Jpegmini article free#

JPEGmini has several advantages for photographers as well as other potential users. The technology which is based on several patent-pending algorithms, was developed to mimic the way the human eye (and mind) perceive images and to compress each image automatically to a level just above that where artifacts would begin to appear. If JPEGmini does not compress images beyond conventional JPEG, then you might ask what is the big innovation here? The answer has to do with the technology developed by ICVT which allows JPEGmini to compress any image just below the level where artifacts start to appear. On the upside JPEGmini doesn't have compatibility problems like other proprietary formats, issues which have severely restricted their use. This is unlike rival compression formats which are using different compression algorithms capable of reducing the file size further. The biggest disadvantage is that the theoretical compression threshold is limited by the JPEG format (we will discuss what JPEGmini was able to do about that later in the interview). This has both advantages and disadvantages. We will get to our interview with ICVT shortly, but first some background on JPEGmini. To learn more about the technology, we scheduled a meeting with ICVT – the start-up which has been working for the past several years on JPEGmini, located in one of Tel-Aviv’s tallest buildings (surprisingly just one floor below Google's main offices in Israel). To be honest we were quite skeptical – attempts have been made in the past to create improved image compression technologies, and when giants such as Google (with its WebP technology) breathing down its neck, JPEGmini has a lot to prove. Several weeks ago we accidentally came across a website of an unknown company with a bold statement – a new compression technology which can compress the file size of any image by up to 5 times with no visible loss of quality compared to the original image, all that while still being fully compatible with the current JPEG format. A revolution on its way? .il set out to test it and talk with the developers. Based on the JPEG format, the new JPEGmini is compatible with existing JPEG but capable of reducing the file size of an image by up to 5X without any visible loss of image quality. This is as it should be when a program’s purpose is to save disk space while minimizing loss of photo detail.An Israeli company recently unveiled what might be the next generation of image compression technology. Also, once photos have been re-compressed using JPEGmini, that’s it: You can’t reduce them further by running them through the program again. Be sure you don’t want the originals of anything you use it on. I created two copies of the photos involved for comparison purposes, as JPEGmini compresses the originals and doesn’t create backups. Zooming in to the pixelated level, the differences still weren’t something to stress over. At 100% zoom, it was very difficult to tell the difference between the original and recompressed photos. It trimmed my 234.5MB test folder of photos from a RADAR 4G phone and Canon 230SX camera to a mere 134MB, a very nice reduction in space. JPEGmini takes advantage of the underzealous compression habits of your camera devices to further compact your JPEG files (no other types are supported) while leaving them nearly as detailed.

The original and re-compressed photos look nearly identical, but you can see from the stats that the processed photo on the right is considerably smaller. This is generally wise, as you can’t restore detail that’s been compressed away, but for most purposes, you can squash JPEG files quite a bit further before you see obvious compression artifacts. Most camera devices use a very mild amount of compression, producing relatively detailed images that are much smaller than uncompressed (raw) files, but still much larger than they need to be for general use. JPEG is a compressed format, but the amount of compression applied is variable and optional, ranging from slightly to extremely lossy. Open or drag the files to it that you want to compress. There’s nothing complicated about JPEGmini’s interface. If you’re a photo hound, you’ll like it, and you might want to reward the company so you can use it.

Jpegmini article free#

JPEGmini ($20, free feature-limited demo) does one thing-further compresses JPEG pictures to save you disk space-and does it quite well.

You might even be rewarded for it if it’s something other people like. If you’re going to do just one thing in your life, you’re best off doing it really, really, well.