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 562 pixels and compressed the image at 32% jpeg quality.

After that, they resized the image to 529 pixels and compressed the image at 39% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 331 pixels and compressed the image at 21% jpeg quality.

Then someone added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 473 pixels and compressed the image at 50% jpeg quality.

Someone resized the image to 503 pixels and compressed the image at 40% jpeg quality.

Then someone reduced to a 50 color gif.

After that, they resized the image to 554 pixels and compressed the image at 37% jpeg quality.

Someone else resized the image to 438 pixels and compressed the image at 13% jpeg quality.

Someone else added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 327 pixels and compressed the image at 9% jpeg quality.

Then they resized the image to 480 pixels and compressed the image at 18% jpeg quality.

Someone resized the image to 520 pixels and compressed the image at 14% jpeg quality.

Then someone resized the image to 508 pixels, compressed the image at 8% jpeg quality and then they resized the image to 474 pixels and compressed the image at 8% jpeg quality.

Then they reduced to a 10 color gif and someone else resized the image to 360 pixels and compressed the image at 31% jpeg quality.

Then they resized the image to 483 pixels, compressed the image at 29% jpeg quality and someone else resized the image to 541 pixels and compressed the image at 33% jpeg quality.

Then someone reduced to a 48 color gif and then someone resized the image to 333 pixels and compressed the image at 32% jpeg quality.

Someone reduced to a 38 color gif and someone else resized the image to 333 pixels and compressed the image at 29% jpeg quality.

Someone else resized the image to 353 pixels, compressed the image at 27% jpeg quality and after that and they reduced to a 22 color gif.

After that, they resized the image to 493 pixels, compressed the image at 18% jpeg quality and someone else added a bit of contrast, resized the image to 372 pixels and compressed the image at 10% jpeg quality.

Then they resized the image to 393 pixels, compressed the image at 28% jpeg quality and after that, they resized the image to 535 pixels and compressed the image at 28% jpeg quality.

Then they resized the image to 485 pixels and compressed the image at 12% jpeg quality and then someone reduced to a 19 color gif.

Finally someone resized the image to 487 pixels and compressed the image at 16% jpeg quality.

Oh my, that got pretty bad.

Website by Joachim Michaelis