Digital Output
I have the opportunity to investigate image compression and learn a lot more about the different formats, options and their results. Since I am starting off with very little knowledge about formats, option, and results this document may seem very elementary to the reader. Unless the reader is my mom. Mom, I am going to sound so smart to you.
Image Process:
Investigating Save as qualities
Conclusion:
The difference between a quality of 12 and 2 doesn’t change much in color or clarity as long as the view is not zoomed in. However, the file size changes dramatically from 7.3 MB to 526 KB.
Save as .jpg zoomed in at %2000
There is pixelation but not really any blocking or artifacting. The color looks good and true.
There is very little change in the pixelation. There still isn’t any artifacting. Color still looks good and doesn’t seem to have lost anything.
Pixelated and has started to have some blocking or artifacting. The color doesn’t seem to have lost any value.
It looks very blocky or in other words artifacting is very evident. Color still doesn’t seem to have lost much value.
Conclusion
The difference in quality is visible when zoomed in at 2000%. There isn’t a major visual difference between quality 12 and quality 6. However, quality 4 and quality 2 have artifacting which causes blurring and distortion. There is quite a big jump in the file size though. The sweet spot would be quality of 6 or 4 depending on how much zoom was needed.
Save as PNG
I saved the same RAW image at 2 different quality settings. PNG format allowed for smallest or none for quality settings. From the naked eye I don’t see any difference.
When I zoomed in at 500% I couldn’t see any differences in quality. Nor could I notice any difference at 1000% or 3000%. There isn’t a major visual difference between quality “none” and quality “smallest”. At this point I am feeling really insecure and hoping I don’t have terrible eyes. Because judging by file size there should be a difference.
Save as GIF
I think transparency is more for a graphic image that you want to have a clear background. But I don’t have one of those. I decided to try it out on this photo anyway and I can’t see any difference at all. The file size change is very minimal and I would have expected it to be larger on the non transparency image. That surprised me.
Since GIF and PNG are both used a lot on social media I wanted to show the difference in file size. GIFs are usually better for graphics and simple images but the file sizes are drastically different.
This graph is only showing the results for the highest quality settings for Image 1. In conclusion Save as… JPEG had the best quality for smallest file size. Zooming in close at a quality of 6 or even 4 still retains a lot of value and clarity. I would say the best case scenario would be using a JPEG image with a quality of 6 and use the Save as option.
Video Compression
Video Formats
Video Compression
Conclusion
Watching the videos on a laptop with Quicktime doesn’t show any differences between the quality. The objects that were in focus were very clear and had great visual quality. The unfocused objects or areas had sightly grainy appearances that would probably not be noticed unless you are looking for it. Best case scenario would be VBR 2 passes with a limit between 8–12.
Resolutions
There are many different screen resolutions and video resolutions. The bigger the screen resolution the bigger video resolution is needed to make the video look it’s best. Here are some examples of different Screen and video resolutions that might be used in the industry.
It would seem that the quality of a video would change as it is compressed and the file size goes down. The videos in the example were high quality from the beginning and not very complicated. There wasn’t any really fast cars driving by or dramatic scene changes. It could be that the more complicated the video footage the more complicated it would be to compress the video. From this experiment with these videos it is safe to assume that videos can be compressed with a VBR 2 passes with a limit of 8–12 and the video wouldn’t loose any quality. The file size decreases so why not make things more efficient. If it were a major action packed movie the compression would be much more tricky or complicated. You can deal with that when you are helping create the next Lord of the Rings movie.
Audio Formats
Audio formats investigated
The Original music in an AIFF has the largest file size of 33.9 MB. Second largest file size is the Apple Lossless file which is 21.3 MB. AAC files were larger than the MP3 files. So if you didn’t care about quality but just cared about file size the best option would be an MP3 128 kbps compressed file. However, it would be a good idea to listen to the quality to decide which one give you the best quality for the smallest file size.
The music all sounds pretty similar. The largest files AIFF and Apple Lossless had the clearest sound but not by a huge difference. MP3 and AAC 128 kbps definitely had a difference from AIFF or Apple Lossless. However, it wasn’t a huge difference. Maybe if I had a better pair of earphones I could hear the difference better. The file size is so drastic that there should be a huge difference in quality. aac and mp3 had no difference. I would choose aac 192kbps for most of my music files to save space on file size but still have quality.
Final Conclusion
Image, video, and audio compression is a vital skill in this industry. We want the best quality for the smallest file size. Knowing where the limits are and when to use them can be a huge ticket for success in many different fields of technology. Compressing all aspects of a website or ap or digital publication could means faster download time and more room for more information. It is an invaluable skill. Digital Output and compression can be very intimidating when you first start investigating it. There are so many options and directions to go. This document is just scratching the surface. You got to start somewhere. It is less intimidating as you go along realizing you can make mistakes and fix them. Experimenting and learning should involve some stretching and breeching your comfort zone. I have learned so very much in the process of making this document. I have gained invaluable experience to help me learn and grow in the DGM degree. There is plenty of room for improvement and I am excited to become more confident and comfortable in this technological degree.
