Lossy compression and lossless compression are two data compression techniques.
- Lossy Compression reduces file size by permanently removing some data, often unnoticeable to the user, to achieve higher compression ratios. It is used in applications like images, audio, and video (e.g., JPEG, MP3). However, quality may degrade with excessive compression.
- Lossless Compression, on the other hand, retains all original data, ensuring the file can be perfectly reconstructed. It is ideal for text, documents, and some images (e.g., PNG, ZIP). Although the compression ratio is lower compared to lossy methods, it guarantees data integrity.
The choice depends on the need for quality versus size.