{"id":334744,"date":"2021-09-03T16:00:23","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T13:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/lossy-vs-lossless-compression-whats-the-difference\/"},"modified":"2021-09-03T16:00:23","modified_gmt":"2021-09-03T13:00:23","slug":"lossy-vs-lossless-compression-whats-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/lossy-vs-lossless-compression-whats-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"#Lossy vs. Lossless Compression: What\u2019s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a29a5a87c1d6\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a29a5a87c1d6\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/lossy-vs-lossless-compression-whats-the-difference\/#Lossy_Compression_Makes_Files_Smaller\" >Lossy Compression Makes Files Smaller<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/lossy-vs-lossless-compression-whats-the-difference\/#Lossless_Compression_Favors_Quality_Over_Size\" >Lossless Compression Favors Quality Over Size<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/lossy-vs-lossless-compression-whats-the-difference\/#Both_Lossy_and_Lossless_Have_Their_Place\" >Both Lossy and Lossless Have Their Place<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#Lossy vs. Lossless Compression: What\u2019s the Difference?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-745982\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vice-clamp-white-background.jpg?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vice-clamp-white-background.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vice-clamp-white-background.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Clamp tool isolated on a white background\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-illustration\/vice-isolated-on-reflective-white-surface-343836263\">cigdem\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You may already know that computers and smart devices use compression to save disk space and bandwidth, using either lossy compression or lossless compression.\u00a0Both types of compression have their place, but what exactly separates them and which is best?<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lossy_Compression_Makes_Files_Smaller\"><\/span>Lossy Compression Makes Files Smaller<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Lossy compression discards as much data as possible in a bid to make file sizes as small as possible. This is achieved by targeting data that is deemed to be less noticeable so that the file itself still largely resembles the original. The more compressed a file, the more the quality will suffer.<\/p>\n<p>Two good examples of lossy compression are JPEG images and MP3 audio files. A highly compressed JPEG (example below) will exhibit visual artifacts, a loss of clarity and detail, potential color banding, and even color shifting. You may notice outlines around parts of the image that weren\u2019t there on the original.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-745544 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/IMG_4210.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Compressed JPEG image of trees under a blue sky\" width=\"650\" height=\"487\" data-credittext=\"Tim Brookes\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Example of a compressed JPEG image <span class=\"imagecredit\">Tim Brookes<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In terms of audio, a highly compressed MP3 file sounds noticeably worse than an uncompressed original, particularly in the low and high frequencies. Basslines and cymbals might sound muffled or shimmery, and overall audio clarity is reduced even in the midrange.<\/p>\n<p>Not all JPEGs are a blurry mess, and not all MP3s sound like they were <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">download<\/a>ed from Napster. The level of compression used can make a huge difference to the quality of the file. A barely compressed JPEG or 320kbps MP3 file will be hard to distinguish from an uncompressed original in most cases.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lossless_Compression_Favors_Quality_Over_Size\"><\/span>Lossless Compression Favors Quality Over Size<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Lossless compression requires that data is not discarded, which in turn uses more space or bandwidth. Unlike lossy compression, lossless compression doesn\u2019t result in data degradation, and decompressed data is identical to the uncompressed original.<\/p>\n<p>Some examples of lossless compression include the FLAC and ALAC audio codecs, ZIP archives, and PNG images. Audio files that use lossless compression are roughly half of the size of the uncompressed original at the same sample rate. Many audio streaming services now offer lossless streaming including Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, and Spotify\u2019s new HiFi tier.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-735885\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/IMG_5032.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Apple Music Lossless Audio Toggle\" width=\"650\" height=\"359\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>ZIP files are often used to compress software, which cannot undergo any form of lossy compression that would result in data being discarded (and the software no longer working). PNG image files rely purely on lossless compression, with services like <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/tinypng.com\">TinyPNG<\/a> instead squeezing images to fit a much smaller color palette to drive file size down.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Both_Lossy_and_Lossless_Have_Their_Place\"><\/span>Both Lossy and Lossless Have Their Place<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For archival purposes, lossless compression is king. It\u2019s not possible to reconstruct a lossless version of a file when it has been compressed in a lossy way.<\/p>\n<p>If file size or bandwidth is a concern, lossy compression makes much more sense. For example, if you want to download some music to your smartphone for offline listening, using lossy codecs like AAC will allow you to store much more music at the cost of a small hit to quality.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s before you consider that all of the best\u00a0wireless earphones like Apple\u2019s AirPods Pro rely on lossy compression to get the audio from your device to your ears in the first place.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>The Best Wireless Earbuds for iPhone and iPad in 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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Lossy Compression Makes Files Smaller Lossy compression discards&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":334745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vice-clamp-white-background.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-334744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334744\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}