Digital Image Processing

Image Enhancement:
Filtering in the Frequency Domain

Course Website: http://www.comp.dit.ie/bmacnamee

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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The Big Idea

=
Any function that periodically repeats itself can be
expressed as a sum of sines and cosines of
different frequencies each multiplied by a different
coefficient a Fourier series

Taken from www.tfh-berlin.de/~schwenk/hobby/fourier/Welcome.html

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The Big Idea (cont)

Notice how we get closer and closer to the

original function as we add more and more
frequencies

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The Big Idea (cont)

Frequency
domain signal
processing
example in Excel

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The Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT)

The Discrete Fourier Transform of f(x, y), for x =
0, 1, 2M-1 and y = 0,1,2N-1, denoted by
F(u, v), is given by the equation:

F (u , v)

M 1 N 1

f ( x, y)e

j 2 ( ux / M vy / N )

x 0 y 0

for u = 0, 1, 2M-1 and v = 0, 1, 2N-1.

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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DFT & Images

The DFT of a two dimensional image can be
visualised by showing the spectrum of the
images component frequencies

DFT

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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DFT & Images

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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DFT & Images

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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DFT & Images (cont)

DFT

Scanning electron microscope

image of an integrated circuit
magnified ~2500 times

Fourier spectrum of the image

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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DFT & Images (cont)

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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DFT & Images (cont)

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The Inverse DFT

It is really important to note that the Fourier
transform is completely reversible
The inverse DFT is given by:

1
f ( x, y )
MN

M 1 N 1

F (u, v)e

j 2 ( ux / M vy / N )

u 0 v 0

for x = 0, 1, 2M-1 and y = 0, 1, 2N-1

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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The DFT and Image Processing

To filter an image in the frequency domain:
1. Compute F(u,v) the DFT of the image
2. Multiply F(u,v) by a filter function H(u,v)
3. Compute the inverse DFT of the result

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Some Basic Frequency Domain Filters

Low Pass Filter

High Pass Filter

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Some Basic Frequency Domain Filters

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Some Basic Frequency Domain Filters

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Smoothing Frequency Domain Filters

Smoothing is achieved in the frequency domain
by dropping out the high frequency components
The basic model for filtering is:
G(u,v) = H(u,v)F(u,v)
where F(u,v) is the Fourier transform of the
image being filtered and H(u,v) is the filter
transform function
Low pass filters only pass the low frequencies,
drop the high ones

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Ideal Low Pass Filter

Simply cut off all high frequency components that
are a specified distance D0 from the origin of the
transform

changing the distance changes the behaviour of

the filter

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Ideal Low Pass Filter (cont)

The transfer function for the ideal low pass filter
can be given as:

1 if D(u , v) D0
H (u , v)
0 if D (u , v) D0
where D(u,v) is given as:

D(u , v) [(u M / 2) 2 (v N / 2) 2 ]1/ 2

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Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Ideal Low Pass Filter (cont)

Above we show an image, its Fourier spectrum

and a series of ideal low pass filters of radius 5,
15, 30, 80 and 230 superimposed on top of it

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Ideal Low Pass Filter (cont)

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Ideal Low Pass Filter (cont)

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Ideal Low Pass Filter (cont)

Original
image

Result of filtering
with ideal low pass
filter of radius 5

Result of filtering
with ideal low pass
filter of radius 15

Result of filtering
with ideal low pass
filter of radius 30

Result of filtering
with ideal low pass
filter of radius 80

Result of filtering
with ideal low pass
filter of radius 230

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Ideal Low Pass Filter (cont)

Result of filtering
with ideal low pass
filter of radius 5

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Ideal Low Pass Filter (cont)

Result of filtering
with ideal low pass
filter of radius 15

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Butterworth Lowpass Filters

The transfer function of a Butterworth lowpass
filter of order n with cutoff frequency at distance
D0 from the origin is defined as:
1
H (u , v)
1 [ D (u , v) / D0 ]2 n

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Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Butterworth Lowpass Filter (cont)

Original
image

Result of filtering with

Butterworth filter of
order 2 and cutoff
radius 15

Result of filtering with

Butterworth filter of
order 2 and cutoff
radius 80

Result of filtering
with Butterworth filter
of order 2 and cutoff
radius 5

Result of filtering
with Butterworth
filter of order 2 and
cutoff radius 30

Result of filtering
with Butterworth filter
of order 2 and cutoff
radius 230

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Butterworth Lowpass Filter (cont)

