MODULE-3

Frequency Domain & Color Image

Processing
 Transforming to the Frequency
Domain
• The signal is converted from the time domain
to the frequency domain using a Fourier
Transform, typically a Fast Fourier Transform
(FFT).

• This transformation decomposes the signal

into a spectrum of frequency components,
revealing how much of each frequency exists
in the original signal.
 Fourier Transform
• The Fourier Transform is a mathematical technique
used to convert an image from the spatial domain
(where we view the intensity of each pixel in a 2D grid)
to the frequency domain (where we analyze the image
in terms of its frequency components).

• This transformation helps us understand and

manipulate the image based on its frequency
characteristics, which is essential for many image
processing tasks like filtering, compression, and noise
reduction.
Steps for Filtering in the Frequency
Domain
 Image Smoothing Using Frequency
Domain Filters
• Edges and other sharp intensity transitions (such as noise)
in an image contribute significantly to the high frequency
content of its Fourier transform

• Hence, smoothing (blurring) is achieved in the frequency

domain by high-frequency attenuation; that is, by lowpass
filtering.

• we consider three types of lowpass filters:ideal,

Butterworth, and Gaussian.
• These three categories cover the range from very sharp
(ideal) to very smooth (Gaussian) filtering. The
Butterworth filter has a parameter called the filter order.
 Image Smoothing Using Frequency
Domain Filters
• For high order values, the Butterworth filter
approaches the ideal filter.

• For lower order values, the Butterworth filter is more

like a Gaussian filter.

• Thus, the Butterworth filter may be viewed as

providing a transition between two “extremes.” , so all
filter functions, (u, v), are understood to be discrete
functions of size that is, the discrete frequency
variables are in the range u = 0, 1, 2, A , P - 1 v = 0, 1, 2,
A , Q - 1.
Ideal Lowpass Filters
Ideal Lowpass Filters
• The name ideal indicates that
all frequencies on or inside a
circle of radius D0 are passed
• without attenuation, whereas
all frequencies outside the
circle are completely
attenuated (filtered out).

• The ideal lowpass filter is

radially symmetric about the
origin, which means that the
filter is completely defined by
a radial cross section
 Butterworth Low-Pass Filter
• The Butterworth Low-Pass Filter is a type of
frequency domain filter used in image and signal
processing to attenuate high-frequency
components smoothly, allowing low-frequency
components to pass.

• Unlike the Ideal Low-Pass Filter, which has an

abrupt cutoff, the Butterworth Low-Pass Filter
provides a smooth, gradual transition between
passed and attenuated frequencies
Butterworth Low-pass Filters
Characteristics of a Butterworth Low-
Pass Filter
• Cut-off Frequency (D₀): The frequency threshold that
separates the low and high frequencies.

• Order of the Filter (n): Determines the steepness of the

filter's transition. A higher order results in a steeper
transition, making the Butterworth filter closer to an ideal
filter.

• Smooth Transition: Unlike the Ideal Low-Pass Filter, which

has an abrupt cut-off, the Butterworth filter’s response
decays gradually, creating a smoother attenuation of high
frequencies and minimizing artifacts.
Butterworth Low-pass Filters
 Butterworth Low-pass Filters
• Unlike the ILPF, the BLPF transfer function does not
have a sharp discontinuity that gives a clear cut-off
between passed and filtered frequencies.

• For filters with smooth transfer functions, defining a

cut-off frequency locus at points for which (u, v) is
down to a certain fraction of its maximum value is
customary.

• In Eq. (4.8-5), (down 50% from its maximum value of 1)

when
• D(u, v) = D0.
 Gaussian Low-Pass Filter
• A Gaussian Low-Pass Filter is a frequency domain filter used to
attenuate high-frequency components of an image or signal,
allowing only the low-frequency components to pass through.

• It is widely used in image processing to reduce noise or blur details

smoothly without introducing the artifacts typically seen with
sharper filters.

• Unlike the Ideal Low-Pass Filter, which has an abrupt cutoff, the
Gaussian Low-Pass Filter provides a very smooth transition from
low to high frequencies, which results in minimal ringing
artifacts(Ringing artifacts are unwanted oscillations or ripples that
appear near sharp edges or boundaries in images and signals,
usually as a result of certain types of filtering or compression)
 Gaussian Low-Pass Filter
• The standard deviation (σ\sigmaσ) of a
Gaussian function is a key parameter that
defines the width of the Gaussian curve.
• Gaussian filter (used in image processing or
signal processing), σ\sigmaσ determines how
much the filter blurs or smooths the data
Gaussian Low-pass Filters
 Image Sharpening Using Frequency
Domain Filters
• we showed that an image can be smoothed by
attenuating the high-frequency components of its
Fourier transform.
• Because edges and other abrupt changes in
intensities are associated with high-frequency
• components, image sharpening can be achieved
in the frequency domain by highpass filtering,
which attenuates the low-frequency components
without disturbing high-frequency information in
the Fourier transform
 Image Sharpening Using Frequency
Domain Filters
• Ideal High-pass Filters
Image Sharpening Using Frequency
Domain Filters
Butterworth Highpass Filters
 Butterworth High-pass Filters
• Choice of Cut-off Frequency D0: Choosing an
appropriate cut-off frequency is key. A small D0​
will make the image too sharp, possibly
introducing noise, while a large D0​ might not
enhance the details enough.

