Digital Image Processing

Lecture # 4
Spatial Filtering

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Spatial Filtering
Spatial Filtering

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Spatial Filtering

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Spatial Filtering

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Spatial Filtering

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Spatial Filtering
 Spatial Filtering: Basics
 The output intensity value at (x,y) depends not only on the input
intensity value at (x,y) but also on the specified number of
neighboring intensity values around (x,y)

 Spatial masks (also called window, filter, kernel, template) are used
and convolved over the entire image for local enhancement (spatial
filtering)

 The size of the masks determines the number of neighboring pixels

which influence the output value at (x,y)

 The values (coefficients) of the mask determine the nature and

properties of enhancing technique

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Spatial Filtering: Basics
a b
g ( x, y )    w(s, t ) f ( x  s, y  t )
s  a t  b

m 1 n 1
where a = , b=
2 2
x  0,1, 2,...., M  1, y  0,1, 2,..., N  1

Filtering can be given in equation

form as shown above

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 Spatial Filtering: Basics
 Given the 3×3 mask with coefficients: w1, w2,…, w9
 The mask cover the pixels with gray levels: z1, z2,…, z9

w1 w2 w3 z1 z2 z3
w4 w5 w6 z4 z5 z6
w7 w8 w9 z7 z8 z9

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z 
 z1w1  z2 w2  z3 w3   z9 w9   zi wi
i 1

 z gives the output intensity value for the processed image (to be
stored in a new array) at the location of z5 in the input image

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 Spatial Filtering: Basics

Origin x
Neighbourhood
operations: Operate on a
larger neighbourhood of
pixels than point
operations (x, y)
Neighbourhood

Neighbourhoods are mostly a

rectangle around a central
pixel
y Image f (x, y)

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 Spatial Filtering: Basics
Origin x
a b c r s t
d
g
e
h
f
i
* u
x
v
y
w
z
Original Image Filter
Simple 3*3 Pixels
e 3*3 Filter
Neighbourhood
eprocessed = v*e +
r*a + s*b + t*c +
u*d + w*f +
y Image f (x, y) x*g + y*h + z*i
The above is repeated for every pixel in the original image to generate the filtered image

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 Spatial Filtering: Basics
Original Image x Enhanced Image x
123 127 128 119 115 130

140 145 148 153 167 172

133 154 183 192 194 191

194 199 207 210 198 195

164 170 175 162 173 151

y y

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Spatial Filtering: Basics

Moving window (kernel)

scans the 3x3
neighborhood of every
pixel in the image

Original Image

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Spatial Filtering: Basics

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Spatial Filtering: Basics

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Spatial Filtering: Basics

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Spatial Filtering: Basics

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Spatial Filtering: Basics

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 Spatial Filtering: Basics
Mask operation near the image border: Problem arises when
part of the mask is located outside the image plane

Discard the problem pixels (e.g.

512x512 input 510x510 output if mask Pixel replication: We
size is 3x3) normally use the gray
Zero padding: Expand the input levels of border pixels to
image by padding zeros (512x512 fill up the expanded region
original image, 514x514 padded (for 3x3 mask). For larger
image, 512x512 output) masks a border region
Zero padding is not equal to half of the mask
recommended as it creates size is mirrored on the
artificial lines or edges on the expanded region.
border

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Spatial Filtering: Basics
Mask operation near the border: Pixel
replication

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 Smoothing Spatial Filters
Simply average all of the pixels in a neighbourhood around
a central value

1/ 1/ 1/
9 9 9
Simple
1/ 1/ 1/
9 9 9 averaging
filter
1/ 1/ 1/
9 9 9

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 Smoothing Spatial Filters
For blurring/noise reduction

Blurring is usually used in preprocessing steps, e.g., to remove

small details from an image prior to object extraction, or to bridge
small gaps in lines or curves

Equivalent to Low-pass spatial filtering in frequency domain

because smaller (high frequency) details are removed based on
neighborhood averaging (averaging filters)

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 Smoothing Spatial Filters
Origin x
104 100 108 1/ 1/ 1/
9 9 9

