COL LEGE OF E N GI N E ER I N G ROOR K EE

Established in 1998

Digital Image Processing (TCS-071)

Session: 2020-21

Digital Image Processing

 COURSE OBJECTIVE

The aim of this course is,

 Describe and explain basic principles of digital image
processing.
 Design and implement algorithms that perform basic image
processing (e.g. noise removal and image enhancement).
 Design and implement algorithms for advanced image
analysis (e.g. image compression, image segmentation).
 Assess the performance of image processing algorithms and
systems.

Digital Image Processing

 Unit 1
Introduction and Fundamentals:
Motivation and Perspective, Applications, Components of Image Processing
System, Element of Visual Perception, A Simple Image Model, Sampling and
Quantization.
Image Enhancement in Spatial Domain:
Introduction; Basic Gray Level Functions – Piecewise-Linear Transformation
Functions: Contrast Stretching; Histogram Specification; Histogram Equalization;
Local Enhancement; Enhancement using Arithmetic/Logic Operations – Image
Subtraction, Image Averaging; Basics of Spatial Filtering; Smoothing - Mean filter,
Ordered Statistic Filter; Sharpening – The Laplacian.

Digital Image Processing

Contents
– What is a digital image?
– What is digital image processing?
– History of digital image processing
– State of the art examples of digital image
processing
– Key stages in digital image processing
– Fundamental Steps in Digital Image
– Components of an Image Processing System
What is Digital Image Processing?

One Picture is Worth More

Than Ten Thousand
Words
What is a Digital Image?
•A digital image is a representation of a two-
dimensional image as a finite set of digital
values, called picture elements or pixels
What is a Digital Image? (cont…)
•Pixel values typically represent gray levels,
colours, heights, opacities etc
•Remember digitization implies that a digital
image is an approximation of a real scene
1 pixel
What is a Digital Image? (cont…)
•Common image formats include:
– 1 sample per point (B&W or Grayscale)
– 3 samples per point (Red, Green, and Blue)
– 4 samples per point (Red, Green, Blue, and “Alpha”, a.k.a.
Opacity)

•For most of this Syllabus we will focus on grey-scale images

What is Digital Image Processing?

•Digital image processing focuses on two major

tasks
– Improvement of pictorial information for human
interpretation
– Processing of image data for storage, transmission
and representation for autonomous machine
perception
•Some argument about where image processing
ends and fields such as image analysis and
computer vision start
What is DIP? (cont…)
•The continuum from image processing to
computer vision can be broken up into low-,
mid- and high-level processes
Low Level Process Mid Level Process High Level Process
Input: Image Input: Image Input: Attributes
Output: Image Output: Attributes Output: Understanding
Examples: Noise Examples: Object Examples: Scene
removal, image recognition, understanding,
sharpening segmentation autonomous navigation

In this course we will

stop here
History of Digital Image Processing

•Early 1920s: One of the first applications of

digital imaging was in the news-
paper industry
– The Bartlane cable picture
Early digital image
transmission service
– Images were transferred by submarine cable
between London and New York
– Pictures were coded for cable transfer and
reconstructed at the receiving end on a telegraph
printer
History of DIP (cont…)
•Mid to late 1920s: Improvements to the
Bartlane system resulted in higher quality
images
– New reproduction
processes based
on photographic
techniques
– Increased number Improved
of tones in digital image Early 15 tone digital
image
reproduced images
History of DIP (cont…)
•1960s: Improvements in computing technology
and the onset of the space race led to a surge of
work in digital image processing
– 1964: Computers used to
improve the quality of
images of the moon taken
by the Ranger 7 probe
– Such techniques were used
A picture of the moon taken
in other space missions by the Ranger 7 probe
including the Apollo landings minutes before landing
History of DIP (cont…)
•1970s: Digital image processing begins to be
used in medical applications
– 1979: Sir Godfrey N.
Hounsfield & Prof. Allan M.
Cormack share the Nobel
Prize in medicine for the
invention of tomography,
the technology behind
Typical head slice CAT
Computerised Axial image
Tomography (CAT) scans
History of DIP (cont…)

•1980s - Today: The use of digital image

processing techniques has exploded and they are
now used for all kinds of tasks in all kinds of areas
– Image enhancement/restoration
– Artistic effects
– Medical visualisation
– Industrial inspection
– Law enforcement
– Human computer interfaces
Examples: Image Enhancement
•One of the most common uses of DIP
techniques: improve quality, remove noise etc
 Examples: The Hubble Telescope
•Launched in 1990 the Hubble
telescope can take images of
very distant objects
•However, an incorrect mirror
made many of Hubble’s
images useless
•Image processing
techniques were
used to fix this
Examples: Artistic Effects
•Artistic effects are
used to make images
more visually
appealing, to add
special effects and to
make composite
images
Examples: Medicine

