# Image compression
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## Microsims — p5.js
### Image compression (p5.js) · `JPEG`
<div class="microsim-player">
<iframe src="https://editor.p5js.org/sciencenibber/full/-YldUCuWe" width="100%" height="480" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin" title="Image compression — p5.js microsim"></iframe>
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*Shrink pictures by transform-coding blocks and discarding fine detail the eye discounts.*
**Open in the editor:** [▶ fork this sketch](https://editor.p5js.org/sciencenibber/sketches/-YldUCuWe) · movement *V · Coding, compression & communication* · library `p5js`
### Related microsims
Live sims on neighbouring articles — 6 of them inside this article's own Wikipedia link tree:
- [[Companding]] *(in tree)*
- [[Convolution]] *(in tree)*
- [[Data_compression]] *(in tree)*
- [[Delta_modulation]] *(in tree)*
- [[Differential_pulse-code_modulation]] *(in tree)*
- [[Discrete_cosine_transform]] *(in tree)*
*Sim hosted off-article; the article owns the reference, not the runtime (WIKI_RULES §10.4). Placed by `g08_place_microsims.py`.*
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## Links (Wikipedia order)
<!-- injected from _registry/childlinks/Image_compression.json (2026-07-30T02:09:12Z) -->
`.m2ts` · `3GPP` · `3GP_and_3G2` · `842_(compression_algorithm)` · `A-law_algorithm` · `AAC-LD` · `AMV_video_format` · `APNG` · `AV1` · `AV2` · `AVIF` · `Abraham_Lempel` · `Academic_Press` · `Adaptive_Huffman_coding` · `Adaptive_Multi-Rate_Wideband` · `Adaptive_Multi-Rate_audio_codec` · `Adaptive_coding` · `Adaptive_differential_pulse-code_modulation` · `Advanced_Audio_Coding` · `Advanced_Systems_Format` · `Advanced_Video_Coding` · `Algebraic_code-excited_linear_prediction` · [[Algorithm]] · `Alliance_for_Open_Media` · `Apple_Lossless_Audio_Codec` · `Apple_ProRes` · `Apple_Video` · `AptX` · `Arithmetic_coding` · `Asao_(codec)` · `Asymmetric_numeral_systems` · `Au_file_format` · `Audio_Interchange_File_Format` · `Audio_Lossless_Coding` · `Audio_Video_Interleave` · `Audio_Video_Standard` · `Audio_codec` · `Audio_coding_format` · `Average_bitrate` · `Avid_Audio` · `Avid_DNxHD` · `BBC` · `BBC_News` · `BMP_file_format` · `BT_Group` · `Better_Portable_Graphics` · `Bink_Video` · `Bit_rate` · `Block_Truncation_Coding` · `Bluetooth_Special_Interest_Group` · `Brotli` · `Burrows–Wheeler_transform` · `Byte-pair_encoding` · `Bzip2` · `CELT` · `Canonical_Huffman_code` · `Cara_(app)` · `Chain_code` · `Chroma_subsampling` · `CineForm` · `Cinepak` · `Clip_art` · `Code-excited_linear_prediction` · `Codec_2` · `Coding_tree_unit` · `Color_Cell_Compression` · `Color_quantization` · `Color_space` · [[Companding]] · `Comparison_of_audio_coding_formats` · `Comparison_of_video_codecs` · `Compressed_data_structure` · `Compressed_suffix_array` · `Compression_artifact` · `Computer_data_storage` · `Constant_bitrate` · `Container_format` · `Context_mixing` · `Context_tree_weighting` · [[Convolution]] · `Convolutional_neural_network` · `DV_(video_format)` · `Daala` · [[Data_compression]] · `Data_compression_symmetry` · `Daubechies_wavelet` · `David_A._Huffman` · `Deblocking_filter` · `Deflate` · `Delta_encoding` · [[Delta_modulation]] · `Dictionary_coder` · [[Differential_pulse-code_modulation]] · `Diffusion_model` · `Digital_Signal_Processing_(journal)` · `Digital_Video_Interactive` · `Digital_cinema` · `Digital_image` · `Digital_photography` · `Dirac_(video_compression_format)` · [[Discrete_cosine_transform]] · `Discrete_sine_transform` · [[Discrete_wavelet_transform]] · `Display_resolution` · `DivX` · `DjVu` · `Dolby_AC-4` · `Dolby_Digital` · `Dolby_TrueHD` · `Dynamic_Markov_compression` · `Dynamic_Resolution_Adaptation` · [[Dynamic_range]] · `Elias_gamma_coding` · `Embedded_zerotrees_of_wavelet_transforms` · `Enhanced_VOB` · `Enhanced_Variable_Rate_Codec` · `Enhanced_Variable_Rate_Codec_B` · `Enhanced_Voice_Services` · `Enhanced_full_rate` · [[Entropy_(information_theory)]] · `Entropy_coding` · `Essential_Video_Coding` · `Exponential-Golomb_coding` · `Extended_Adaptive_Multi-Rate_–_Wideband` · `FFV1` · `FLAC` · `FM-index