99 106 98

95 90 85
* 1/

1/
9
1/

1/
9
1/

1/
9

9 9 9

1/ 100
104
9
1/ 108
9
1/
9
Original Image Filter
Simple 3*3 1/ 1/ 1/
3*3 Smoothing Pixels
999 106
9 989
Neighbourhood 195
/9 190
/9 185
/9
Filter
e = 1/9*106 +
1/ *104 + 1/ *100 + 1/ *108 +
9 9 9
1/ *99 + 1/ *98 +
9 9
y Image f (x, y) 1/ *95 + 1/ *90 + 1/ *85
9 9 9
= 98.3333
The above is repeated for every pixel in the original image to generate the smoothed image

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Smoothing Filter: Example

original 3x3 average

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Smoothing Filter: Example

original 3x3 average

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Smoothing Filter: Example

original 3x3 average

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Smoothing Filter: Example

original 3x3 average

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 Original image
Smooth by 3x3
Size: 500x500 box filter

Smooth by 5x5 Smooth by 9x9

box filter box filter

Smooth by
Smooth by
35x35 box filter
15x15 box filter

Notice how detail begins to disappear

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 Smoothing Spatial Filters
Consider the
output pixel is
positioned at
the center

Box Filter all Weighted Average give

coefficients are more (less) weight to near
equal (away from) the output
location

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 Sharpening Spatial Filters

Previously we have looked at smoothing filters which remove

fine detail

Sharpening spatial filters seek to highlight fine detail

 Remove blurring from images

 Highlight edges

Sharpening filters are based on spatial differentiation

 Spatial Differentiation

• Let’s consider a simple 1 dimensional

example
Spatial Differentiation

A B
 1st Derivative

The 1st derivative of a function is given by:

f
 f ( x  1)  f ( x)
x
Its just the difference between subsequent
values and measures the rate of change of
the function
 1st Derivative
Image Strip

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6
5
4
3
2
1
0

5 5 4 3 2 1 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 7 7 7 7

-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 0 0 6 -6 01st 0Derivative
0 1 2 -2 -1 0 0 0 7 0 0 0

8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
-8
 2nd Derivative

The 2nd derivative of a function is given by:

Simply takes into account the values both before and after the current value

 f
2
 f ( x  1)  f ( x  1)  2 f ( x)
 x
2
 2nd Derivative
Image Strip

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7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

5 5 4 3 2 1 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 7 7 7 7

-1 0 0 0 0 1 0 6 -12 6 0 0 1 1 -4 1 1 0 0 7 -7 0 0
2nd Derivative

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-5

-10

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 2nd Derivative for Image Enhancement

The 2nd derivative is more useful for image enhancement

than the 1st derivative - Stronger response to fine detail

We will come back to the 1st order derivative later on

The first sharpening filter we will look at is the Laplacian

 Laplacian Filter
The Laplacian is defined as follows:

 f  f 2 2
 f  2  2
2

x y
2 f
 f ( x  1, y)  f ( x  1, y)  2 f ( x, y)
x 2

2 f
 f ( x, y  1)  f ( x, y  1)  2 f ( x, y )
y 2
 Laplacian Filter

So, the Laplacian can be given as follows:

 2 f  [ f ( x  1, y)  f ( x  1, y)
 f ( x, y  1)  f ( x, y  1)]
 4 f ( x, y )
Can we implement it using a 0 1 0
filter/ mask?
1 -4 1

0 1 0
Laplacian Filter
 Laplacian Filter
Applying the Laplacian to an image we get a
new image that highlights edges and other
discontinuities

Original Laplacian Laplacian

Image Filtered Image Filtered Image
Scaled for Display
 Laplacian Image Enhancement

The result of a Laplacian filtering is not an

enhanced image

To generate the final enhanced image

Laplacian
Filtered Image
Scaled for Display
f ( x, y )   f , w5  0
2
g ( x, y ) 
f ( x, y )   2 f , w5  0
 Laplacian Image Enhancement

