UNIT- II Image editing & Vector Editing

Difference between Bitmaps and Vector Images

Bitmaps Vector Images/Vector Graphics

Bitmap (or raster) images are stored as a series of vector images are not based on pixel patterns, but
tiny dots called pixels. Each pixel is actually a very instead use mathematical formulas to draw lines
small square that is assigned a color, and then and curves that can be combined to create an
arranged in a pattern to form the image. When you image from geometric objects such as circles and
zoom in on a bitmap image you can see the polygons. Vector images are edited by manipulating
individual pixels that make up that image. Bitmap the lines and curves that make up the image using a
graphics can be edited by erasing or changing the program such as Adobe Illustrator.
color of individual pixels using a program such as
Adobe Photoshop.

Vector images tend to be smaller than bitmap Bitmap images tend to be larger than vector
images, That’s because A vector image just has to images.a bitmap image has to store color
store the mathematical formulas that make up the information for each individual pixel that forms the
image, which take up less space. image.

Vector images are also more scalable than bitmap When a bitmap image is scaled up you begin to see
images. When a vector image is scaled up, the the individual pixels that make up the image. This is
image is redrawn using the mathematical formula. most noticeable in the edges of the image. There
The resulting image is just as smooth as the are ways of making these jagged edges less
original. noticeable but this often results in making the image
blurry as well

vector formats are not well supported on the web. The two most popular image formats used on the
Most vector images must first be converted into Web, GIF and JPEG are bitmap formats.
bitmaps images (or rasterized) before they can be
used on the Web. An exception is the SWF format
used to create animations using Macromedia’s
Flash animation software.

Vector formats, on the other hand, are better for Bitmap formats are best for images that need to
images that consist of a few areas of solid color. have a wide range of color gradations, such as most
Examples of images that are well suited for the photographs.
vector format include logos and type.

Some of the most common vector formats include JPEGs, GIFs, and BMP images, for instance, are all
AI (adobe Illustrator), DXF (AutoCAD DXF), and pixel images known as raster or bitmap graphics.
CGM (Computer Graphics Metafile).Vector graphics These bitmap graphics therefore have a fixed
can also be found in EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) resolution or number of pixels in the grid, measured
and PDF (Portable Document Format) formats. by pixels per inch (PPI).

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Image editing
Image editing encompasses the processes of altering images, whether they are digital photographs, traditional
photochemical photographs, or illustrations. Traditional analog image editing is known as photo retouching, using
tools such as an airbrush to modify photographs, or editing illustrations with any traditional art medium. Graphic
software programs, which can be broadly grouped into vector graphics editors, raster graphics editors, and 3D
modelers, are the primary tools with which a user may manipulate, enhance, and transform images. Many image
editing programs are also used to render or create computer art from scratch.

An image editor or photo editor is a software program used to edit or otherwise manipulate an image or graphic. A
commonly used advanced image and graphic editor is Adobe Photoshop. Users using Microsoft Windows may also
use the pre-installed MSPaint program for an image editor.

One of the characteristics of modern photography is that image editing has become a central part of the process.
There are two basic ways that images can be adjusted. Pixel editing works at the pixel level and requires altering the
original image. Parametric Image Editing works by saving instruction sets that change the appearance of images
without actually changing the original image data. The differences between these two methods have a lot of
implications for how you approach image editing.

Basics of image editing

Raster images are stored in a computer in the form of a grid of picture elements, or pixels. These pixels contain the
image's color and brightness information. Image editors can change the pixels to enhance the image in many ways.
The pixels can be changed as a group, or individually, by the sophisticated algorithms within the image editors. The
domain of this article primarily refers to bitmap graphics editors, which are often used to alter photographs and other
raster graphics. However, vector graphics software, such as Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Xara Designer
Pro or Inkscape, are used to create and modify vector images, which are stored as descriptions oflines, Bézier
curves, and text instead of pixels. It is easier to rasterize a vector image than to vectorize a raster image; how to go
about vectorizing a raster image is the focus of much research in the field of computer vision. Vector images can be
modified more easily, because they contain descriptions of the shapes for easy rearrangement. They are also
scalable, being rasterizable at any resolution.

