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 added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 430 pixels and compressed the image at 46% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 502 pixels and compressed the image at 33% jpeg quality.

Someone added a bit of sharpen because it looked blurry, resized the image to 334 pixels and compressed the image at 42% jpeg quality.

Someone added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 540 pixels and compressed the image at 34% jpeg quality.

After that and they reduced to a 49 color gif.

After that, they resized the image to 398 pixels and compressed the image at 60% jpeg quality.

Then someone added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 500 pixels and compressed the image at 25% jpeg quality.

Then they resized the image to 354 pixels and compressed the image at 13% jpeg quality.

Someone else added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 306 pixels and compressed the image at 25% jpeg quality.

Someone resized the image to 322 pixels and compressed the image at 30% jpeg quality.

Someone resized the image to 387 pixels and compressed the image at 32% jpeg quality.

Then someone added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 484 pixels, compressed the image at 20% jpeg quality and someone else added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 430 pixels and compressed the image at 8% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 399 pixels and compressed the image at 14% jpeg quality and someone else reduced to a 14 color gif.

Someone else resized the image to 576 pixels, compressed the image at 15% jpeg quality and someone else added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 444 pixels and compressed the image at 32% jpeg quality.

Then they reduced to a 37 color gif and then they resized the image to 556 pixels and compressed the image at 19% jpeg quality.

Someone else resized the image to 317 pixels, compressed the image at 8% jpeg quality and someone resized the image to 317 pixels and compressed the image at 35% jpeg quality.

Someone resized the image to 428 pixels and compressed the image at 24% jpeg quality and then someone reduced to a 24 color gif.

Then someone resized the image to 440 pixels, compressed the image at 24% jpeg quality and after that, they resized the image to 332 pixels and compressed the image at 29% jpeg quality.

Then they added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 410 pixels, compressed the image at 14% jpeg quality and after that, they resized the image to 536 pixels and compressed the image at 32% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 320 pixels, compressed the image at 18% jpeg quality and someone else resized the image to 370 pixels and compressed the image at 17% jpeg quality.

Finally they resized the image to 566 pixels and compressed the image at 17% jpeg quality.

Oh my, that got pretty bad. See also this experiment involving VHS tapes.

Website by Joachim Michaelis