Current compression algorithms usually shave about 1 percent off the size of JPEG images and can result in small degradations of quality.
In addition to increasing the compression rate of JPEGs by about 30 times, Allume also said that it will include new features in the upcoming release of StuffIt Deluxe 9.0 for Windows that allows individuals to view thumbnail images without extracting them from the archive.
“This new photo compression technology makes StuffIt a perfect companion for any digital lifestyle,” said Matthew Covington, senior product manager at Allume. “Whether you take photos for a living or just for fun, it’s now easier than ever to share and store your pictures. With our breakthrough image compression technology you can send more photos via email and fit more photos on CDs, DVDs, or any other type of storage media, all without having to compromise the quality of the image.
Allume’s claims were verified by independent tests conducted by the Archive Comparison Test, which tested a beta version of the new compression program on three 2048x1536 resolution images that ranged in size from 504 kilobytes to a little over 1 megabyte.
ACT’s tests indicated that the software reached compression ratios from 24 to 27 percent and compressed the files in about six seconds. Zip 2.3, on the other hand, had compression rates of under a second, but only reached a maximum compression ratio of 2 percent.
“This is not a hoax,” said ACT’s Jeff Gilchrist. “The algorithm actually works.”