The document discusses JPEG image compression and its implementation in MATLAB. It describes the steps taken to encode and decode grayscale images using the JPEG baseline standard in MATLAB. These include dividing images into 8x8 blocks, applying the discrete cosine transform, quantizing the results, and entropy encoding the data. Encoding compression ratios and processing times are compared between classic and fast DCT approaches. The project also examines how quantization coefficients affect the restored image quality.