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 334 pixels and compressed the image at 42% jpeg quality.

Someone resized the image to 560 pixels and compressed the image at 52% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 392 pixels and compressed the image at 29% jpeg quality.

Then they resized the image to 518 pixels and compressed the image at 39% jpeg quality.

Someone else resized the image to 532 pixels and compressed the image at 37% jpeg quality.

Someone reduced to a 63 color gif.

Then someone reduced to a 27 color gif.

After that, they resized the image to 387 pixels and compressed the image at 30% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 407 pixels and compressed the image at 27% jpeg quality.

Then they added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 348 pixels and compressed the image at 35% jpeg quality.

Then someone added a bit of sharpen because it looked blurry, resized the image to 521 pixels and compressed the image at 16% jpeg quality.

Someone else resized the image to 412 pixels, compressed the image at 35% jpeg quality and someone added a bit of sharpen because it looked blurry, resized the image to 486 pixels and compressed the image at 14% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 430 pixels, compressed the image at 22% jpeg quality and after that, they resized the image to 525 pixels and compressed the image at 21% jpeg quality.

After that, they resized the image to 386 pixels, compressed the image at 34% jpeg quality and then they added a bit of sharpen because it looked blurry, resized the image to 491 pixels and compressed the image at 26% jpeg quality.

Someone else resized the image to 366 pixels, compressed the image at 18% jpeg quality and someone else resized the image to 532 pixels and compressed the image at 11% jpeg quality.

Someone else resized the image to 481 pixels, compressed the image at 15% jpeg quality and then they resized the image to 306 pixels and compressed the image at 25% jpeg quality.

After that, they reduced to a 28 color gif and someone else resized the image to 345 pixels and compressed the image at 24% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 318 pixels and compressed the image at 15% jpeg quality and someone reduced to a 33 color gif.

Someone resized the image to 501 pixels, compressed the image at 24% jpeg quality and someone else added a bit of contrast, added a bit of sharpen because it looked blurry, resized the image to 566 pixels and compressed the image at 13% jpeg quality.

Someone resized the image to 367 pixels, compressed the image at 25% jpeg quality and then they resized the image to 579 pixels and compressed the image at 21% jpeg quality.

Finally they resized the image to 400 pixels and compressed the image at 32% jpeg quality.

Oh my, that got pretty bad.

Website by Joachim Michaelis