ABSTRACT
Technological advances in the past few years have given us powerful, inexpensive tools for modifying images. What was traditionally the domain of specialized technical professionals is now available to the general practitioner. Image processing has become ubiquitous. It is so integrated into how one acquires and views imagery that it often cannot be separated from the act of taking pictures or looking at them. Modern digital cameras
include multiple processing steps as part of the formation of a photograph. They allow the user to do tasks such as sharpening, image averaging, edge enhancement, color balancing, and even high dynamic range imaging within the camera. Modern displays offer similar functions. For instance, a common graphics card used in consumer laptop computers at the time of this writing allows the user to modify gamma, brightness, contrast, color balance, anti-aliasing, filtering, compositing effects, and resizing. Common consumer-level image processing
9.1 Introduction 111 9.2 Image Processing and Analysis 112
9.2.1 Image Processing 112 9.2.1.1 Definitions 112 9.2.1.2 Image Enhancement and Restoration 112 9.2.1.3 Substantive versus Demonstrative Image Processing 113
9.2.2 Image Analysis 115 9.2.3 Literature Review 116
9.3 Standards 116 9.4 The Digital Work Flow Pipeline 117
9.4.1 Images as Evidence 117 9.4.2 Image Acquisition and Archival 117
9.4.2.1 Storage Format 117 9.4.2.2 Primary, Original, and Working Images 119 9.4.2.3 Image Integrity and Archival 120 9.4.2.4 Format and Media Obsolescence 120 9.4.2.5 Image Authenticity 121 9.4.2.6 Image Retention 121
9.4.3 Image Enhancement Documentation 121 9.4.4 Report Preparation 123
9.5 Software Resources 123 9.5.1 Applicability 124 9.5.2 Single Application or Enterprise Solution 124 9.5.3 Validation and Algorithm Description 124 9.5.4 Graphical Interface and Ease of Use 124 9.5.5 Programming Requirements 125 9.5.6 Metaphor 125 9.5.7 Data Representation 125 9.5.8 Audit Trails 125 9.5.9 Third-Party Support 126 9.5.10 Open Source versus Proprietary 126
References 127
software packages provide access to hundreds of algorithms in dizzying numbers of combinations.
