What characterizes lossy compression in imaging?

Lossy compression is characterized by the fact that it reduces the amount of data in an image by eliminating some information, which ultimately lowers the quality of the decompressed image compared to the original. This means that when an image is compressed using a lossy method, some detail may be lost permanently during the compression process.

This type of compression is often used when a significant reduction in file size is necessary, and the loss of detail is acceptable, such as in non-diagnostic applications or for web use. In contrast, methods that allow for perfect reconstruction of the original image without any loss of quality utilize lossless compression techniques.

In medical imaging, maintaining diagnostic quality is crucial, and therefore, lossy compression is not typically employed for transmitting diagnostic-quality images. The goal with diagnostic images is to retain the highest possible quality, making lossy compression unsuitable in those contexts. Thus, understanding that lossy compression leads to a reduction in quality is key in imaging practices.