Digital Image Processing CPE3643

Lecture 8:
Arithmetic and Logical Operations
Spatial Filtering

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In the last lecture

▪ Adaptive local enhancement using statistical parameters

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 Mathematical/logical operations on images
▪ Addition
– Averaging images for noise removal
▪ Subtraction
– Removal of background from images
– Image enhancement
– Image matching
– Moving/displaced object tracking
▪ Multiplication
– Superimposing of texture on an image
– Convolution and correlation of images
▪ And and or operations
– To remove unnecessary area of image through mask operations
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Image averaging for noise reduction

A noisy image can be represented by
g ( x, y) = f ( x, y) +  ( x, y),

where  ( x, y) denotes the noise in the image

Since the noise is random and the content f ( x, y) is fixed,

The noise can be removed by taking more noisy images of

the same object and averaging them out
K
1
g ( x, y ) =
K
 g ( x, y),
i =1
i

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 Image averaging for noise reduction
Original image Noisy image

Result of Using 16 noise Using 64 noise Using 128 noise

averaging using samples samples samples
8 noise samples
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Image averaging for noise reduction

Noisy image

Noise
reduction by
averaging
256 samples

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 Examples of image subtraction
Original image Image after moving one coin

Difference image after

pixel by pixel subtraction
of second image from first
image

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Examples of image subtraction

Difference of images from quality control: a missing chip in PCB is detected

by subtracting the master image from image of each sample

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 Examples of image Multiplication
Multiplication of images can be used for superimposing
texture on an image

Smooth spherical surface Texture to be

output image
image superimposed

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Example of logical operations using masks

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 Local enhancement through spatial filtering
▪ 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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Local enhancement through spatial filtering

The mechanics of spatial

filtering

For an image of size M x N and

a mask of size m x n
The resulting output gray level
for any coordinates x and y is
given by
a b
g ( x, y ) =   w(s, t ) f ( x + s, y + t )
s =− a t =−b

where a = (m − 1) / 2, b = (n − 1) / 2
x = 0, 1, 2,......, M − 1, y = 0, 1, 2,......, N − 1,
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 Basics of spatial filtering
▪ Given the 3×3 mask with coefficients: w1, w2,…, w9
▪ The mask cover the pixels with gray levels: z1, z2,…, z9

▪ 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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Basics of spatial filtering

Mask operation near the image border
Problem arises when part of the mask is located outside the image
plane; to handle the problem:
1. Discard the problem pixels (e.g. 512x512input 510x510output if
mask size is 3x3)
2. Zero padding: expand the input image by padding zeros
(512x512input 514x514output)
– Zero padding is not good create artificial lines or edges on
the border;
3. We normally use the gray levels of border pixels to fill up the
expanded region (for 3x3 mask). For larger masks a border region
equal to half of the mask size is mirrored on the expanded region.

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 Mask operation near the image border

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Spatial filtering for Smoothing

▪ For blurring/noise reduction;
▪ Blurring is usually used in preprocessing steps,
– 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)
Implementation: simplest form: averaging with a square mask
(assume m×m mask) with the all coefficients
equal to 1/m2 (averaging).
Applications: Reduce noise; smooth false contours
Side effect: Edge blurring
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 Smoothing filters

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Spatial filtering for Smoothing (example)

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 Spatial filtering for Smoothing (example)

Original image Smoothed by

size: 500 x 500 3 x 3 box filter

Smoothed by Smoothed by
5 x 5 box filter 9 x 9 box filter

Smoothed by Smoothed by
15 x 15 box filter 35 x 35 box filter

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Spatial filtering for Smoothing (example)

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 Order-statistics filtering
▪ Nonlinear spatial filters
▪ Output is based on order of gray levels in mask (subimage)
▪ Examples: Median filtering, Max & Min filtering
Median filtering
▪ Assigns the mid value of all the gray levels in the mask to the
center of mask;
▪ Particularly effective when
– noise pattern consists of strong, spiky components (impulse
noise, salt-and-pepper
– edges are to be preserved
– Force points with distinct gray levels to be more like their
neighbors

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Median Filtering

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 Median Filtering (example)

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Spatial filtering for image sharpening

Background: to highlight fine detail in an image or to
enhance blurred detail
Applications: electronic printing, medical imaging,
industrial inspection, autonomous target
detection (smart weapons)......
Foundation:
▪ Blurring/smoothing is performed by spatial averaging
(equivalent to integration)
▪ Sharpening is performed by noting only the gray level
changes in the image that is the differentiation

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 Spatial filtering for image sharpening
Operation of Image Differentiation
▪ Enhance edges and discontinuities (magnitude of output
gray level >>0)
▪ De-emphasize areas with slowly varying gray-level
values (output gray level: 0)

Mathematical Basis of Filtering for Image Sharpening

▪ First-order and second-order derivatives
▪ Approximation in discrete-space domain
▪ Implementation by mask filtering
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