If you are wondering whether you can reverse the process after image compression to return it back to its original size, the short answer is no.
If you feel that you may need a copy of the larger, original image, the best suggestion we can offer is to keep a copy of the large version stored in a safe place.
Compressed images are permanently altered to decrease their size through a process of removing non-essential pixels from the picture. Once they are removed, they cannot be replaced – just like you can’t reverse a hair-cut.
The picture does not look any different after it has been altered. This is because the pixels that are removed are not crucial to make up the image, meaning that they are mostly not even visible whether they are there or they are not.
This is the process of image compression, which is what we specialize in at compressimage.org.
Once the “extra” pixels have been removed, the image is significantly reduced in size, although it still looks exactly the same to the human eye. Image compression is therefore extremely useful, as the extra pixels take up a large amount of storage space without adding any value to the user or the viewer looking at the image.
In order to preserve the image quality, it is important to know which pixels to remove – and that is exactly what the image compression software right here on this site is designed for. If the wrong pixels are removed, or if too many pixels are removed, the image quality is worsened and the picture does not look the same. This is termed lossy compression, and is avoided at all costs here.
Computers are not able to increase the image size as they generally do not have the functionality to create pixels that are not presently there. Perhaps, sometime in the future, technology may advance to the point of making this possible. When that is the case, we will be the first to bring it to you!