International Journal of Engineering Research and Development e-ISSN: 2278-067X, p-ISSN: 2278-800X, www.ijerd.

com Volume 7, Issue 8 (June 2013), PP. 12-17

Image Enhancement Using Histogram Equalization Based On Genetic Algorithm

Chahat1, Mahendra Kumar Patil2
1,2

ECE Department, M. M. Engineering College, MMU, Mullana.

Abstract:- Image enhancement is one of the challenging issues in low level image processing. Contrast enhancement techniques are used for improving visual quality of low contrast images. Histogram Equalization (HE) method is one such technique used for contrast enhancement. It is a contrast enhancement technique with the objective to obtain a new enhanced image with a uniform histogram. In this paper, instead of using conventional image enhancement techniques, we proposed a method called genetic algorithm for the enhancement of images. This algorithm is fast and very less time consuming as compared to other techniques such as global histogram equalization by taking CDF and finding out the transfer function. Here in our work we are going to enhance images using histogram equalization of images by reconfiguring their pixel spacing using optimization through GA (Genetic algorithm). We will get more optimized results with the use of GA with respect to other optimization techniques. Keywords:- Contrast Enhancement, Foreground Enhancement, Genetic Algorithm, Histogram Equalization, Cumulative Density Function

I.

INTRODUCTION

Digital image enhancement is one of the most important image processing technology which is necessary to improve the visual appearance of the image or to provide a better transform representation for future automated image processing such as image analysis, detection, segmentation and recognition. Many images have very low dynamic range of the intensity values due to insufficient illumination and therefore need to be processed before being displayed. Large number of techniques have focused on the enhancement of gray level images in the spatial domain. These methods include histogram equalization, gamma correction, high pass filtering, low pass filtering, homomorphic filtering, etc. Y.-T. Kim [1] developed a method for contrast enhancement using brightness preserving bi-histogram equalization. Similar method for image contrast enhancement is developed by Y. W. Qian [2]. A block overlapped histogram equalization system for enhancing contrast of image is developed by T. K. Kim [3]. Other histogram based methods [4]-[6] etc. are also developed. V. Buzuloiu et al. [7] proposed an image adaptive neighborhood histogram equalization method, and S. K. Naik et al. [8] developed a hue preserving color image enhancement method without having gamut problem. Li Tao and V. K. Asari [9] presented an integrated neighborhood dependent approach for nonlinear enhancement (AINDANE) of color images. They applied the enhancement to the gray component of the original color image and obtained the output enhanced color image by linear color restoration process. Image contrast enhancement techniques are of particular interest in photography, satellite imagery, medical applications and display devices. Producing visually natural is required for many important areas such as vision, remote sensing, dynamic scene analysis, autonomous navigation, and biomedical image analysis.

II.

HISTOGRAM EQUALIZATION

Histogram equalization stretches the histogram across the entire spectrum of pixels (0 255). Histogram equalization is one of the operations that can be applied to obtain new images based on histogram specification or modification. It is a contrast enhancement technique with the objective to obtain a new enhanced image with a uniform histogram.

Fig 1. Image Enhancement using Histogram Equalization

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Image Enhancement Using Histogram Equalization Based On Genetic Algorithm

A histogram simply plots the frequency at which each grey-level occurs from 0 (black) to 255 (white). Histogram represents the frequency of occurrence of all gray-level in the image, that means it tell us how the values of individual pixel in an image are distributed. In [10], a modified approach an Otsus method is proposed to reduce the processing time involved in otsus threshold computation by performing multi -level thresholding. Y. T. Kim proposed a Contrast Enhancement scheme using Brightness Preserving Bi-histogram Equalization (BBHE) [11], [12]. BBHE separates the input image histogram into two parts based on input mean. After separation, each part is equalized independently. This technique tries to overcome the brightness preservation problem. In [13] a method based on recursive mean separation to provide scalable brightness preservation is proposed. In [14] a fast algorithm for computing two dimensional Otsus threshold is proposed. Another framework for contrast enhancement based on histogram modification is proposed in [15]. HE is an effective technique to transform a narrow histogram by spreading the gray-level clusters over a dynamic range. It produces images with mean intensity that is approximately in the middle of the dynamic range because it equalizes the whole image as such. In conventional contrast enhancement methods, the image content of both the foreground and background details are held together in performing the histogram equalization process. These global contrast enhancement techniques produce undesirable effects on the visual quality of the image. Hence a new method was introduced which enhances the image using Bi-histogram Equalization, performed using mean of the objects and the background. This method not only preserves brightness but also improves the visual quality of the image. Here we propose a modified approach through image Segmentation [16] by means of opening by reconstruction. After that object based histogram equalization is proposed. After extracting the segmented image using opening by reconstruction, the mean of each individual foreground object is calculated as

III.

