Image Compression

Abstract

The first part of this chapter discusses the basic features and types of digital images and the main approaches to image compression. This is followed by a description of about 30 different compression methods. The author would like to start with the following observations:

• 1. Why were these particular methods included in the book, while others were left out? The simple answer is: Because of the documentation available to the author. Image compression methods that are well documented were included. Methods that are proprietary, or whose documentation was not clear to the author, were left out.

• 2. The treatment of the various methods is uneven. This, again, reflects the documentation available to the author. Some methods have been documented by their developers in great detail, and this is reflected in this chapter. Where no detailed documentation was available for a compression algorithm, only its basic principles are outlined here.

• 3. There is no attempt to compare the various methods described here. This is because most image compression methods have been designed for a specific type of image, and also because of the practical difficulties of getting all the software and adapting it to run on the same platform.

• 4. The compression methods described in this chapter are not arranged in any particular order. After much thought and many trials, the author gave up any hope of sorting the compression methods in any reasonable way. Readers looking for any particular method may consult the table of contents and the detailed index to easily locate it.