In today’s world, where the size of image files is increasing due to higher resolutions and more detailed content, it becomes essential to handle these files efficiently. One way to achieve this is by using compressed image formats. Compressed image formats reduce the file size without significant loss in image quality. In this blog post, we will explore how to read and write compressed images using streams.

Why use compressed image formats?

Compressed image formats offer several benefits, which make them perfect for various applications:

1. Reduced file size: Compressed image formats use algorithms to compress images, resulting in smaller file sizes. This is especially important for web applications, where faster loading times are crucial.

2. Improved storage: Compressed image formats require less disk space, making them favorable for storing large collections of images.

3. Better network performance: Smaller image sizes lead to faster data transfer over networks, which is particularly important for mobile applications and websites accessed on slower connections.

Reading compressed images with streams

To read compressed images with streams, we can use the libjpeg library in Python. Here’s an example code snippet:

import io
import jpegio as jio

# Open the compressed image file
with open('compressed_image.jpg', 'rb') as f:
    # Read the file with io.BytesIO to obtain a stream
    stream = io.BytesIO(f.read())
    
    # Use jpegio library to parse the stream and read the image
    jpeg = jio.read(stream)
    
    # Access the image data
    image = jpeg['img']

In the code above, we first open the compressed image file in binary mode. Then, we use io.BytesIO to convert the file data into a stream. Finally, we can use the jpegio library to parse the stream and extract the image data.

Writing compressed images with streams

To write compressed images with streams, we can use libraries like pillow in Python. Here’s an example code snippet:

from PIL import Image

# Open the original image file
image = Image.open('original_image.jpg')

# Create a stream to write the compressed image
stream = io.BytesIO()

# Save the image to the stream with desired compression quality
image.save(stream, format='JPEG', quality=80)

# Extract the compressed image data from the stream
compressed_image_data = stream.getvalue()

# Write the compressed image data to a file or transmit over a network
with open('compressed_image.jpg', 'wb') as f:
    f.write(compressed_image_data)

In the code above, we first open the original image file using the PIL library. Then, we create a BytesIO stream to write the compressed image. We save the image to the stream with the desired compression quality. Finally, we extract the compressed data from the stream and write it to a file or transmit it over a network.

Conclusion

Reading and writing compressed images using streams allows us to handle large image files more efficiently. The ability to reduce file sizes while maintaining image quality is invaluable in various applications, ranging from web development to image storage. By leveraging streams and appropriate libraries, we can improve performance, reduce storage requirements, and deliver better user experiences.

#compressedimages #imagecompression