diff --git a/jcphuff.c b/jcphuff.c
index 31028717..5c9d7035 100644
--- a/jcphuff.c
+++ b/jcphuff.c
@@ -468,6 +468,7 @@ encode_mcu_AC_first (j_compress_ptr cinfo, JBLOCKROW *MCU_data)
   int Se = cinfo->Se;
   int Al = cinfo->Al;
   JBLOCKROW block;
+  int deadzone = (1 << Al) - 1;
 
   entropy->next_output_byte = cinfo->dest->next_output_byte;
   entropy->free_in_buffer = cinfo->dest->free_in_buffer;
@@ -485,29 +486,21 @@ encode_mcu_AC_first (j_compress_ptr cinfo, JBLOCKROW *MCU_data)
   r = 0;			/* r = run length of zeros */
    
   for (k = cinfo->Ss; k <= Se; k++) {
-    if ((temp = (*block)[jpeg_natural_order[k]]) == 0) {
+    temp = (*block)[jpeg_natural_order[k]];
+    if ((unsigned)(temp + deadzone) <= 2*deadzone) {
       r++;
       continue;
     }
+
     /* We must apply the point transform by Al.  For AC coefficients this
      * is an integer division with rounding towards 0.  To do this portably
      * in C, we shift after obtaining the absolute value; so the code is
      * interwoven with finding the abs value (temp) and output bits (temp2).
      */
-    if (temp < 0) {
-      temp = -temp;		/* temp is abs value of input */
-      temp >>= Al;		/* apply the point transform */
-      /* For a negative coef, want temp2 = bitwise complement of abs(coef) */
-      temp2 = ~temp;
-    } else {
-      temp >>= Al;		/* apply the point transform */
-      temp2 = temp;
-    }
-    /* Watch out for case that nonzero coef is zero after point transform */
-    if (temp == 0) {
-      r++;
-      continue;
-    }
+    int sign = temp >> 31;
+    temp += sign;
+    temp2 = temp >> Al;
+    temp = (temp ^ sign) >> Al;
 
     /* Emit any pending EOBRUN */
     if (entropy->EOBRUN > 0)