` · `Facebook` · `Facebook_Messenger` · [[Fast_Fourier_transform]] · `Fibonacci_coding` · `Film_frame` · `Flash_Video` · `Fourier_transform` · `Fractal_compression` · `Frame_rate` · `Free_Lossless_Image_Format` · `Full_Rate` · `G.711` · `G.718` · `G.719` · `G.722` · `G.722.1` · `G.723` · `G.723.1` · `G.726` · `G.728` · `G.729` · `G.729.1` · `GIF` · `General_Exchange_Format` · `Generative_adversarial_network` · `Golomb_coding` · `Grammar-based_code` · `Group_4_compression` · `H.120` · `H.261` · `H.262/MPEG-2_Part_2` · `H.263` · `Hadamard_transform` · `Half_Rate` · `Harmonic_Vector_Excitation_Coding` · `High-Efficiency_Advanced_Audio_Coding` · `High_Efficiency_Image_File_Format` · `High_Efficiency_Video_Coding` · `Huffman_coding` · `Huffyuv` · `Hutter_Prize` · `ICER_(file_format)` · `ITU-T` · `Image_file_format` · `Image_resolution` · `Incremental_encoding` · `Indeo` · [[Information_theory]] · `Ingrid_Daubechies` · `Instant_messaging` · `Interchange_File_Format` · `Interlaced_video` · `International_Electrotechnical_Commission` · `International_Organization_for_Standardization` · `Internet_Engineering_Task_Force` · `Internet_Low_Bitrate_Codec` · `Internet_Speech_Audio_Codec` · `JBIG` · `JBIG2` · `JPEG` · `JPEG_2000` · `JPEG_XL` · `JPEG_XR` · `JPEG_XS` · `JPEG_XT` · `Jacob_Ziv` · `Joint_Photographic_Experts_Group` · `K._R._Rao` · `Kolmogorov_complexity` · `L._Peter_Deutsch` · `LC3_(codec)` · `LCEVC` · `LDAC_(codec)` · `LHA_(file_format)` · `LHDC_(codec)` · `LZ4_(compression_algorithm)` · `LZ77_and_LZ78` · `LZFSE` · `LZMA` · `LZRW` · `LZWL` · `LZX` · `Lagarith` · `Lapped_transform` · `Latency_(audio)` · `Lempel–Ziv–Oberhumer` · `Lempel–Ziv–Stac` · `Lempel–Ziv–Storer–Szymanski` · `Lempel–Ziv–Welch` · `Levenshtein_coding` · `Line_spectral_pairs` · `Linear_predictive_coding` · `List_of_Fourier-related_transforms` · `List_of_codecs` · `Log_area_ratio` · `Lossless_compression` · `Lossy_compression` · `Lyra_(codec)` · `MATLAB` · `MOD_and_TOD` · `MP3` · `MPEG-1` · `MPEG-1_Audio_Layer_I` · `MPEG-1_Audio_Layer_II` · `MPEG-2` · `MPEG-21` · `MPEG-4` · `MPEG-4_Part_2` · `MPEG-4_SLS` · `MPEG-H` · `MPEG-H_3D_Audio` · `MPEG_LA` · `MPEG_Multichannel` · `MPEG_Surround` · `MPEG_elementary_stream` · `MPEG_media_transport` · `MPEG_program_stream` · `MPEG_transport_stream` · `MSU_Lossless_Video_Codec` · `MT9` · `Macroblock` · `Mark_Adler` · `Master_Quality_Authenticated` · `Material_Exchange_Format` · `Matroska` · `Microsoft_Video_1` · `Mixed-excitation_linear_prediction` · `Modified_Huffman_coding` · `Modified_discrete_cosine_transform` · `Monkey's_Audio` · `Motion_JPEG` · `Motion_JPEG_2000` · `Motion_compensation` · `Motion_estimation` · `Move-to-front_transform` · `Moving_Picture_Experts_Group` · `Mu-law_algorithm` · `Multilayer_perceptron` · `Multimedia` · `Multiple-image_Network_Graphics` · `Musepack` · `NETVC` · [[Nyquist–Shannon_sampling_theorem]] · `OMS_Video` · `Ogg` · `On2_Technologies` · `OpenCV` · `OpenEXR` · `OptimFROG` · `Opus_(audio_format)` · `Original_Sound_Quality` · `PAQ` · `PCX` · `PNG` · `Packetized_elementary_stream` · `Palette_(computing)` · `Peak_signal-to-noise_ratio` · `Phil_Katz` · `Pixel` · `Pixel_art` · `Pixlet` · `Posterization` · `Prediction_by_partial_matching` · `Prefix_code` · `Progressive_Graphics_File` · `Psychoacoustics` · `Pulse-code_modulation` · `Pyramid_(image_processing)` · `QOI_(image_format)` · `Qualcomm_code-excited_linear_prediction` · `Quantization_(image_processing)` · [[Quantization_(signal_processing)]] · `QuickTime_Animation` · `QuickTime_File_Format` · `QuickTime_Graphics` · `QuickTime_VR` · `RTVideo` · `Range_coding` · `RatDVD` · `Rate–distortion_theory` · `Re-Pair` · `Real-time_Transport_Protocol` · `RealAudio` · `RealMedia` · `RealVideo` · `Redundancy_(information_theory)` · `Relaxed_code-excited_linear_prediction` · `Request_for_Comments` · `Resource_Interchange_File_Format` · `Run-length_encoding` · `S2TC` · `S3_Texture_Compression` · `SBC_(codec)` · `SILK` · `SVOPC` · [[Sampling_(signal_processing)]] · `Selectable_Mode_Vocoder` · `Sequitur_algorithm` · `Set_partitioning_in_hierarchical_trees` · `Shannon_coding` · `Shannon–Fano_coding` · `Shannon–Fano–Elias