Calculate Data Compression
Calculate data compression rate or data size before and after compression. Enter two of the three values at size and ratio and click Calculate.
Example: a file with 123 MB is compressed with a ratio of 1.5. The compressed file has a size of 82 MB, 33⅓ % space are saved. Space savings are given in percent. Umcompressed (before compression) and compressed (after compression) size must have the same unit, e.g. megabyte.
Fundamentally, file compression methods are divided into lossless and lossy compression. With lossless compression, all information is retained, but arranged in a more space-efficient manner. This type of compression can be completely undone. This type of compression is used, for example, in the methods ZIP and RAR, which are particularly suitable for text files. For images, the PNG format is a suitable lossless compression method. This type of compression is only applicable up to a certain limit.
Lossy compression omits data. In general, care is taken to remove as much unnecessary information as possible, i.e., information where the omission is least noticeable. However, above a certain compression rate, the effect becomes clearly noticeable. The higher the compression rate, the smaller the file becomes, the more is omitted, and the more the file quality deteriorates. Lossy compression cannot be reversed; if the original file is lost, it cannot be restored from the compressed file. Examples of lossy compression formats include JPG for images, MP3 for audio, and MP4 for video. With jpg images, you can clearly see how strong compression affects image quality.
Which type of compression you choose depends on the type of files, their application and the goal you want to achieve with the compression.
Last updated on 09/21/2025. Author: Jürgen Kummer
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