes introduce into an image.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 19 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

Conclusion

The JPEG algorithm was created to compress photographic images, and it does
this very well, with high compression ratios. It also allows a user to choose
between high quality output images, or very small output images. The algorithm
compresses images in 4 distinct phases, and does so in O(n 2 log(n )) time, or
better. It also inspired many other algorithms that compress images and video,
and do so in a fashion very similar to JPEG. Most of the variants of JPEG take
the basic concepts of the JPEG algorithm and apply them to more specific
problems.
Due to the immense number of JPEG images that exist, this algorithm will
probably be in use for at least 10 more years. This is despite the fact that better
algorithms for compressing images exist, and even better ones than those will be
ready in the near future.

Neeraj Kashyap Page 20 Jitesh Modi

JPEG Image Code Format 140.429

References

1. http://www.jpeg.org

2. www.faqs.org/faqs/ jpeg-faq/part1

3. http://www.faqs.org/faqs/compression -faq/

4. http://www.fu zzymonkey.org/projects/ece472_jpeg_encoding/

Neeraj Kashyap Page 21 Jitesh Modi