_coding` · `SheerVideo` · `Silence_compression` · `Siren_(codec)` · `Smacker_video` · `Smallest_grammar_problem` · `Snappy_(compression)` · `Social_media` · `Society_of_Motion_Picture_and_Television_Engineers` · `Sorenson_Media` · `Sound_quality` · [[Speech_coding]] · `Speex` · `Standard_test_image` · `Sub-band_coding` · `Super_Audio_CD` · `TIFF` · `TIFF/EP` · `Taylor_&_Francis` · `TensorFlow` · `Terry_Welch` · `Texture_compression` · `The_Atlantic` · `Theora` · `Thor_(video_codec)` · `Timeline_of_information_theory` · `Transform_coding` · `Tunstall_coding` · `TwinVQ` · `Unary_coding` · `Unified_Speech_and_Audio_Coding` · `Universal_code_(data_compression)` · `Ut_Video_Codec_Suite` · `VC-1` · `VC-6` · `VOB` · `VP3` · `VP6` · `VP8` · `VP9` · `Variable-Rate_Multimode_Wideband` · `Variable_bitrate` · `Vector_sum_excited_linear_prediction` · `Versatile_Video_Coding` · `Video` · `Video_Coding_Experts_Group` · `Video_codec` · `Video_coding_format` · `Video_compression_picture_types` · `Video_quality` · `Visual_perception` · `Vorbis` · `WAV` · `Warped_linear_predictive_coding` · `WavPack` · `Wavelet` · `Wavelet_transform` · `WebM` · `WebP` · `WhatsApp` · `Windows_Media_Audio` · `Windows_Media_Video` · `Wireless_Application_Protocol_Bitmap_Format` · `World_Wide_Web_Consortium` · `YULS` · `Zstd`
> Signal Processing concept · part of the Signal Processing Portal · movement V · !74 記号 kigō.svg
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*Rendered from the live microsim (▶ motion).*
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## See it next
[](Data_compression)
*→ [[Data_compression|Data compression]]*
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Back to Signal Processing Portal · the room · Semiotic gateway
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## What it is
Image compression is the application of data compression to digital images, reducing the number of bits needed to store or transmit a picture while controlling any loss of visual quality.
## How it works / why it matters
Lossless formats (PNG, lossless JPEG, GIF) exploit spatial redundancy and entropy coding for exact recovery, while lossy formats (JPEG, JPEG 2000, WebP) transform the image into a frequency domain — the discrete cosine transform for JPEG, the wavelet transform for JPEG 2000 — then quantize and entropy-code the coefficients, discarding high-frequency detail the eye barely notices. This exploits both statistical redundancy and the human visual system's limited sensitivity, achieving large size reductions along a rate–distortion tradeoff. Image compression makes web pages, photo libraries, and digital cameras practical.
## Signs & universals
Instantiates encoding and spectrum, and embodies tradeoff_balance and entropy — transform coding moves the image into a spectral basis and trades detail for size near the entropy limit.
## Related
A specialization of [[Data_compression]] for pictures; the standard example is JPEG2000, packaged in a Codec via an image [[Code]]. Conceptually adjacent to Video compression and Video coding, which extend it across frames.
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## From the Real GENERATIVE library
> Image compression is a type of data compression applied to digital images, to reduce their cost for storage or transmission. Algorithms may take advantage of visual perception and the statistical properties of image data to provide superior results compared with generic data compression methods which are used for other digital data.[1] ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_compression))
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*Built to the [[WT!P5_js_Microsim_Master_Class|p5.js Master Class]].*
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## Wikipedia : Wikitube
**Strict pair:** [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_compression) : [Wikitube](https://en.wikitube.io/wiki/Image_compression)
## Previous hub tags
Tree parents: [[Graph_theory]] · [[Information_theory]].
Legacy hubs: none.
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*Sources: 1 legacy note. Minted wave 1, 2026-07-30 (v1.6 order).*