• Order n: The order of the Butterworth filter

affects the sharpness of the transition. Higher
orders lead to more aggressive sharpening, closer
to an ideal high-pass filter, while lower orders
provide smoother, more natural results.
 Gaussian high-pass filter
• A Gaussian high-pass filter is a type of filter used primarily in
image processing to emphasize high-frequency details, such
as edges, and reduce lower-frequency components, which are
typically smoother areas.
Gaussian high-pass filter
The Laplacian in the Frequency
Domain
The Laplacian in the Frequency
Domain
 Homomorphic Filtering
• Homomorphic filtering is a technique in image
processing used to enhance the appearance of an
image by separating its illumination (low-frequency)
and reflectance (high-frequency) components.

• It’s particularly effective for adjusting lighting

variations in images, making it useful for applications
like medical imaging, document scanning, and facial
recognition. The technique can highlight details in
regions that are overly bright or dark due to uneven
lighting.
Homomorphic Filtering
Homomorphic Filtering
Colour Image Processing
Chromaticity
diagram

Fig.6.5
 Cont..
• The chromaticity diagram is useful for color mixing because a straight-line
segment joining any two points in the diagram defines all the different
color variations that can be obtained by combining these two colors
additively.

• Consider, for example, a straight line drawn from the red to the green
points shown in Fig. 6.5.

• If there is more red light than green light, the exact point representing the
new color will be on the line segment, but it will be closer to the red point
than to the green point. Similarly, a line drawn from the point of
equalenergy to any point on the boundary of the chart will define all the
shades of that particular spectrum color
Fig .6.6 Typical colour gamut of colour monitors(triangle) and
color printing devices(Irregular region)

Fig .6.6
 Cont…
• The triangle in Figure 6.6 shows a typical range of colors
(called the color gamut) produced by RGB monitors.

• The irregular region inside the triangle is representative of

the color gamut of today’s high-quality color printing
devices.

• The boundary of the color printing gamut is irregular

because color printing is a combination of additive and
subtractive color mixing, a process that is much more
difficult to control than that of displaying colors on a
monitor, which is based on the addition of three highly
controllable light primaries
 RGB Color model
• Finally, Fig. 6.9(b) shows the three hidden surface planes of the cube in Fig. 6.8, generated in
the same manner.

• A color image can be acquired by using three filters, sensitive to red, green, and blue,
respectively.

• When we view a color scene with a monochrome camera equipped with one of these filters,
the result is a monochrome image whose intensity is proportional to the response of that
filter.

• Repeating this process with each filter produces three monochrome images
• that are the RGB component images of the color scene.

• (In practice, RGB color image sensors usually integrate this process into a single device.)

• Clearly, displaying these three RGB component images in the form shown in
• Fig. 6.9(a) would yield an RGB color rendition of the original color scene. ■
Converting colors from RGB to HSI
Converting colors from HSI to RGB

Fig.6.13
Converting colors from HSI to RGB
Colour Image Processing
Chromaticity
diagram

Fig.6.5
 Cont..
• The chromaticity diagram is useful for color mixing because a straight-line
segment joining any two points in the diagram defines all the different
color variations that can be obtained by combining these two colors
additively.

• Consider, for example, a straight line drawn from the red to the green
points shown in Fig. 6.5.

• If there is more red light than green light, the exact point representing the
new color will be on the line segment, but it will be closer to the red point
than to the green point. Similarly, a line drawn from the point of
equalenergy to any point on the boundary of the chart will define all the
shades of that particular spectrum color
Fig .6.6 Typical colour gamut of colour monitors(triangle) and
color printing devices(Irregular region)

Fig .6.6
 Cont…
• The triangle in Figure 6.6 shows a typical range of colors
(called the color gamut) produced by RGB monitors.

• The irregular region inside the triangle is representative of

the color gamut of today’s high-quality color printing
devices.

• The boundary of the color printing gamut is irregular

because color printing is a combination of additive and
subtractive color mixing, a process that is much more
difficult to control than that of displaying colors on a
monitor, which is based on the addition of three highly
controllable light primaries
 RGB Color model
• Finally, Fig. 6.9(b) shows the three hidden surface planes of the cube in Fig. 6.8, generated in
the same manner.

• A color image can be acquired by using three filters, sensitive to red, green, and blue,
respectively.

• When we view a color scene with a monochrome camera equipped with one of these filters,
the result is a monochrome image whose intensity is proportional to the response of that
filter.

• Repeating this process with each filter produces three monochrome images
• that are the RGB component images of the color scene.

• (In practice, RGB color image sensors usually integrate this process into a single device.)

• Clearly, displaying these three RGB component images in the form shown in
• Fig. 6.9(a) would yield an RGB color rendition of the original color scene. ■
Converting colors from RGB to HSI
Converting colors from HSI to RGB

Fig.6.13
Converting colors from HSI to RGB