Quantisation Table
Definition
A matrix of 64 integer divisors, one per DCT coefficient position, that controls how much each frequency component is rounded during JPEG compression. Dividing by a larger number loses more information but achieves higher compression. The quantisation table is embedded in the JPEG file header and is directly readable, giving analysts access to the compression parameters used.
Related terms
- Double JPEG Compression
- The situation where an image has been JPEG-encoded, decoded to a bitmap, and then JPEG-encoded again. The second quantisation step leaves a...
- JPEG Ghost
- A visualisation technique introduced by Farid (2009) that reveals regions compressed at a quality factor different from the rest of the image....
- Block Grid Phase
- The horizontal and vertical offset of the 8x8 encoding grid relative to the image coordinate origin. A phase of (0,0) means the...
- Blocking Artefacts
- Visible rectangular discontinuities at 8x8 block boundaries, caused by independent quantisation of adjacent blocks. At splice boundaries, misaligned block grids produce a...
- Blocking Artifact
- A visual discontinuity at the boundary between two adjacent 8x8 blocks in a JPEG image, caused by independent quantisation of each block....
- DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform)
- The mathematical transformation applied to each 8x8 pixel block during JPEG compression, converting spatial pixel values into a set of frequency coefficients...
- Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT)
- A mathematical transform that expresses a block of pixel values as a sum of cosine functions at different frequencies. JPEG applies the...
- Quality Factor
- The 1-100 scale that most JPEG encoders expose to the user, controlling how aggressively the quantisation table rounds coefficients. The factor is...
Explained in these topics
- DCT Block Boundaries and Quantisation Grid AnalysisA matrix of 64 integer divisors, one per DCT coefficient position, that controls how much each frequency component is rounded during JPEG compression. Dividing...
- JPEG Compression Artefacts and Double-Compression DetectionA matrix of divisors applied to DCT coefficients during JPEG compression. Higher divisors produce lower quality. The specific table used is often a manufacture...