Types of Image Editing :

Pixel editing
Parametric Image Editing (PIE)

Pixel editing
In the most basic kind of image editing, you must actually alter the image pixels to make a change. So, to make a
JPEG more blue, you increase the amount of blue in the pixels, compared to those of red and green. When you save
the file, you've made a "destructive" change to the image, since you've replaced the original color information with
new color information. We call this destructive because the original image no longer exists (unless you made a copy),
even though you might have improved the image.

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Parametric Image Editing (PIE)
A parametric image editor, by contrast, generally cannot change the original pixels. It makes changes by creating
instructions or parameters for interpreting the file. If you want to make a picture more blue, you create an instruction
that tells the software to make the pixel more blue. The original pixels – the Source Image – never get changed, only
reinterpreted. Parametric image editors are fully non-destructive.

Image editor features

Selection

One of the prerequisites for many of the applications mentioned below is a method of selecting part(s) of an image,
thus applying a change selectively without affecting the entire picture. Most graphics programs have several means
of accomplishing this, such as:

 a marquee tool for selecting rectangular or other regular polygon-shaped regions,

 a lasso tool for freehand selection of a region,

 a magic wand tool that selects objects or regions in the image defined by proximity of color or luminance,

 vector-based pen tools,

as well as more advanced facilities such as edge detection, masking, alpha compositing, and color and channel-
based extraction. The border of a selected area in an image is often animated with the marching ants effect to help
the user to distinguish the selection border from the image background.

Layers

Another feature common to many graphics applications is that of Layers, which are analogous to sheets of
transparent acetate (each containing separate elements that make up a combined picture), stacked on top of each
other, each capable of being individually positioned, altered and blended with the layers below, without affecting any
of the elements on the other layers. This is a fundamental workflow which has become the norm for the majority of
programs on the market today, and enables maximum flexibility for the user while maintaining non-destructive
editing principles and ease of use.

Image size alteration

Image editors can resize images in a process often called image scaling, making them larger, or smaller. High image
resolution cameras can produce large images which are often reduced in size for Internet use. Image editor
programs use a mathematical process called resampling to calculate new pixel values whose spacing is larger or
smaller than the original pixel values. Images for Internet use are kept small, say 640 x 480 pixels which would equal
0.3 megapixels.

Cropping an image

Digital editors are used to crop images. Cropping creates a new image by selecting a desired rectangular portion
from the image being cropped. The unwanted part of the image is discarded. Image cropping does not reduce the

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resolution of the area cropped. Best results are obtained when the original image has a high resolution. A primary
reason for cropping is to improve the image composition in the new image.

Uncropped image from camera Lily cropped from larger image

Histogram

Image editors have provisions to create an image histogram of the image being edited. The histogram plots the
number of pixels in the image (vertical axis) with a particular brightness value (horizontal axis). Algorithms in the
digital editor allow the user to visually adjust the brightness value of each pixel and to dynamically display the results
as adjustments are made. Improvements in picture brightness and contrast can thus be obtained.

Histogram of Sunflower image

Sunflower image

Noise reduction

Image editors may feature a number of algorithms which can add or remove noise in an image. Some JPEG artifacts
can be removed; dust and scratches can be removed and an image can be de-speckled. Noise reduction merely
estimates the state of the scene without the noise and is not a substitute for obtaining a "cleaner" image. Excessive
noise reduction leads to a loss of detail, and its application is hence subject to a trade-off between the undesirability
of the noise itself and that of the reduction artifacts.

Noise tends to invade images when pictures are taken in low light settings. A new picture can be given an 'antiqued'
effect by adding uniform monochrome noise.

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Removal of unwanted elements

Most image editors can be used to remove unwanted branches, etc., using a "clone" tool. Removing these distracting
elements draws focus to the subject, improving overallcomposition.

Notice the branch in the original The eye is drawn to the center of the globe

Selective color change

Some image editors have color swapping abilities to selectively change the color of specific items in an image, given
that the selected items are within a specific color range.

