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 347 pixels and compressed the image at 55% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 430 pixels and compressed the image at 40% jpeg quality.

Then they resized the image to 359 pixels and compressed the image at 26% jpeg quality.

Someone else resized the image to 450 pixels and compressed the image at 24% jpeg quality.

Someone resized the image to 532 pixels and compressed the image at 33% jpeg quality.

Someone resized the image to 506 pixels and compressed the image at 62% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 367 pixels and compressed the image at 47% jpeg quality.

Someone else added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 386 pixels and compressed the image at 24% jpeg quality.

Someone else reduced to a 49 color gif.

Someone else added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 327 pixels and compressed the image at 32% jpeg quality.

Someone else reduced to a 27 color gif.

Someone reduced to a 15 color gif and after that, they added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 527 pixels and compressed the image at 30% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 571 pixels, compressed the image at 21% jpeg quality and after that, they resized the image to 521 pixels and compressed the image at 12% jpeg quality.

Someone reduced to a 20 color gif and then someone resized the image to 414 pixels and compressed the image at 11% jpeg quality.

After that, they resized the image to 426 pixels, compressed the image at 33% jpeg quality and someone else resized the image to 419 pixels and compressed the image at 33% jpeg quality.

Someone else resized the image to 323 pixels, compressed the image at 20% jpeg quality and then they resized the image to 541 pixels and compressed the image at 10% jpeg quality.

Someone else reduced to a 36 color gif and someone added a bit of sharpen because it looked blurry, resized the image to 398 pixels and compressed the image at 14% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 541 pixels, compressed the image at 12% jpeg quality and then they resized the image to 487 pixels and compressed the image at 33% jpeg quality.

Then they added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 353 pixels and compressed the image at 18% jpeg quality and someone else reduced to a 18 color gif.

Someone else resized the image to 508 pixels, compressed the image at 20% jpeg quality and someone else resized the image to 529 pixels and compressed the image at 14% jpeg quality.

Finally they reduced to a 19 color gif.

Oh my, that got pretty bad.

Website by Joachim Michaelis