The spelling of the term "image compression" is based on the pronunciation of each individual phoneme in the word. According to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), the word starts with the "ih" sound as in "bin", followed by the "m" sound and the "ih" sound again. The next syllable is pronounced with a "k" sound, followed by the "r" sound and the "eh" sound like in "get". The final syllable includes the "sh" sound and the "n" sound. In total, the word is pronounced as "ɪmədʒ kəmˈprɛʃən".
Image compression is a process of reducing the file size of an image while retaining its visual quality. It is primarily used to decrease storage requirements and transmission time when dealing with large amounts of digital images. The process involves various techniques and algorithms to remove redundant or unnecessary data from the image file.
One commonly used method of image compression is lossy compression, which achieves higher compression ratios by discarding some of the image's information. During this process, certain details or colors that may not be noticeable to the human eye are eliminated or approximated, resulting in a smaller file size. Lossy compression is suitable for applications such as web-based images or multimedia files where minimal loss of quality is acceptable.
Another technique used in image compression is lossless compression, which aims to reduce the file size without any degradation in quality. It achieves this by identifying patterns or redundancies within the image and replacing them with shorter representations. Unlike lossy compression, lossless compression can reconstruct the original image perfectly from the compressed file.
Image compression is widely utilized in various fields, including web applications, digital photography, video streaming, and data transmission over networks. It enables efficient storage and transmission of large collections of images and is essential for reducing bandwidth requirements when delivering high-quality images over the internet.
The word "image" originates from the Latin word "imago", which means "a likeness or representation". It entered English through the Old French word "image".
The word "compression" comes from the Latin word "compressus", the past participle of "comprimere", which means "to press together". In English, "compression" refers to the action of reducing the size or volume of something.
Therefore, the term "image compression" combines "image", referring to a visual representation, with "compression", indicating the process of reducing the size or volume of that representation.