Integrated Test Pattern Generator and Measurement Algorithm for Colour Compression Artefacts in Ubiquitous Colour Spaces

This paper presents an environment to evaluate image codecs for the colour bleeding artefacts objectively. It is difficult to detect and measure individual artefacts in coded images. A synthetic random colour test pattern generator and a colour gamut transfer algorithm are developed to emphasise and measure colour bleeding artefacts due to image compression. The performances of a JPEG and a JPEG2000 codec implementations are compared in colour reproduction for television colour gamut. Both types of codecs show an increasing level of colour bleeding artefacts with increasing compression ratio. The objective artefact measures can be used in the image codec development process, in parameter optimisation of codec performance and in selecting a codec for a given application. Artefact metrics can also be used to select suitable parameters for video codecs while creating video streams for the Internet applications and in any multimedia application in general.