1. A method comprising: splitting raw image data into a plurality of channels which include one or more color plane difference channels, the splitting includes arranging a first color plane of the raw image data into a first color channel and a second color channel, generating a first difference channel that differences said first color channel from values associated with a second color plane of the raw image data, and generating a second difference channel that differences said second color channel from values associated with a third color plane of the raw image data, said first color plane having twice the number of associated values as values associated with either said second or third color plane; and compressing separately each of said channels using a two-dimensional discrete wavelet transform, said compression utilizing quantization.