Selective color change

Image orientation
Image editors are capable of altering an image to be rotated in any
direction and to any degree. Mirror images can be created and images
can be horizontally flipped or vertically flopped. A small rotation of
several degrees is often enough to level the horizon, correct verticality(of
a building, for example), or both. Rotated images usually
require cropping afterwards, in order to remove the resulting gaps at the
image edges.

Image orientation (from left to right): original, −30° CCW rotation, and flipped.

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Perspective control and distortion

Some image editors allow the user to distort (or "transform") the shape of an
image. While this might also be useful for special effects, it is the preferred
method of correcting the typical perspective distortion which results from
photographs being taken at an oblique angle to arectilinear subject. Care is
needed while performing this task, as the image is reprocessed
using interpolation of adjacent pixels, which may reduce overall image definition.
The effect mimics the use of a perspective control lens, which achieves a similar
correction in-camerawithout loss of definition.
Perspective control: original (left), perspective distortion removed (right).

Lens correction

Photo manipulation packages have functions to correct images for various lens distortions including
pincushion, fisheye and barrel distortions. The corrections are in most cases subtle, but can improve the appearance
of some photographs.

Enhancing images

In computer graphics, the process of improving the quality of a digitally stored image by manipulating the image with
software. It is quite easy, for example, to make an image lighter or darker, or to increase or decrease contrast.
Advanced photo enhancement software also supports many filters for altering images in various ways.[1] Programs
specialized for image enhancement are sometimes called image editors.

Sharpening and softening images

Graphics programs can be used to both sharpen and blur images in a

number of ways, such as unsharp masking or deconvolution.[2] Portraits
often appear more pleasing when selectively softened (particularly the
skin and the background) to better make the subject stand out..] This can
be achieved with a camera by using a large aperture, or in the image
editor by making a selection and then blurring it. Edge enhancement is an
extremely common technique used to make images appear sharper,
although purists frown on the result as appearing unnatural.

Another form of image sharpening involves a form of contrast. This is

done by finding the average color of the pixels around each pixel in a
specified radius, and then contrasting that pixel from that average color.
This effect makes the image seem clearer, seemingly adding details. An
example of this effect can be seen to the right. It is widely used in the
printing and photographic industries for increasing the local contrasts and
sharpening the images.

Image Sharpening: original (top), Image Sharpened (bottom).

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Selecting and merging of images

Photomontage of 16 photos which have been digitally manipulated inPhotoshop to give the impression that it is a real
landscape

Many graphics applications are capable of merging one or more individual images into a single file. The orientation
and placement of each image can be controlled.

When selecting a raster image that is not rectangular, it requires separating the edges from the background, also
known as silhouetting. This is the digital analog of cutting out the image from a physical picture. Clipping paths may
be used to add silhouetted images to vector graphics or page layout files that retain vector data. Alpha compositing,
allows for soft translucent edges when selecting images. There are a number of ways to silhouette an image with soft
edges, including selecting the image or its background by sampling similar colors, selecting the edges by raster
tracing, or converting a clipping path to a raster selection. Once the image is selected, it may be copied and pasted
into another section of the same file, or into a separate file. The selection may also be saved in what is known as
an alpha channel.

A popular way to create a composite image is to use transparent layers. The background image is used as the
bottom layer, and the image with parts to be added are placed in a layer above that. Using an image layer mask, all
but the parts to be merged are hidden from the layer, giving the impression that these parts have been added to the
background layer. Performing a merge in this manner preserves all of the pixel data on both layers to more easily
enable future changes in the new merged image.

Slicing of images

A more recent tool in digital image editing software is the image slicer. Parts of images for graphical user interfaces
or web pages are easily sliced, labeled and saved separately from whole images so the parts can be handled
individually by the display medium. This is useful to allow dynamic swapping via interactivity or animating parts of an
image in the final presentation.

