Image Processing

Lecture 2
 Image – digital image

An image is a two-dimensional function f(x,y), where x and y are the

spatial (plane) coordinates, and the amplitude of f at any pair of
coordinates (x,y) is called the intensity of the image at that level.

If x,y and the amplitude values of f are finite and discrete

quantities, we call the image a digital image. A digital image is
composed of a finite number of elements called pixels, each of
which has a particular location and value.
 Pixel intensity value

f(1,1) = 103
Consider the following
Pixel location image (2724x2336 pixels)
to be 2D function or a
matrix with rows and
columns
rows columns
In 8-bit representation
f(645:650,1323:1328) =
83 82 82 82 82 82
Pixel intensity values
82
82
82
82
82
81
81
81
81
80
81
80
change between 0 (Black)
82
80
82
79
81
78
80
77
80
77
79
77
and 255 (White)
80 79 78 78 77 77

f(2724,2336) = 88
Remember digitization implies that a digital image is an approximation of a real
scene

One pixel
Light and Electromagnetic Spectrum
• To basically understand the extent of image processing
applications is to categorize images according to its sources.

• The principal energy source for images in use today is the

electromagnetic energy spectrum.
- other sources are ultrasonic, electronic(electric beams used in
electron microscope)

• Synthetic images used for modelling and visualization are

generated by the computer.
• Electromagnetic waves (EM) can be conceptualized as
propagating sinusoidal waves of varying wavelengths, or they
can be thought of as a stream of massless particles, travelling
in a wavelike pattern at the speed of light.

• Each massless particle contains a certain amount of energy,

called a photon.

• If spectral bands are grouped according to energy per photon

we obtain the following spectrum.
Gamma rays
 Gamma ray imaging :
imaging based on gamma
rays include nuclear
medicine and astronomical
observations.

In nuclear medicine the Gamma-Ray

approach is to inject a imaging of
patient with a radioactive A starburst galaxy
isotope that emits gamma about 12 million
rays as it decays. Images light-years away
Gamma-Ray
are produced from these Imaging
emissions collected by Cherenkov
gamma ray detectors. Telescope Gamma-Ray
Imaging
İn nuclear
medicine
X- rays
 X-ray imaging : X-rays are the oldest
sources of EM radiation used for imaging.
The best known use of X-ray is medical
diagnostics, but they are used extensively
in industry and others areas like
astronomy.

In digital radiography, digital images are

obtained by one of the two methods:
1. By digitizing x-ray films
2. By having the x-rays that pass through
the patient and fall onto a device such
as phosphor screen that convert x-
rays into light
Ultra-violet
 Imaging in the ultraviolet band :
The major application of imaging
in ultraviolet band includes
lithography, industrial
inspection, microscopy, lasers,
biological imaging and
astronomical observations.

Ultraviolet light is used in

fluorescence microscopy, one of
the fastest growing areas of
microscopy
Visible light
 R

G B
Infrared
 infrared ("thermal") image Snake around the arm

Imaging in the visible and infrared bands :

the infrared band is used in conjunction with visual
imaging.
Another major area of visual processing is remote
sensing

Messier 51 in ultraviolet (GALEX), visible (DSS), and near infrared (2MASS). Courtesy of
James Fanson.
 Microwaves

© 2002 R. C. Gonzalez & R. E. Woods

  Imaging in the microwave
band

the major application of imaging Synthetic Aperture Radar

in the microwave band is radar. System
Its unique ability is to collect data
over virtually any region at any
time without regarding the
weather or ambient light
conditions

© 2002 R. C. Gonzalez & R. E. Woods

 Radio Waves

© 2002 R. C. Gonzalez & R. E. Woods

 Imaging in the radio band : the major
application of imaging in the radio band
include medicine and astronomy.
In medicine radio waves are used in
MRI(magnetic resonance imaging). It
places a patient in a powerful magnet and
passes radio waves through the body in
short pulses

MRI image slices from the brain

© 2002 R. C. Gonzalez & R. E. Woods

Digital Images based on the EM Spectrum

An example showing Imaging in all of the bands

Fields that Use Digital Image
Processing
 Unlike humans, who are limited to the visual band of the
electromagnetic (EM) spectrum, imaging machines cover almost
the entire EM spectrum, ranging from gamma to radio waves.
They can operate on images generated by sources that humans
are not accustomed to associating with images.
1. Gamma ray imaging
2. X-ray imaging
3. Imaging in an ultraviolet band
4. Imaging in the visible and infrared bands
5. Imaging in the microwave band
6. Imaging in the radio band
• Pet Imaging
• Ultrasound Imaging
 Image
Processing
 Some people consider that image processing is a discipline in
which both the input and output of a process are images.
According to this definition computing average intensity of an
image would not be considered as image processing task.
However there is no such limitations or boundaries for image
processing.
 However, one useful paradigm is to consider three types of
computerized processes in this continuum:
1. low-level image processing
2. mid-level image processing and
3. high-level image processing
 The continuum from image processing to
computer vision can be broken up into
low-, mid- and high-level processes
Low Level Process Mid Level High Level Process
Process
Input: Image Input: Image Input: Attributes
Output: Image Output: Output:
Attributes Understanding