•Take slice from MRI scan of canine heart, and

find boundaries between types of tissue
– Image with gray levels representing tissue density
– Use a suitable filter to highlight edges

Original MRI Image of a Dog Heart Edge Detection Image

Examples: GIS

•Geographic Information Systems

– Digital image processing techniques are used
extensively to manipulate satellite imagery
– Terrain classification
– Meteorology
Examples: GIS (cont…)
•Night-Time Lights of the
World data set
– Global inventory of
human settlement
– Not hard to imagine
the kind of analysis
that might be done
using this data
Examples: Industrial Inspection
•Human operators are
expensive, slow and
unreliable
•Make machines do the
job instead
•Industrial vision systems
are used in all kinds of
industries
•Can we trust them?
Examples: PCB Inspection

•Printed Circuit Board (PCB) inspection

– Machine inspection is used to determine that all
components are present and that all solder joints
are acceptable
– Both conventional imaging and x-ray imaging are
used
Examples: Law Enforcement
•Image processing
techniques are used
extensively by law
enforcers
– Number plate
recognition for speed
cameras/automated toll
systems
– Fingerprint recognition
– Enhancement of CCTV
images
Examples: HCI
•Try to make human computer
interfaces more natural
– Face recognition
– Gesture recognition
•Does anyone remember the
user interface from “Minority
Report”?
•These tasks can be extremely
difficult
Key Stages in Digital Image Processing

Image Morphological
Restoration Processing

Image
Segmentation
Enhancement

Image Object
Acquisition Recognition

Representation
Problem Domain
& Description
Colour Image Image
Processing Compression
Key Stages in Digital Image Processing:
Image Aquisition

Image Morphological
Restoration Processing

Image
Segmentation
Enhancement

Image Object
Acquisition Recognition

Representation
Problem Domain
& Description
Colour Image Image
Processing Compression
Key Stages in Digital Image Processing:
Image Enhancement

Image Morphological
Restoration Processing

Image
Segmentation
Enhancement

Image Object
Acquisition Recognition

Representation
Problem Domain
& Description
Colour Image Image
Processing Compression
Key Stages in Digital Image Processing:
Image Restoration

Image Morphological
Restoration Processing

Image
Segmentation
Enhancement

Image Object
Acquisition Recognition

Representation
Problem Domain
& Description
Colour Image Image
Processing Compression
Key Stages in Digital Image Processing:
Morphological Processing

Image Morphological
Restoration Processing

Image
Segmentation
Enhancement

Image Object
Acquisition Recognition

Representation
Problem Domain
& Description
Colour Image Image
Processing Compression
Key Stages in Digital Image Processing:
Segmentation

Image Morphological
Restoration Processing

Image
Segmentation
Enhancement

Image Object
Acquisition Recognition

Representation
Problem Domain
& Description
Colour Image Image
Processing Compression
Key Stages in Digital Image Processing:
Object Recognition

Image Morphological
Restoration Processing

Image
Segmentation
Enhancement

Image Object
Acquisition Recognition

Representation
Problem Domain
& Description
Colour Image Image
Processing Compression
Key Stages in Digital Image Processing:
Representation & Description

Image Morphological
Restoration Processing

Image
Segmentation
Enhancement

Image Object
Acquisition Recognition

Representation
Problem Domain
& Description
Colour Image Image
Processing Compression
Key Stages in Digital Image Processing:
Image Compression

Image Morphological
Restoration Processing

Image
Segmentation
Enhancement

Image Object
Acquisition Recognition

Representation
Problem Domain
& Description
Colour Image Image
Processing Compression
Key Stages in Digital Image Processing:
Colour Image Processing

Image Morphological
Restoration Processing

Image
Segmentation
Enhancement

Image Object
Acquisition Recognition

Representation
Problem Domain
& Description
Colour Image Image
Processing Compression
Fundamental Steps in Digital Image Processing:

Outputs of these processes generally are image attributes

Outputs of these processes generally are images

Wavelets &
Colour Image Image Morphological
Multiresolution
Processing Compression Processing
processing

Image
Restoration
Segmentation

Image Knowledge Base

Enhancement Representation
& Description

Image
Acquisition Object
Recognition

Problem Domain
Fundamental Steps in DIP: (Description)

Step 1: Image Acquisition

The image is captured by a sensor (eg.
Camera), and digitized if the output of the
camera or sensor is not already in digital form,
using analogue-to-digital convertor
Fundamental Steps in DIP: (Description)

Step 2: Image Enhancement

The process of manipulating an image so that the
result is more suitable than the original for
specific applications.

