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from the just-use-a-photocopier-multiple-times dept.
Google has developed and open-sourced a new JPEG algorithm that reduces file size by about 35 percent—or alternatively, image quality can be significantly improved while keeping file size constant. Importantly, and unlike some of its other efforts in image compression (WebP, WebM), Google's new JPEGs are completely compatible with existing browsers, devices, photo editing apps, and the JPEG standard.
The new JPEG encoder is called Guetzli, which is Swiss German for cookie (the project was led by Google Research's Zurich office). Don't pay too much attention to the name: after extensive analysis, I can't find anything in the Github repository related to cookies or indeed any other baked good.
There are numerous ways of tweaking JPEG image quality and file size, but Guetzli focuses on the quantization stage of compression. Put simply, quantization is a process that tries to reduce a large amount of disordered data, which is hard to compress, into ordered data, which is very easy to compress. In JPEG encoding, this process usually reduces gentle colour gradients to single blocks of colour and often obliterates small details entirely.
The difficult bit is finding a balance between removing detail, and keeping file size down. Every lossy encoder (libjpeg, x264, lame) does it differently.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by martyb on Monday March 20 2017, @03:15AM
Maybe it's for Google's benefit?
How many times have you downloaded the internet? =)
But seriously, Google indexes the web, provides an image search, and also provides e-mail (with attachments)... and I'm sure there is more that I am forgetting.
Every byte they can persuade YOU to compress out of YOUR images, that's one less byte THEY need to download EACH TIME they crawl the web. It's one less byte they need to receive AND to send when you send a picture to someone via e-mail.
When you are as big as Google, and have the bandwidth needs they do, then it sure makes a lot of sense.
Related: Why do you think Google came up with their Chrome browser? My theory is that they already had written code to scrape data off web pages (for their search engine), right? Why not extend that to create a new browser? They could use that to encourage people to write standards-compliant web pages... to make it easier for Google to scrape the data off your pages. Remember, search-engine optimization IS a thing.
Wit is intellect, dancing.