Histogram

Equalizationhttp://nptel.ac.in/courses/117104
069/chapter_8/8_2.html

Common Names: Histogram Modeling, Histogram Equalization

Brief Description
Histogram modeling techniques (e.g. histogram equalization) provide a sophisticated method for
modifying the dynamic range and contrast of an image by altering that image such that its
intensity histogram has a desired shape. Unlike contrast stretching, histogram modeling operators
may employ non-linear and non-monotonic transfer functions to map between pixel intensity
values in the input and output images. Histogram equalization employs a monotonic, non-linear
mapping which re-assigns the intensity values of pixels in the input image such that the output
image contains a uniform distribution of intensities (i.e. a flat histogram). This technique is used
in image comparison processes (because it is effective in detail enhancement) and in the
correction of non-linear effects introduced by, say, a digitizer or display system.

How It Works
Histogram modeling is usually introduced using continuous, rather than discrete, process
functions. Therefore, we suppose that the images of interest contain continuous intensity levels
(in the interval [0,1]) and that the transformation function f which maps an input image
onto an output image

is continuous within this interval. Further, it will be assumed that

the transfer law (which may also be written in terms of intensity density levels, e.g.
) is single-valued and monotonically increasing (as is the case in histogram
equalization) so that it is possible to define the inverse law
a transfer function is illustrated in Figure 1.

. An example of such

Figure 1 A histogram transformation function.

All pixels in the input image with densities in the region

to

will have their pixel

values re-assigned such that they assume an output pixel density value in the range from
. The surface areas

where

and

to

will therefore be equal, yielding:

This result can be written in the language of probability theory if the histogram h is regarded as a
continuous probability density function p describing the distribution of the (assumed random)
intensity levels:

In the case of histogram equalization, the output probability densities should all be an equal
fraction of the maximum number of intensity levels in the input image
(where the minimum
level considered is 0). The transfer function (or point operator) necessary to achieve this result is
simply:

Therefore,

where
is simply the cumulative probability distribution (i.e. cumulative histogram) of
the original image. Thus, an image which is transformed using its cumulative histogram yields
an output histogram which is flat!
A digital implementation of histogram equalization is usually performed by defining a transfer
function of the form:

where N is the number of image pixels and

is the number of pixels at intensity level k or less.

In the digital implementation, the output image will not necessarily be fully equalized and there
may be `holes' in the histogram (i.e. unused intensity levels). These effects are likely to decrease
as the number of pixels and intensity quantization levels in the input image are increased.

Guidelines for Use

To illustrate the utility of histogram equalization, consider

which shows an 8-bit grayscale image of the surface of the moon. The histogram

confirms what we can see by visual inspection: this image has poor dynamic range. (Note that
we can view this histogram as a description of pixel probability densities by simply scaling the
vertical axis by the total number of image pixels and normalizing the horizontal axis using the
number of intensity density levels (i.e. 256). However, the shape of the distribution will be the
same in either case.)
In order to improve the contrast of this image, without affecting the structure (i.e. geometry) of
the information contained therein, we can apply the histogram equalization operator. The
resulting image is

and its histogram is shown

Note that the histogram is not flat (as in the examples from the continuous case) but that the
dynamic range and contrast have been enhanced. Note also that when equalizing images with
narrow histograms and relatively few gray levels, increasing the dynamic range has the adverse
effect of increasing visual grainyness. Compare this result with that produced by the linear
contrast stretching operator

In order to further explore the transformation defined by the histogram equalization operator,
consider the image of the Scott Monument in Edinburgh, Scotland

Although the contrast on the building is acceptable, the sky region is represented almost entirely
by light pixels. This causes most histogram pixels

to be pushed into a narrow peak in the upper graylevel region. The histogram equalization
operator defines a mapping based on the cumulative histogram

which results in the image

While histogram equalization has enhanced the contrast of the sky regions in the image, the
picture now looks artificial because there is very little variety in the middle graylevel range. This
occurs because the transfer function is based on the shallow slope of the cumulative histogram in
the middle graylevel regions (i.e. intensity density levels 100 - 230) and causes many pixels from
this region in the original image to be mapped to similar graylevels in the output image.
We can improve on this if we define a mapping based on a sub-section of the image which
contains a better distribution of intensity densities from the low and middle range graylevels. If
we crop the image so as to isolate a region which contains more building than sky

we can then define a histogram equalization mapping for the whole image based on the
cumulative histogram

of this smaller region. Since the cropped image contains a more even distribution of dark and
light pixels, the slope of the transfer function is steeper and smoother, and the contrast of the
resulting image

is more natural. This idea of defining mappings based upon particular sub-sections of the image
is taken up by another class of operators which perform Local Enhancements as discussed below.

