ABSTRACT
Digital image processing is a field that continues to grow, with new applications being developed at an ever-increasing pace. Digital image processing can be defined as the acquisition and processing of visual information by computer. This introductory chapter provides an overview of digital image processing and analysis with a focus on human vision applications. Image enhancement involves taking an image and improving it visually, typically by taking advantage of the human visual system’s response. Image restoration is the process of taking an image with some known, or estimated, degradation and restoring it to its original appearance. Image compression involves reducing the typically massive amount of data needed to represent an image. The various methods of image acquisition are discussed including visible light imaging and how the non-visible parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are used to generate images. A brief look at lenses and lighting and imaging sensors is included. The two key components of image formation are discussed. Additionally, acoustic, electron and laser imaging methods and their applications are discussed. Image representation and display is considered, including binary, color and multispectral images. Useful color transforms are provided and discussed. An overview of a number of commonly used file formats for image storage is included. Along with the text are 35 illustrative figures and 68 associated color images. Problems are included at the chapter end.
