Graphics

Internet Image Degradation

Do things grow old in cyberspace? The answer is "yes"...

When pictures are constantly copied from website to website, and recompressed and rescaled every time, an interesting loss of quality occurs gradually over time. This page tries to simulate and display this gradual devolution. The first picture is the original.

First someone resized the image to 363 pixels and compressed the image at 46% jpeg quality.

Someone else added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 425 pixels and compressed the image at 64% jpeg quality.

After that, they resized the image to 427 pixels and compressed the image at 22% jpeg quality.

Then someone reduced to a 31 color gif.

Then someone resized the image to 468 pixels and compressed the image at 63% jpeg quality.

After that, they added a bit of sharpen because it looked blurry, resized the image to 414 pixels and compressed the image at 59% jpeg quality.

Then they resized the image to 555 pixels and compressed the image at 36% jpeg quality.

Then they added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 423 pixels and compressed the image at 16% jpeg quality.

Someone else resized the image to 539 pixels and compressed the image at 32% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 552 pixels and compressed the image at 26% jpeg quality.

Someone else reduced to a 46 color gif.

Then someone reduced to a 42 color gif and someone resized the image to 377 pixels and compressed the image at 20% jpeg quality.

Someone resized the image to 346 pixels, compressed the image at 32% jpeg quality and then someone resized the image to 508 pixels and compressed the image at 11% jpeg quality.

Then someone reduced to a 46 color gif and then someone reduced to a 16 color gif.

Then someone resized the image to 530 pixels, compressed the image at 18% jpeg quality and after that, they resized the image to 449 pixels and compressed the image at 34% jpeg quality.

Someone resized the image to 434 pixels and compressed the image at 17% jpeg quality and then someone reduced to a 21 color gif.

Then they resized the image to 514 pixels, compressed the image at 28% jpeg quality and someone resized the image to 465 pixels and compressed the image at 33% jpeg quality.

After that, they reduced to a 33 color gif and then they resized the image to 509 pixels and compressed the image at 25% jpeg quality.

After that, they added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 464 pixels, compressed the image at 33% jpeg quality and then someone resized the image to 367 pixels and compressed the image at 15% jpeg quality.

Then they added a bit of sharpen because it looked blurry, resized the image to 300 pixels, compressed the image at 35% jpeg quality and someone else added a bit of sharpen because it looked blurry, resized the image to 553 pixels and compressed the image at 15% jpeg quality.

Finally someone resized the image to 415 pixels and compressed the image at 9% jpeg quality.

Oh my, that got pretty bad.

Website by Joachim Michaelis