Image Processing

What is an image?

An image is two dimensional function, f(x,y), where x and y are spatial coordinates, and the amplitude of f at any pair of coordinates (x,y) is called the intensity or grey level of the image at that point.

Digital Image?

Digital Image Processing

The field of digital image processing refers to processing of digital images by means of digital computer. Fundamental steps of digital image processing Image Acquisition Image Enhancement Image Restoration Image Analysis Image Reconstruction Image Compression

Image Acquisition Tools

Human Eye Ordinary Camera X-Ray Machine Positron Emission Tomography Infrared Imaging Geophysical Imaging

Structure of Human Eye

Spherical in shape with average diameter approximately 20 mm There are three membranes enclose the eye Cornea and sclera as outer cover Choroid Retina Iris (pupil) varies in diameter approximately 2 to 8 mm Lens

Structure of Human Eye

Light Receptors over Retina

Distribution of Light Receptors over Retina

Image Formation in the Eye

Electromagnetic spectrum

Colour
The colour that human perceive in an object is determine by the light reflected from the object The body that reflects light which is relatively balanced in all visible wavelengths appears white

Sensors
Sensors are use to transform illumination energy into digital images. Sensors are three types:
Single

Imaging Sensor Line sensor Array Sensor

Single Sensors
To generate a 2-D image using a single sensor, there has to be relative displacements in both the x- and y-directions between the sensor and the area to be imaged.

A film negative is mounted onto a drum whose mechanical rotation provides displacement in one dimension. The single sensor is mounted on a lead screw that provides motion in the perpendicular direction. Since mechanical motion can be controlled with high precision, this method is an inexpensive (but slow) way to obtain highresolution images.

Linear Sensor
A geometry that is used much more frequently than single sensors consists of an in-line arrangement of sensors in the form of a sensor strip. The strip provides imaging elements in one direction. Motion perpendicular to the strip provides imaging in the other direction.

In-line sensors are used routinely in airborne imaging applications, in which the imaging system is mounted on an aircraft that flies at a constant altitude and speed over the geographical area to be imaged. One-dimensional imaging sensor strips that respond to various bands of the electromagnetic spectrum are mounted perpendicular to the direction of flight. The imaging strip gives one line of an image at a time, and the motion of the strip completes the other dimension of a two-dimensional image. Lenses or other focusing schemes are used to project the area to be scanned onto the sensors.

Array Sensor
Numerous electromagnetic and some ultrasonic sensing devices frequently are arranged in an array format. This arrangement is also found in digital cameras. The response of each sensor is proportional to the integral of the light energy projected onto the surface of the sensor, a property that is used in astronomical and other applications requiring low noise images. The illumination source reflects the energy from a scene element and the first function performed by the imaging system is to collect the incoming energy and focus it onto an image plane. If the illumination is light, the front end of the imaging system is a lens, which projects the viewed scene onto the lens focal plane. The sensor array, which is coincident with the focal plane, produces outputs proportional to the integral of the light received at each sensor.

Image Sampling and Quantization

The output of most sensors is a continuous voltage waveform whose amplitude and spatial behavior are related to the physical phenomenon being sensed. To create a digital image, we need to convert the continuous sensed data into digital form. This involves two processes: sampling and quantization.

Sampling and Quantization

To convert it to digital form, we have to sample the function in both coordinates and in amplitude. Digitizing the coordinate values is called sampling. Digitizing the amplitude values is called quantization.

Sampling and Quantization

Sampling and Quantization

Image before sampling and quantization

Result of sampling and quantization

Digital Image?

When x, y and the amplitude values of f are finite, discrete quantities, the image is called digital image A digital image is composed of a finite number of elements, each of which has a particular location and value. These elements are referred to as picture elements, image elements, pels and pixels.

Pixel values in highlighted region

Image Size

This digitization process requires decisions about values for M, N, and for the number, L, of discrete gray levels allowed for each pixel. Where M and N, are positive integers. However, due to processing, storage, and sampling hardware considerations, the number of gray levels typically is an integer power of 2: L = 2K Where k is number of bits require to represent a grey value The discrete levels should be equally spaced and that they are integers in the interval [0, L-1]. The number, b, of bits required to store a digitized image is b=M*N*k.

Number of storage bits for various values of N and k

Resolution

Spatial Resolution: Spatial resolution is the smallest detectable detail in an image. Grey level Resolution: Gray-level resolution similarly refers to the smallest detectable change in gray level.

A 1024*1024, 8-bit image subsampled down to size 32*32 pixels.The number of allowable gray levels was kept at 256

(a) 1024*1024, 8-bit image. (b) 512*512 image resampled into 1024*1024 pixels by row and column duplication. (c) through (f) 256*256, 128*128, 64*64, and 32*32 images resampled into 1024*1024 pixels.

(a) 452*374, 256-level image (b)(d) Image displayed in 128, 64, and 32 gray levels, while keeping the spatial resolution constant.