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 532 pixels and compressed the image at 52% jpeg quality.

Then someone added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 452 pixels and compressed the image at 45% jpeg quality.

Then they resized the image to 530 pixels and compressed the image at 23% jpeg quality.

Then they reduced to a 34 color gif.

Someone else resized the image to 478 pixels and compressed the image at 51% jpeg quality.

After that, they resized the image to 389 pixels and compressed the image at 33% jpeg quality.

Someone resized the image to 461 pixels and compressed the image at 21% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 523 pixels and compressed the image at 22% jpeg quality.

Then someone reduced to a 51 color gif.

Someone else resized the image to 514 pixels and compressed the image at 19% jpeg quality.

Someone else reduced to a 26 color gif.

Someone else resized the image to 415 pixels, compressed the image at 10% jpeg quality and after that, they resized the image to 353 pixels and compressed the image at 19% jpeg quality.

Someone added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 540 pixels and compressed the image at 34% jpeg quality and someone reduced to a 21 color gif.

After that, they resized the image to 409 pixels, compressed the image at 15% jpeg quality and after that, they resized the image to 479 pixels and compressed the image at 26% jpeg quality.

Someone added a bit of sharpen because it looked blurry, resized the image to 417 pixels and compressed the image at 16% jpeg quality and someone else reduced to a 41 color gif.

After that, they resized the image to 518 pixels, compressed the image at 8% jpeg quality and then someone resized the image to 518 pixels and compressed the image at 27% jpeg quality.

Someone else resized the image to 538 pixels, compressed the image at 34% jpeg quality and someone added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 498 pixels and compressed the image at 33% jpeg quality.

Then someone reduced to a 44 color gif and then they added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 579 pixels and compressed the image at 9% jpeg quality.

Someone else reduced to a 24 color gif and someone added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 499 pixels and compressed the image at 13% jpeg quality.

Then they reduced to a 43 color gif and after that, they resized the image to 553 pixels and compressed the image at 30% jpeg quality.

Finally they resized the image to 503 pixels and compressed the image at 33% jpeg quality.

Oh my, that got pretty bad.

Website by Joachim Michaelis