Common Variants
Histogram Specification
Histogram equalization is limited in that it is capable of producing only one result: an image with
a uniform intensity distribution. Sometimes it is desirable to be able to control the shape of the
output histogram in order to highlight certain intensity levels in an image. This can be
accomplished by the histogram specialization operator which maps a given intensity distribution
into a desired distribution
intermediate stage.

using a histogram equalized image

as an

The first step in histogram specialization, is to specify the desired output density function and
write a transformation g(c). If

is single-valued (which is true when there are no unfilled

levels in the specified histogram or errors in the process of rounding off

intensity level), then

to the nearest

defines a mapping from the equalized levels of the original

image,
. It is possible to combine these two transformations such that the
image need not be histogram equalized explicitly:

Local Enhancements
The histogram processing methods discussed above are global in the sense that they apply a
transformation function whose form is based on the intensity level distribution of an entire
image. Although this method can enhance the overall contrast and dynamic range of an image
(thereby making certain details more visible), there are cases in which enhancement of details
over small areas (i.e. areas whose total pixel contribution to the total number of image pixels has
a negligible influence on the global transform) is desired. The solution in these cases is to derive
a transformation based upon the intensity distribution in the local neighborhood of every pixel in
the image.
The histogram processes described above can be adapted for local enhancement. The procedure
involves defining a neighborhood around each pixel and, using the histogram characteristics of
this neighborhood, to derive a transfer function which maps that pixel into an output intensity
level. This is performed for each pixel in the image. (Since moving across rows or down columns
only adds one new pixel to the local histogram, updating the histogram from the previous
calculation with new data introduced at each motion is possible.) Local enhancement may also
define transforms based on pixel attributes other than histogram, e.g. intensity mean (to control
variance) and variance (to control contrast) are common.

Interactive Experimentation
You can interactively experiment with this operator by clicking here.

Exercises
1. Suppose that you have a 128128 square pixel image with an 8 gray level intensity range,
within which the lighter intensity levels predominate as shown in the table below. A)
Sketch the histogram (number of pixels vs gray level) to describe this distribution. B)
How many pixels/gray levels would there be in an equalized version of this histogram?
C) Apply the discrete transformation described above and plot the new (equalized)
histogram. (How well does the histogram approximate a uniform distribution of intensity
values?)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

------------------------------| Gray Level | Number of Pixels |

|------------+------------------|
| 0
| 34
|
|------------+------------------|
| 1
| 50
|
|------------+------------------|

9. |
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.

2
| 500
|
|------------+------------------|
| 3
| 1500
|
|------------+------------------|
| 4
| 2700
|
|------------+------------------|
| 5
| 4500
|
|------------+------------------|
| 6
| 4000
|
|------------+------------------|
| 7
| 3100
|
-------------------------------

20. Suppose you have equalized an image once. Show that a second pass of histogram
equalization will produce exactly the same result as the first.
21. Interpreting images derived by means of a non-monotonic or non-continuous mapping
can be difficult. Describe the effects of the following transfer functions:
(a) f has a horizontal plateau,
(b) f contains a vertical jump,
(c) f has a negative slope.
(Hint: it can be useful to sketch the curve, as in Figure 1, and then map a few points from
histogram A to histogram B.)
22. Apply local histogram equalization to the image

Compare this result with those derived by means of the global transfer function shown in
the above examples.
23. Apply global and local histogram equalization to the montage image

Compare your results.

References
R. Boyle and R. Thomas Computer Vision: A First Course, Blackwell Scientific Publications,
1988, pp 35 - 41.
R. Gonzalez and R. Woods Digital Image Processing, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company,
1992, Chap. 4.
A. Jain Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing, Prentice-Hall, 1986, pp 241 - 243.
A. Marion An Introduction to Image Processing, Chapman and Hall, 1991, Chap. 6.

Local Information
Specific information about this operator may be found here.
More general advice about the local HIPR installation is available in the Local Information
introductory section.