Final answer:
Lossless compression allows an original image to be perfectly reconstructed, unlike lossy compression, which reduces file size by discarding data potentially affecting photo quality.
Therefore, the correct answer is: option a) allows an original image to be perfectly reconstructed.
Step-by-step explanation:
Lossless compression is a class of data compression that allows the original data to be perfectly reconstructed from the compressed data with no loss of information.
Lossy compression, on the other hand, reduces file size by irreversibly discarding data, which can reduce the quality of the image.
JPEG, a commonly used image format for digital photos, typically uses lossy compression to balance image quality with file size. Lossless compression usually doesn't result in smaller file sizes than lossy compression because it maintains all the original data.
Two main reasons the JPEG format is used for digital photos are its ability to display millions of colors, making them suitable for photos, and its capacity for compression to create smaller image files. Nonetheless, this compression can affect the photo quality when set to a high level, which can be visually noticeable.