Original
image

Result of filtering
with Butterworth filter
of order 2 and cutoff
radius 5

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Butterworth Lowpass Filter (cont)

Result of filtering with

Butterworth filter of
order 2 and cutoff
radius 15

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Gaussian Lowpass Filters

The transfer function of a Gaussian lowpass
filter is defined as:

H (u , v) e

D 2 ( u ,v ) / 2 D0 2

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Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Gaussian Lowpass Filters (cont)

Original
image

Result of filtering
with Gaussian filter
with cutoff radius 5

Result of filtering
with Gaussian
filter with cutoff
radius 15

Result of filtering
with Gaussian filter
with cutoff radius 30

Result of filtering
with Gaussian
filter with cutoff
radius 85

Result of filtering
with Gaussian filter
with cutoff radius
230

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Lowpass Filters Compared

Result of filtering
with ideal low pass
filter of radius 15

Result of filtering
with Gaussian
filter with cutoff
radius 15

Result of filtering
with Butterworth
filter of order 2
and cutoff radius
15

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Lowpass Filtering Examples

A low pass Gaussian filter is used to connect
broken text

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Lowpass Filtering Examples

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Lowpass Filtering Examples (cont)

Different lowpass Gaussian filters used to
remove blemishes in a photograph

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Lowpass Filtering Examples (cont)

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Lowpass Filtering Examples (cont)

Original
image

Spectrum of
original image

Gaussian lowpass
filter

Processed
image

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Sharpening in the Frequency Domain

Edges and fine detail in images are associated
with high frequency components
High pass filters only pass the high
frequencies, drop the low ones
High pass frequencies are precisely the reverse
of low pass filters, so:
Hhp(u, v) = 1 Hlp(u, v)

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Ideal High Pass Filters

The ideal high pass filter is given as:

0 if D (u , v) D0
H (u , v)
1 if D (u , v) D0
where D0 is the cut off distance as before

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Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Ideal High Pass Filters (cont)

Results of ideal
high pass filtering
with D0 = 15

Results of ideal
high pass filtering
with D0 = 30

Results of ideal
high pass filtering
with D0 = 80

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Butterworth High Pass Filters

The Butterworth high pass filter is given as:

1
H (u , v)
1 [ D0 / D (u , v)]2 n
where n is the order and D0 is the cut off
distance as before

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Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Butterworth High Pass Filters (cont)

Results of
Butterworth
high pass
filtering of
order 2 with
D0 = 15

Results of
Butterworth
high pass
filtering of
order 2 with
D0 = 80
Results of Butterworth high pass
filtering of order 2 with D0 = 30

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Gaussian High Pass Filters

The Gaussian high pass filter is given as:

H (u , v) 1 e

D 2 ( u ,v ) / 2 D0 2

where D0 is the cut off distance as before

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Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Gaussian High Pass Filters (cont)

Results of
Gaussian
high pass
filtering with
D0 = 80

Results of
Gaussian
high pass
filtering with
D0 = 15
Results of Gaussian high pass
filtering with D0 = 30

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Highpass Filter Comparison

Results of ideal
high pass filtering
with D0 = 15

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Highpass Filter Comparison

Results of Butterworth
high pass filtering of order
2 with D0 = 15

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Highpass Filter Comparison

Results of Gaussian
high pass filtering with
D0 = 15

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Highpass Filter Comparison

Results of ideal
high pass filtering
with D0 = 15

Results of Butterworth
high pass filtering of order
2 with D0 = 15

Results of Gaussian
high pass filtering with
D0 = 15

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Highpass Filter Comparison

Results of ideal
high pass filtering
with D0 = 15

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Highpass Filter Comparison

Results of Butterworth
high pass filtering of order
2 with D0 = 15

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Highpass Filter Comparison

Results of Gaussian
high pass filtering with
D0 = 15

Original image

Highpass filtering result

After histogram
equalisation

High frequency
emphasis result

Images taken from Gonzalez & Woods, Digital Image Processing (2002)

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Highpass Filtering Example

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Summary
In this lecture we examined image
enhancement in the frequency domain
The Fourier series & the Fourier transform
Image Processing in the frequency domain
Image smoothing
Image sharpening

Fast Fourier Transform

Next time we will begin to examine image

restoration using the spatial and frequency
based techniques we have been looking at