Digital Image Processing

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Digital Image Processing means processing digital image by

means of a digital computer. We can also say that it is a use of
computer algorithms, in order to get enhanced image either to
extract some useful information.
Digital image processing is the use of algorithms and
mathematical models to process and analyze digital images.
The goal of digital image processing is to enhance the quality of
images, extract meaningful information from images, and
automate image-based tasks.

The basic steps involved in digital image

processing are:

1. Image acquisition: This involves capturing an image using a

digital camera or scanner, or importing an existing image
into a computer.
2. Image enhancement: This involves improving the visual
quality of an image, such as increasing contrast, reducing
noise, and removing artifacts.
3. Image restoration: This involves removing degradation from
an image, such as blurring, noise, and distortion.
4. Image segmentation: This involves dividing an image into
regions or segments, each of which corresponds to a specific
object or feature in the image.
5. Image representation and description: This involves
representing an image in a way that can be analyzed and
manipulated by a computer, and describing the features of
an image in a compact and meaningful way.
6. Image analysis: This involves using algorithms and
mathematical models to extract information from an image,
 such as recognizing objects, detecting patterns, and
quantifying features.
7. Image synthesis and compression: This involves generating
new images or compressing existing images to reduce
storage and transmission requirements.
8. Digital image processing is widely used in a variety of
applications, including medical imaging, remote sensing,
computer vision, and multimedia.

Image processing mainly include the

following steps:
1.Importing the image via image acquisition tools;
2.Analysing and manipulating the image;
3.Output in which result can be altered image or a report which
is based on analysing that image.

What is an image?
An image is defined as a two-dimensional function,F(x,y),
where x and y are spatial coordinates, and the amplitude
of F at any pair of coordinates (x,y) is called the intensity of
that image at that point. When x,y, and amplitude values
of F are finite, we call it a digital image.
In other words, an image can be defined by a two-dimensional
array specifically arranged in rows and columns.
Digital Image is composed of a finite number of elements, each
of which elements have a particular value at a particular
location.These elements are referred to as picture
elements,image elements,and pixels.A Pixel is most widely
used to denote the elements of a Digital Image.
Types of an image
1. BINARY IMAGE– The binary image as its name suggests,
contain only two pixel elements i.e 0 & 1,where 0 refers to
black and 1 refers to white. This image is also known as
Monochrome.
2. BLACK AND WHITE IMAGE– The image which consist of
only black and white color is called BLACK AND WHITE
IMAGE.
3. 8 bit COLOR FORMAT– It is the most famous image
format.It has 256 different shades of colors in it and
commonly known as Grayscale Image. In this format, 0
stands for Black, and 255 stands for white, and 127 stands
for gray.
4. 16 bit COLOR FORMAT– It is a color image format. It has
65,536 different colors in it.It is also known as High Color
Format. In this format the distribution of color is not as same
as Grayscale image.
A 16 bit format is actually divided into three further formats
which are Red, Green and Blue. That famous RGB format.

Image as a Matrix
As we know, images are represented in rows and columns we
have the following syntax in which images are represented:

The right side of this equation is digital image by definition.

Every element of this matrix is called image element , picture
element , or pixel.

DIGITAL IMAGE REPRESENTATION IN

MATLAB:
In MATLAB the start index is from 1 instead of 0. Therefore,
f(1,1) = f(0,0).
henceforth the two representation of image are identical,
except for the shift in origin.
In MATLAB, matrices are stored in a variable i.e X,x,input_image
, and so on. The variables must be a letter as same as other
programming languages.

PHASES OF IMAGE PROCESSING:

1.ACQUISITION– It could be as simple as being given an image
which is in digital form. The main work involves:
a) Scaling
b) Color conversion(RGB to Gray or vice-versa)
2.IMAGE ENHANCEMENT– It is amongst the simplest and
most appealing in areas of Image Processing it is also used to
extract some hidden details from an image and is subjective.
3.IMAGE RESTORATION– It also deals with appealing of an
image but it is objective(Restoration is based on mathematical
or probabilistic model or image degradation).
4.COLOR IMAGE PROCESSING– It deals with pseudocolor and
full color image processing color models are applicable to
digital image processing.
5.WAVELETS AND MULTI-RESOLUTION PROCESSING– It is
foundation of representing images in various degrees.
6.IMAGE COMPRESSION-It involves in developing some
functions to perform this operation. It mainly deals with image
size or resolution.
7.MORPHOLOGICAL PROCESSING-It deals with tools for
extracting image components that are useful in the
representation & description of shape.
8.SEGMENTATION PROCEDURE-It includes partitioning an
image into its constituent parts or objects. Autonomous
segmentation is the most difficult task in Image Processing.
9.REPRESENTATION & DESCRIPTION-It follows output of
segmentation stage, choosing a representation is only the part
of solution for transforming raw data into processed data.
10.OBJECT DETECTION AND RECOGNITION-It is a process
that assigns a label to an object based on its descriptor.

