JPEG Quality Transcoding Using Neural Networks Trained With a Perceptual Error Measure

A JPEG Quality Transcoder (JQT) converts a JPEG image file that was encoded with low image quality to a larger JPEG image file with reduced visual artifacts, without access to the original uncompressed image. In this article, we describe technology for JQT design that takes a pattern recognition approach to the problem, using a database of images to train statistical models of the artifacts introduced through JPEG compression. In the training procedure for these models, we use a model of human visual perception as an error measure. Our current prototype system removes 32.2% of the artifacts introduced by moderate compression, as measured on an independent test database of linearly coded images using a perceptual error metric. This improvement results in an average PSNR reduction of 0.634 dB.