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Special effects

Image editors usually have a list of special effects that can

create unusual results. Images may be skewed and
distorted in various ways. Scores of special effects can be
applied to an image which include various forms of
distortion, artistic effects, geometric transforms and texture
effects, or combinations thereof.

An example of some special effects that can be added to a picture.

Stamp Clone Tool

The Clone Stamp tool selects and samples an area of your picture and then uses these pixels to paint over any
marks. The Clone Stamp tool acts like a brush so you can change the size, allowing cloning from just one pixel wide
to hundreds. You can change the opacity to produce a subtle clone effect. Also, there is a choice between Clone
align or Clone non-align the sample area. In Photoshop this tool is called Clone Stamp, but it may also be called a
Rubber Stamp tool.

Original image 2 Image after stamp tool processed

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Change color depth

It is possible, using software, to change the color depth of images. Common

color depths are 2, 4, 16, 256, 65,536 and 16.7 million colors. The JPEG
and PNG image formats are capable of storing 16.7 million colors (equal to
256 luminance values per color channel). In addition, grayscale images of
8 bits or less can be created, usually via conversion and down-
sampling from a full-color image. Grayscale conversion is useful for reducing
file size dramatically when the original photographic print was monochrome,
but a color tint has been introduced due to aging effects.
An example of converting an image from color to grayscale

Contrast change and brightening

Image editors have provisions to simultaneously change the contrast of

images and brighten or darken the image. Underexposed imagescan
often be improved by using this feature. Recent advances have allowed
more intelligent exposure correction whereby only pixels below a
particular luminosity threshold are brightened, thereby brightening
underexposed shadows without affecting the rest of the image. The exact
transformation that is applied to each color channel can vary from editor
to editor.

An example of contrast correction. Left side of the image is untouched.

Gamma correction

In addition to the capability of changing the images' brightness and/or contrast in a non-linear fashion, most current
image editors provide an opportunity to manipulate the images' gamma value.

Gamma correction is particularly useful for bringing details that would be hard to see on most computer monitors out
of shadows. In some image editing software this is called "curves", usually a tool found in the color menu, and no
reference to "gamma" is used anywhere in the program or the program documentation. Strictly speaking, the curves
tool usually does more than simple gamma correction, since one can construct complex curves with
multiple inflection points, but when no dedicated gamma correction tool is provided, it can achieve the same effect.

Color adjustments

An example of color adjustment using raster graphics editor

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The color of images can be altered in a variety of ways. Colors can be faded in and out, and tones can be changed
using curves or other tools. The color balance can be improved, which is important if the picture was shot indoors
with daylight film, or shot on a camera with thewhite balance incorrectly set. Special effects, like sepia tone and
grayscale, can be added to an image. In addition, more complicated procedures such as the mixing of color channels
are possible using more advanced graphics editors.

The red-eye effect, which occurs when flash photos are taken when the pupil is too widely open (so that light from the
flash that passes into the eye through the pupil reflects off the fundus at the back of the eyeball), can also be
eliminated at this stage.

Printing
.
Controlling the print size and quality of digital images
requires an understanding of the pixels-per-inch (ppi)
variable that is stored in the image file and sometimes
used to control the size of the printed image.
Within Adobe Photoshop's Image Size dialog, the
image editor allows the user to manipulate both pixel
dimensions and the size of the image on the printed
document. These parameters work together to
produce a printed image of the desired size and
quality. Pixels per inch of the image, pixel per inch of
the computer monitor, and dots per inch on the
printed document are related, but in use are very
different. The Image Size dialog can be used as an
image calculator of sorts. For example, a 1600 × 1200
image with a resolution of 200 ppi will produce a
printed image of 8 × 6 inches. The same image with
400 ppi will produce a printed image of 4 × 3 inches.
Change the resolution to 800 ppi, and the same
Control printed image by changing pixels-per-inch image now prints out at 2 × 1.5 inches. All three
printed images contain the same data (1600 × 1200
pixels), but the pixels are closer together on the
smaller prints, so the smaller images will potentially
look sharp when the larger ones do not. The quality of
the image will also depend on the capability of the
printer.

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