Embodiments include systems and methods of measuring a blockiness level in video data that has been encoded and decoded. In one embodiment, a Q-value is calculated that indicates the blockiness level of a decompressed image. The Q-value can be based on a block map having indicators corresponding to each of a plurality of pixels in an input image, each indicator signaling if a block edge is present at the corresponding pixel location in the input image, and also based on block locations indicative of the alignment block edge locations in the input image. The Q-value can be calculated in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction with respect to the input image. The Q-value is determined based on a flatness measurement of pixel values around certain considered pixels in the input image. The Q-value can be provided to a deblocking filter to improve the performance of deblocking the input image.