Prediction error preprocessing for perceptual color image compression

In this article, a prediction error preprocessor based on the just noticeable distortion (JND) for the color image compression scheme is presented. The dynamic range of prediction error signals we can reduce, the lower bit rate of the reconstructed image we can obtain at high visual quality. We propose a color JND estimator that is incorporated into the design of the preprocessor in the compression scheme. The color JND estimator is carried out in the wavelet domain to present good estimates to the available amount masking. The estimated JND is used to preprocess the signal and is also used to incorporate into the design of the quantization stage in the compression scheme for higher performance. Simulation results show that the bit rate required by the compression scheme with the preprocessor is lower at high visual quality of the reconstructed color image. The preprocessor is further applied to the input color image of the JPEG and JPEG2000 coders for better performance.