The Entropy of a Digital Image

Entropy in a digital image measures the amount of information or complexity within that image. It quantifies how varied the pixel values are—if an image has many different colors or shades, its entropy is high; if it’s mostly uniform, entropy is low. Think of it as a way to gauge how much detail or randomness is present. Higher entropy indicates more information content, making the image richer or more complex, while lower entropy suggests simplicity or uniformity. This concept helps in image compression and analysis, aiming to efficiently store or interpret visual data based on its informational richness.