ImageVerkümmerung

ImageVerkümmerung is a German term that translates to "image decay" or "image degradation." It refers to the gradual deterioration of the quality or integrity of a digital image over time. This can occur due to a variety of factors, both digital and physical.

One common cause is data corruption. Over time, storage media, such as hard drives or optical discs, can develop errors that affect the stored image files. This corruption can manifest as pixelation, color shifts, or even complete unreadability of the image. Another factor is the obsolescence of file formats or software. As technology advances, older image formats may become unsupported by modern software, making them difficult or impossible to open and view without conversion, which itself can sometimes lead to a loss of quality.

Physical degradation of the original medium from which an image was digitized can also contribute to image decay. For instance, old photographs can fade, discolor, or become damaged by moisture or handling, and when these are scanned, the resulting digital image will inherently contain these flaws. Furthermore, repeated compression and decompression of image files, especially using lossy compression algorithms like JPEG, can progressively reduce image quality with each cycle. While not always immediately apparent, this cumulative effect leads to a noticeable degradation over many such operations. Finally, deliberate or accidental modification of image data without proper archival practices can also be considered a form of image decay if it leads to a loss of original information or an alteration of its intended appearance.