JPEG Archive

Images captured by digital cameras can be difficult to store and share due to their large file size, which becomes an even bigger problem when you are dealing with duplicates and have no easy way to find and remove them.

JPEG Archive is a set of command-line tools that can help you reduce the file size of images, find similar or identical pictures and generate hashes. The compression tool is particularly useful, as it can minimize file size while having a low impact on perceived image quality.

The jpeg-recompress utility re-encodes files to the smallest JPEG compression level while maintaining the same perceived image quality. You can choose from several presets, set the desired JPEG compression level and even remove metadata.

However, while the difference between the source and output pictures may not be very noticeable, some details are still lost, which is something you should keep in mind if you plan to use the image for other projects or edit it later.

The other two utilities, jpeg-compare and jpeg-hash, are used to determine how similar two images are, as well as generate hashes for comparing them.

When loading two files, the jpeg-compare utility outputs a value, which tells you how similar the images are. A 0 means the pictures are identical, and the value increases as more differences are found.

It is worth keeping in mind that these programs lack GUIs, so you can only use them from the command-line. They may not be great for inexperienced users, but are perfect for those who wish to integrate them into other software.

In short, JPEG Archive can help users reduce image file size and get rid of duplicates, while also being a great choice for developers who wish to integrate any of these functions into their own applications.