- =
Original Laplacian Sharpened
Image Filtered Image Image

In the final sharpened image edges and fine

detail are much more obvious
Laplacian Image Enhancement
 Simplified Image Enhancement

• The entire enhancement can be combined

into a single filtering operation

g ( x, y)  f ( x, y)   f
2

 f ( x, y )  [ f ( x  1, y )  f ( x  1, y )
 f ( x, y  1)  f ( x, y  1)
 4 f ( x, y )]
 Simplified Image Enhancement

• The entire enhancement can be combined

into a single filtering operation
g ( x, y)  f ( x, y)   f 2

 5 f ( x, y )  f ( x  1, y )  f ( x  1, y )
0 -1 0
 f ( x, y  1)  f ( x, y  1)
-1 5 -1

0 -1 0
Simplified Image Enhancement

• This gives us a new filter which does the

whole job for us in one step

0 -1 0

-1 5 -1

0 -1 0
Unsharp Masking
 Use of first derivatives for image
enhancement: The Gradient

• The gradient of a function f(x,y) is defined as

 f 
Gx   x 
f      f 
G y   
 y 
 Gradient Operators
• Most common differentiation operator is the
gradient vector.
 f ( x , y ) 
  x  G x 
f ( x, y )    
  f ( x , y )  G y 
 y 

Magnitude:

 f ( x, y )  G x  G y
2

2 1/ 2
 Gx  Gx
Direction:
Gy 
1
 f ( x , y )  tan  
 Gx 
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 Gradient Operators
Sobel Operator

-1 -2 -1 -1 0 1
0 0 0 -2 0 2
1 2 1 -1 0 1
Extract horizontal edges Extract vertical edges

Emphasize more the current point

(y direction)

f  ( z7  2 z8  z9 )  ( z1  2 z2  z3 )
 ( z3  2 z6  z9 )  ( z1  2 z4  z7 )
Emphasize more the current point (x
direction) Pixel Arrangement
 Sobel Operator: Example
An image of a
contact lens
which is
enhanced in
order to make
defects more
obvious

Sobel filters are typically used for edge

detection
 Order-Statistic Filtering

 Output is based on order of gray levels in the masked area

 Some simple neighbourhood operations include:
 Min: Set the pixel value to the minimum in the
neighbourhood
 Max: Set the pixel value to the maximum in the
neighbourhood
 Median: The median value of a set of numbers is the
midpoint value in that set

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 Median Filter
• For an image, mask symmetric: 3x3, 5x5, etc.

Sorted: 0,0,1,1,1,2,2,2,4
Input Output

1 2 0 1 3
2 2 4 2 2 1
1 0 1 0 1
1 2 1 0 2
2 5 3 1 2
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 Median Filtering

Sort the values

Determine the median

Median = ? 20

 Particularly effective when

 The noise pattern consists of strong
impulse noise ( salt-and-pepper)

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Salt and Pepper Noise
Median Filtering

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Min/Max Filtering
 Combining Spatial Enhancement
Methods
Successful image enhancement is
typically not achieved using a single
operation

Rather we combine a range of

techniques in order to achieve a final
result

This example will focus on enhancing

the bone scan
 Readings from Book (3rd Edn.)
• 3.3 Histogram
• 3.4 Filtering
• 3.5 Smoothing Filters
• Sharpening Filters (Chapter – 3)
• Reading Assignment
• High Boost Filtering (Chap –
3.6.3)
 Acknowledgements
 Statistical Pattern Recognition: A Review – A.K Jain et al., PAMI (22) 2000
 Pattern Recognition and Analysis Course – A.K. Jain, MSU
Material in these slides has been taken from, the following resources

 Pattern Classification” by Duda et al., John Wiley & Sons.

 Digital Image Processing”, Rafael C. Gonzalez & Richard E. Woods, Addison-Wesley, 2002
 Machine Vision: Automated Visual Inspection and Robot Vision”, David Vernon, Prentice Hall,
1991
 www.eu.aibo.com/
 Advances in Human Computer Interaction, Shane Pinder, InTech, Austria, October 2008

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