Reduction of Blocking Effects for the JPEG Baseline Image Compression Standard

AbstractTransform coding has been chosen for still image compression in the JPEG [1] standard. Although transform coding performs superior to many other image compression methods [2] and has fast algorithms for implementation [3], it is limited by a blocking effect at low bit rates. The blocking effect is inherent in all nonoverlapping transforms. This paper presents a technique for reducing blocking while remaining compatible with the JPEG standard. Simulations show that the system results in subjective performance improvements, sacrificing only a marginal increase in bit rate.