How to track, analyze, and interpret image in real-time?

What Is Image Processing?

Image processing is the process of transforming an image into a digital form and performing certain operations to get some useful information from it. The image processing system usually treats all images as 2D signals when applying certain predetermined signal processing methods.

There are five main types of image processing:

• Visualization : Find objects that are not visible in the image
• Recognition : Distinguish or detect objects in the image
• Sharpening and restoration : Create an enhanced image from the original image
• Pattern recognition : Measure the various patterns around the objects in the image
• Retrieval : Browse and search images from a large database of digital images that are similar to the original image

Fundamental Image Processing Steps

1. Image Acquisition

   Image acquisition is the first step in image processing. This step is also known as preprocessing in image processing. It involves retrieving the image from a source, usually a hardware-based source.

2. Image Enhancement

   Image enhancement is the process of bringing out and highlighting certain features of interest in an image that has been obscured. This can involve changing the brightness, contrast, etc.

3. Image Restoration

   Image restoration is the process of improving the appearance of an image. However, unlike image enhancement, image restoration is done using certain mathematical or probabilistic models.

4. Color Image Processing

   Color image processing includes a number of color modeling techniques in a digital domain. This step has gained prominence due to the significant use of digital images over the internet.

5. Wavelets and Multiresolution Processing

   Wavelets are used to represent images in various degrees of resolution. The images are subdivided into wavelets or smaller regions for data compression and for pyramidal representation.

6. Compression

   Compression is a process used to reduce the storage required to save an image or the bandwidth required to transmit it. This is done particularly when the image is for use on the Internet.

7. Morphological Processing

   Morphological processing is a set of processing operations for morphing images based on their shapes.

8. Segmentation

   Segmentation is one of the most difficult steps of image processing. It involves partitioning an image into its constituent parts or objects.

9. Representation and Description

   After an image is segmented into regions in the segmentation process, each region is represented and described in a form suitable for further computer processing. Representation deals with the image’s characteristics and regional properties. Description deals with extracting quantitative information that helps differentiate one class of objects from the other.

10. Recognition

    Recognition assigns a label to an object based on its description.

Benefits of Image Processing

• The digital image can be made available in any desired format (improved image, X-Ray, photo negative, etc)
• It helps to improve images for human interpretation
• Information can be processed and extracted from images for machine interpretation
• The pixels in the image can be manipulated to any desired density and contrast
• Images can be stored and retrieved easily
• It allows for easy electronic transmission of images to third-party providers