The idea behind enhancement techniques is to

bring out details that are hidden, or simple to
highlight certain features of interest in an image.
Fundamental Steps in DIP: (Description)

Step 3: Image Restoration

- Improving the appearance of an image

- Tend to be mathematical or probabilistic

models. Enhancement, on the other hand, is
based on human subjective preferences regarding
what constitutes a “good” enhancement result.
Fundamental Steps in DIP: (Description)

Step 4: Colour Image Processing

Use the colour of the image to extract features
of interest in an image
Fundamental Steps in DIP: (Description)

Step 5: Wavelets
Are the foundation of representing images in
various degrees of resolution. It is used for
image data compression.
Fundamental Steps in DIP: (Description)

Step 6: Compression
Techniques for reducing the storage required
to save an image or the bandwidth required to
transmit it.
Fundamental Steps in DIP: (Description)

Step 7: Morphological Processing

Tools for extracting image components that
are useful in the representation and
description of shape.

In this step, there would be a transition from

processes that output images, to processes
that output image attributes.
Fundamental Steps in DIP: (Description)

Step 8: Image Segmentation

Segmentation procedures partition an image into its constituent parts or
objects.

Important Tip: The more accurate the segmentation, the more likely
recognition is to succeed.
Fundamental Steps in DIP: (Description)

Step 9: Representation and Description

- Representation: Make a decision whether the data should
be represented as a boundary or as a complete region. It is
almost always follows the output of a segmentation stage.
- Boundary Representation: Focus on external shape
characteristics, such as corners and inflections (‫)انحناءات‬
- Region Representation: Focus on internal properties,
such as texture or skeleton (‫ )هيكلية‬shape
Fundamental Steps in DIP: (Description)

Step 9: Representation and Description

- Choosing a representation is only part of the solution for
transforming raw data into a form suitable for subsequent
computer processing (mainly recognition)

- Description: also called, feature selection,

deals with extracting attributes that result in
some information of interest.
Fundamental Steps in DIP: (Description)

Step 9: Recognition and Interpretation

Recognition: the process that assigns label to
an object based on the information provided
by its description.
Fundamental Steps in DIP: (Description)

Step 10: Knowledge Base

Knowledge about a problem domain is coded
into an image processing system in the form of
a knowledge database.
Components of an Image Processing System

Network

Image displays Computer Mass storage

Specialized image Image processing

Hardcopy
processing hardware software

Typical general-
Image sensors purpose DIP
Problem Domain system
Components of an Image Processing System

1. Image Sensors
Two elements are required to acquire digital
images. The first is the physical device that is
sensitive to the energy radiated by the object
we wish to image (Sensor). The second,
called a digitizer, is a device for converting
the output of the physical sensing device into
digital form.
Components of an Image Processing System

2. Specialized Image Processing Hardware

Usually consists of the digitizer, mentioned before, plus
hardware that performs other primitive operations, such as an
arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and
logical operations in parallel on entire images.

This type of hardware sometimes is called a front-end

subsystem, and its most distinguishing characteristic is speed.
In other words, this unit performs functions that require fast
data throughputs that the typical main computer cannot
handle.
Components of an Image Processing System

3. Computer
The computer in an image processing system is a general-
purpose computer and can range from a PC to a
supercomputer. In dedicated applications, sometimes specially
designed computers are used to achieve a required level of
performance.
Components of an Image Processing System

4. Image Processing Software

Software for image processing consists of specialized modules
that perform specific tasks. A well-designed package also
includes the capability for the user to write code that, as a
minimum, utilizes the specialized modules.
Components of an Image Processing System

5. Mass Storage Capability

Mass storage capability is a must in a image processing
applications. And image of sized 1024 * 1024 pixels requires
one megabyte of storage space if the image is not compressed.

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
3. Archival storage, characterized by infrequent access
Components of an Image Processing System

5. Mass Storage Capability

One method of providing short-term storage is computer memory.
Another is by specialized boards, called frame buffers, that store one or
more images and can be accessed rapidly.

The on-line storage method, allows virtually instantaneous image zoom,

as well as scroll (vertical shifts) and pan (horizontal shifts). On-line
storage generally takes the form of magnetic disks and optical-media
storage. The key factor characterizing on-line storage is frequent access
to the stored data.

Finally, archival storage is characterized by massive storage requirements

but infrequent need for access.
Components of an Image Processing System

6. Image Displays
The displays in use today are mainly color
(preferably flat screen) TV monitors.
Monitors are driven by the outputs of the
image and graphics display cards that are an
integral part of a computer system.
Components of an Image Processing System

7. Hardcopy devices
Used for recording images, include laser
printers, film cameras, heat-sensitive devices,
inkjet units and digital units, such as optical
and CD-Rom disks.
Components of an Image Processing System

8. Networking
Is almost a default function in any computer system,
in use today. Because of the large amount of data
inherent in image processing applications the key
consideration in image transmission is bandwidth.

In dedicated networks, this typically is not a

problem, but communications with remote sites via
the internet are not always as efficient.
THANK YOU!

Digital Image Processing