OVERLAPPING FIELDS WITH IMAGE

PROCESSING

According to block 1,if input is an image and we get out

image as a output, then it is termed as Digital Image
Processing.
According to block 2,if input is an image and we get some
kind of information or description as a output, then it is termed
as Computer Vision.
According to block 3,if input is some description or code and
we get image as an output, then it is termed as Computer
Graphics.
According to block 4,if input is description or some keywords
or some code and we get description or some keywords as a
output,then it is termed as Artificial Intelligence
Advantages of Digital Image Processing:

1. Improved image quality: Digital image processing algorithms

can improve the visual quality of images, making them
clearer, sharper, and more informative.
2. Automated image-based tasks: Digital image processing can
automate many image-based tasks, such as object
recognition, pattern detection, and measurement.
3. Increased efficiency: Digital image processing algorithms can
process images much faster than humans, making it possible
to analyze large amounts of data in a short amount of time.
4. Increased accuracy: Digital image processing algorithms can
provide more accurate results than humans, especially for
tasks that require precise measurements or quantitative
analysis.

Disadvantages of Digital Image Processing:

1. High computational cost: Some digital image processing

algorithms are computationally intensive and require
significant computational resources.
2. Limited interpretability: Some digital image processing
algorithms may produce results that are difficult for humans
to interpret, especially for complex or sophisticated
algorithms.
3. Dependence on quality of input: The quality of the output of
digital image processing algorithms is highly dependent on
the quality of the input images. Poor quality input images
can result in poor quality output.
4. Limitations of algorithms: Digital image processing
algorithms have limitations, such as the difficulty of
recognizing objects in cluttered or poorly lit scenes, or the
inability to recognize objects with significant deformations or
occlusions.
5. Dependence on good training data: The performance of
many digital image processing algorithms is dependent on
the quality of the training data used to develop the
 algorithms. Poor quality training data can result in poor
performance of the algorit

Applications of Image Processing

Medical Image Retrieval

Image processing has been extensively used in medical research and has enabled more efficient
and accurate treatment plans. For example, it can be used for the early detection of breast cancer
using a sophisticated nodule detection algorithm in breast scans. Since medical usage calls for
highly trained image processors, these applications require significant implementation and
evaluation before they can be accepted for use.

Traffic Sensing Technologies

In the case of traffic sensors, we use a video image processing system or VIPS. This consists of
a) an image capturing system b) a telecommunication system and c) an image processing system.
When capturing video, a VIPS has several detection zones which output an “on” signal whenever
a vehicle enters the zone, and then output an “off” signal whenever the vehicle exits the detection
zone. These detection zones can be set up for multiple lanes and can be used to sense the traffic
in a particular station.

Left - normal traffic image | Right - a VIPS image with detection zones (source)

Besides this, it can auto record the license plate of the vehicle, distinguish the type of vehicle,
monitor the speed of the driver on the highway and lots more.
Image Reconstruction

Image processing can be used to recover and fill in the missing or corrupt parts of an image. This
involves using image processing systems that have been trained extensively with existing photo
datasets to create newer versions of old and damaged photos.

Fig: Reconstructing damaged images using image processing (source)

Face Detection

One of the most common applications of image processing that we use today is face detection. It
follows deep learning algorithms where the machine is first trained with the specific features of
human faces, such as the shape of the face, the distance between the eyes, etc. After teaching the
machine these human face features, it will start to accept all objects in an image that resemble a
human face. Face detection is a vital tool used in security, biometrics and even filters available
on most social media apps these days.
Benefits of Image Processing

The implementation of image processing techniques has had a massive impact on many tech
organizations. Here are some of the most useful benefits of image processing, regardless of the
field of operation:

 The digital image can be made available in any desired format (improved image, X-Ray,
photo negative, etc)

 It helps to improve images for human interpretation

 Information can be processed and extracted from images for machine interpretation

 The pixels in the image can be manipulated to any desired density and contrast

 Images can be stored and retrieved easily

 It allows for easy electronic transmission of images to third-party providers