An apparatus for compressing an image, comprising: a coding unit configured to generate code data by encoding data derived from image data; a memory unit which stores truncation data items identified by respective data sequence numbers, wherein a truncation data item specifies a way in which code data is removed from the generated code data, such that the larger the data sequence number, the higher a quality of a reproduced image obtained by decoding the generated code data after the removal of code data, or such that the larger the data sequence number, the lower the quality of the reproduced image; and a rate control unit configured to identify a data sequence number of a truncation data item that provides a code data parameter substantially equal to a desired value, said code data parameter being responsive to an amount of code data removal.