Examples: Noise
removal, image Examples: Examples: Scene
sharpening Object understanding,
recognition, autonomous
segmentation navigation
 Level of Image
Processing
 A low-level process is characterized by the fact that both its inputs and
outputs are images such as image preprocessing to reduce noise, contrast
enhancement, and image sharpening.
 A mid-level process is characterized by the fact that its inputs generally are
images, but its outputs are attributes extracted from those images. Such as
segmentation (partitioning an image into regions or objects).
 A high-level process is characterized by the fact that its inputs generally
are attributes extracted from images, but its outputs are images. higher-
level processing involves an ensemble of recognized objects, as in image
analysis
 Digital Image
Processing
 Digital image processing can be defined as processing of digital
image in a digital manner meaning that using a digital device
like computer or others.
 The digital image processing is getting more and more
importance nowadays because of its two major application
areas:
1. Improvement of pictorial information for human
interpretation.
2. Processing of image data for storage, transmission and
representation for autonomous machine perception
 Improving the visual appearance of images to a human viewer

 Preparing images for measurement of the features and structures present.

Why do we need image processing
Since the digital image is “invisible” it must be prepared for viewing on one or
more output device (laser printer,monitor,etc)

The digital image can be optimized for the application by enhancing or altering
the appearance of structures within it (based on: body part, diagnostic task,
viewing preferences,etc)

It might be possible to analyze the image in the computer and provide cues to
the radiologists to help detect important/suspicious structures (e.g.: Computed
Aided Diagnosis, CAD)
Enhancement (make image more useful, pleasing)

Restoration
Egg. deblurring ,grid line removal

Geometry
(scaling, sizing , Zooming, Morphing one object to another).
Digital Image Processing
 Advantages of
1.
DIP
It improves the visual quality of an image and the
distribution of intensity.
2. It can easily process an degraded image of uncoverable objects
3. It can process an image in such a way that the result is more
suitable than the original image
4. An image can be easily modified using a number of
techniques
5. The image compression technique reduces the amount of data
required to represent a digital image.
6. Mathematical and logical operations can be performed on an
image like addition subtraction, OR etc
7. The image segmentation is used to detect discontinuity, the
presence or absence of specific anomalies like missing
components or broken connection path.
 Limitations of
DIP
1. Digital image processing requires so much storage and
processing power. Progress in the field of digital image
processing is dependant on the development of digital
computers and supporting technology including data
storage, display and transmission
2. Effect of environmental conditions may degrade the image
quality
3. It involves various types of redundancy like data
redundancy, interpixel redundancy etc
4. Segmentation of nontrivial image is one of the most difficult
task in digital image processing
Fundamental Steps in
DIP
 Components of Image Processing
System
 Following figure shows the basic components comprising a typical general-purpose system
used for digital image processing.
 Image Sensor: With reference to sensing, two elements are required
to acquire digital images: a sensor and a digitizer. The sensor that
is sensitive to the energy radiated by the object we wish to image.
The second, called a digitizer, is a device for converting the output of
the physical sensing device into digital form. For example, in a digital
video camera, the sensors produce an electrical output proportional
to light intensity. The digitizer converts these outputs to digital data.
 Specialized image processing hardware: usually consists of the
digitizer just mentioned, plus hardware that performs other
primitive operations, such as an arithmetic logic unit (ALU). ALU
performs arithmetic and logical operations in parallel on entire
images. ALU is used is in averaging images as quickly as they are
digitized, for the purpose of noise reduction. This type of hardware
sometimes is called a front-end subsystem, and its most
distinguishing characteristic is speed in which they process image.
 Computer: in an image processing system is a general-purpose
computer and can range from a PC to a supercomputer. In
dedicated applications, some times specially designed computers
are used to achieve a required level of performance.
 Software: for image processing consists of specialized modules
that perform specific tasks
 Mass storage: capability is a must in image processing
applications. Digital storage for image processing applications
falls into three principal categories: (1) short-term storage for use
during processing, (2) on-line storage for relatively fast recall, and
(3) archival storage, characterized by infrequent access.
 Image display: it displays images.
 Hardcopy devices: used for recording images include laser
printers, film cameras, heat-sensitive devices, inkjet units, and
29
digital units, such as optical and CD-ROM disks.