METHOD ANALYSIS

Where is the mean of object i and i=1 to n where n is the number of objects. Then the obtained mean values are averaged as m1. Similarly the mean of the background pixels is calculated as m2. Finally the mean values m1 and m2 are averaged as m. This mean m is further used as a threshold in bi-histogram Equalization. Bi-Histogram Equalization can be used to enhance the low contrast image and it divides the gray level of the image into two sub-levels based on the threshold that is obtained and equalizes each sub-level independently. This process is represented in the flow diagram below:

Fig. 2. Flow diag. for separation of foreground and background of the image

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Image Enhancement Using Histogram Equalization Based On Genetic Algorithm IV. PROPOSED SCHEME

A. Genetic Algorithm: Genetic Algorithm involves various processes as under: Random Initialization (Parent Chromosomes): Initially many individual solutions are (usually) randomly generated to form an initial population. The population size depends on the nature of the problem, but typically contains several hundreds or thousands of possible solutions. Traditionally, the population is generated randomly, allowing the entire range of possible solutions (the search space). Mutation (formation of child chromosomes): In mutation process, child chromosomes are formed by changing a value from each group of parent chromosome and calculating the fitness value of each group. Selection: During each successive generation, a proportion of the existing population is selected to breed a new generation. Individual solutions are selected through a fitness-based process. The fitness function is defined over the genetic representation and measures the quality of the represented solution. The fitness function is always problem dependent. Sorting: After selection process, the groups are sorted in ascending order of the values of fitness function obtained in the selection process. Elimination: in elimination process, the worst groups (which have higher value of fitness function) are replaced with the best groups (which have least value of fitness function).

Fig 3. Flow Diag. for Genetic Algorithm Now, a new generation is formed. These processes ultimately result in the next generation population of chromosomes that is different from the initial generation. Generally the average fitness will increase by this procedure for the population, since only the best organisms from the first generation are selected for breeding, along with a small proportion of less fit solutions. This generational process is repeated until a termination condition has been reached. B. Calculation of PSNR: PSNR is most easily defined via the mean squared error (MSE). PSNR between two images can be expressed in equation: PSNR where L-1 is the maximum gray level in the image.

Where is the enhanced image and is the original image and M,N are the dimensions of the images. C. Calculation of Tenengrad: The tenengrad of the image is calculated as:

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Image Enhancement Using Histogram Equalization Based On Genetic Algorithm

where where Gx is the horizontal gradient of the image and Gy is the vertical gradient of the image. D. Calculation of Contrast: The contrast in a particular 33 window of pixels x1,x2,x3,x4,x5,x6,x7,x8,x9 where x5 is the pixel to be replaced ,is calculated based on the joint occurrence of Local Binary Pattern and Contrast as follows: Where > for m=1 to n and < for k=1 to (9-n)

V.

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

The proposed algorithm is tested for various images having the size of 256 x 256. Gray scale images are used for experimentation. The proposed method is compared with the various conventional histogram equalization methods . The following images, hands.jpg, boy.jpg, couple.jpg images are used to verify the performance of the proposed algorithm.

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

Fig. 6 Fig4,5,6 a)Original Image, b)Foreground c)Background, d)Foreground after quantization, e)Foreground after Reallocation of Pixel levels, f)Proposed

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Image Enhancement Using Histogram Equalization Based On Genetic Algorithm

To demonstrate the performance of the proposed method, PSNR,tenengrad and contrast are used to compare the results of the proposed method and the conventional methods. This is illustrated in the following table: Table I. Parameter Measures Boy Image Original Image DSIHE MMBBHE MPHE RMSHE BBHE Using Segmentation Proposed Method Couple Image Original Image DSIHE MMBBHE MPHE RMSHE BBHE Using Segmentation Proposed Method 16.7246 23.4913 18.041 21.9149 15.929 28.9848 44.3184 PSNR Tenengrad 380702 18.9265 15.2255 21.0029 23.1784 19.3076 25.8152 46.3804 384866 663101 408213 385903 382840 485089 522421 Contrast 10.4067 10.7824 11.9595 10.7748 10.9204 10.7303 12.7874 89.0449 Hands Image Original Image DSIHE MMBBHE MPHE RMSHE BBHE Using Segmentation Proposed Method PSNR Tenengrad 181533 18.0401 21.6635 28.4239 30.0502 20.0156 32.4353 38.3434 105627 203726 132225 196018 321606 342229 360854 Contrast 8.7383 11.0626 9.3951 8.7229 9.1472 9.514 13.44 59.3171

215723 1140386 415597 915332 622673 1696442 2307862 811264

11.0209 14.8277 11.6169 13.639 12.8265 16.2763 19.77 109.5837

The parameter measures in the above table reveal that the proposed method of all given images, generate better results, than the conventional methods. Hence, Genetic algorithm not only computes faster than other methods but also generates better results than the other methods used in the past. In the present scenario it can easily be understood the need of Enhancing Images. Whether its a visual for a designer, an artist: who wants a distorted and ugly image? Even a viewer of Cricket Match back at his home, or a movie enthusiast in a theatre wants lovely looking images. In literature many algorithms are proposed for image enhancement. In literature most common algorithm is is swarm optimization. But it has disadvantages such as The method easily suffers from the partial optimism, which causes the less exact at the regulation of its speed and the direction. The method cannot work out the problems of scattering and optimization. The method cannot work out the problems of non-coordinate system, such as the solution to the energy field and the moving rules of the particles in the energy field. Hence to overcome all these problems, Genetic Algorithm is being used in this case. The aim of this dissertation is to use the fast optimization technique for enhancement of images so as to reduce the processing time and get effective and accurate results.

VI.

DISCUSSION ANALYSIS

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Image Enhancement Using Histogram Equalization Based On Genetic Algorithm VII. CONCLUSION

In this paper, an efficient algorithm based on object mean is implemented. The brightness of the image is preserved by using BBHE based histogram equalization. Here in our work we are going to enhance images using histogram equalization of images by reconfiguring there pixel spacing using optimization through GA (Genetic algorithm). We get more optimized results with the use of GA with respect to other optimized techniques.

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