How can you enhance the contrast of an image in Electrical Engineering?
Contrast is one of the most important aspects of an image, as it affects the visibility, clarity, and quality of the features and details. In electrical engineering, image contrast enhancement is a process of modifying the intensity or color distribution of an image to improve its appearance or suitability for a specific task. In this article, you will learn about some of the common techniques and applications of image contrast enhancement in electrical engineering.
Histogram equalization is a technique that adjusts the histogram of an image, which is a graphical representation of the frequency of each pixel value, to make it more uniform. This means that the image will have a wider range of pixel values, and the contrast between the dark and bright regions will be increased. Histogram equalization can be applied to grayscale or color images, and it can be done globally or locally. Global histogram equalization applies the same transformation to the whole image, while local histogram equalization divides the image into smaller regions and applies different transformations to each region. Histogram equalization is useful for enhancing images with low contrast or uneven illumination, such as medical images, satellite images, or infrared images.
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Alexander Coffman
Senior Engineer & Creator | Mentoring young professionals to increase productivity and develop professionally | Exploring emerging technology, economics, and policy solutions to the polycrisis
Use histogram equalization for enhancing image contrast, especially useful in thermal imaging or detailed component analysis. This technique redistributes the image's brightness, improving visibility of features in electrical inspections.
Contrast stretching is a technique that linearly scales the pixel values of an image to fit a desired range, such as [0, 255]. This means that the image will have a higher dynamic range, and the contrast between the dark and bright regions will be increased. Contrast stretching can be applied to grayscale or color images, and it can be done globally or locally. Global contrast stretching applies the same scaling to the whole image, while local contrast stretching divides the image into smaller regions and applies different scaling to each region. Contrast stretching is useful for enhancing images with low contrast or narrow dynamic range, such as scanned documents, thermal images, or radar images.
Edge enhancement is a technique that emphasizes the edges or boundaries of an image, which are the regions where there is a significant change in pixel value. This means that the image will have a sharper and clearer appearance, and the contrast between the objects and the background will be increased. Edge enhancement can be applied to grayscale or color images, and it can be done by using different methods, such as gradient, Laplacian, or Sobel operators. These methods involve applying a filter or a kernel to the image, which calculates the difference or the magnitude of the pixel values in a neighborhood. Edge enhancement is useful for enhancing images with low resolution or blurred edges, such as digital cameras, video frames, or microscopy images.
Adaptive contrast enhancement is a technique that adjusts the contrast of an image based on the local characteristics or the human perception of the image. This means that the image will have a more natural and realistic appearance, and the contrast between the different regions will be balanced. Adaptive contrast enhancement can be applied to grayscale or color images, and it can be done by using different methods, such as histogram modification, gamma correction, or Retinex theory. These methods involve applying a function or a model to the image, which modifies the pixel values according to the local contrast, the brightness, or the color information. Adaptive contrast enhancement is useful for enhancing images with high contrast or complex scenes, such as artistic images, natural images, or face images.
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Shantanusinh Parmar
Ion Propulsion engineer @ Infinity Space | Founder @EcliptaForge| Matching Membership Fellow @American Physical Society
The contrast of an image can be also magnified by converting the picture to greyscale and applying comparision parameters to its pixels.
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