EE-583: Digital Image Processing

Morphological Image Processing

The word morphology refers to the scientific branch that deals the forms and
structures of animals/plants.

Morphology in image processing is a tool for extracting image components

that are useful in the representation and description of region shape, such as
boundaries and skeletons.

Furthermore, the morphological operations can be used for filtering, thinning

and pruning.

The language of the Morphology comes from the set theory, where image
objects can be represented by sets. For example an image object containing
black pixels can be considered a set of black pixels in 2D space of Z2.

Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD

 EE-583: Digital Image Processing

Morphological Image Processing

Set Theory Fundamentals
Given that A is a set in Z2and a=(a1,a2), then
a is an element in A: a A

a is not an element in A: a A
given sets A and B, A is said to be the subset of B: A B
The union of A and B is denoted by: CA B
The intersection of A and B is denoted by: DA B
Two sets are disjoint/mutually exclusive if A B
The complement of set A is the set of elements not contained in A, Ac A
The difference of two sets: A B A, B A B c
Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD
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Morphological Image Processing

Set Theory Fundamentals

Given 2 sets A and B

Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD

 EE-583: Digital Image Processing

Morphological Image Processing

Set Theory Fundamentals
The reflection of set B is defined by:

B b, for b B
The translation of set A by point z=(z1,z2) is defined by:

( A) z a z, for a A

Translation of A by z. Reflection of B

Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD

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Morphological Image Processing

Logic operation involving Binary Images
Given 1-bit binary images, A and B, the basic logical operations are
illustrated:

Note that the black indicates

binary 1 and white indicates binary
0 here.

Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD

 EE-583: Digital Image Processing

Morphological Image Processing

Dilation and Erosion
Dilation and erosion are the two fundamental operations used in
morphological image processing. Almost all morphological algorithms depend on
these two operations:

Dilation: Given A and B sets in Z2, the dilation of A by B, is defined by:

A B z ( B ) z A
^
The dilation of A and B is a set of all displacements, z , such that B and A
overlap by at least one element. The definition can also be written as:

A B z ( B ) z A A
Set B is referred to as the structuring element and used in dilation as well as in
other morphological operations. Dilation expands/dilutes a given image.

Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD

 EE-583: Digital Image Processing

Morphological Image Processing

Dilation and Erosion
Dilation: Given the structuring element B and set A.
Shaded area is the dilation
origin of A by B

The structuring element B

enlarges the size of A at its
boundaries. Dilation simply
expands a given image.

The structuring element B enlarges the size of

A at its boundaries, in relation to the distance
from the origin of the structuring element .

Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD

 EE-583: Digital Image Processing

Morphological Image Processing

Dilation and Erosion
Dilation: Given the following distorted text image where the maximum length
of the broken characters are 2 pixels. The image can be enhanced by bridging the
gaps by using the structuring element given below:

B
3x3 structuring
element

A A B
Note that the broken characters are joined.
Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD
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Morphological Image Processing

Dilation and Erosion
Erosion: Given A and B sets in Z2, the erosion of A by structuring element B, is

B z ( B) z A
defined by:
A
The erosion of A by structuring element B is the set of all points z, such that B,
translated by z, is contained in A.

Shaded area is the erosion

of A by B

structuring
element

Note that in erosion the structuring element B erodes the input image A at its boundaries.
Erosion shrinks a given image.

Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD

 EE-583: Digital Image Processing

Morphological Image Processing

Dilation and Erosion
Erosion: Given the structuring element B and set A.

Shaded line is what is left

from the erosion of A by B

structuring
element

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Morphological Image Processing

Dilation and Erosion
Erosion: Given the following binary image with squares on size 1,3,5,7,9 and
15. You can get rid of all the squares less than size of 15 by erosion followed by
dilation of a structuring element of 13x13.

B
13x13 structuring
element

A A B
Erosion of A by B

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Morphological Image Processing

Dilation and Erosion
Dilation: Cont. from the previous slide. Note that erosion followed by
dilation helps to perform filtering.

B
13x13 structuring
element

A B (A B) B
dilation by B

Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD

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Morphological Image Processing

Opening and closing
Opening: The process of erosion followed by dilation is called opening. It has
the effect of eliminating small and thin objects, breaking the objects at thin points
and smoothing the boundaries/contours of the objects.
Given set A and the structuring element B. Opening of A by structuring element
B is defined by:
A B ( A B) B

Closing: The process of dilation followed by erosion is called closing. It has the effect of
filling small and thin holes, connecting nearby objects and smoothing the
boundaries/contours of the objects.

Given set A and the structuring element B. Closing of A by structuring element B is defined
by:
A B ( A B) B

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 EE-583: Digital Image Processing

Morphological Image Processing

Opening and closing
Opening: The opening of A by the structuring element B is obtained by taking
the union of all translates of B that fit into A.
The opening operation can also be expressed by the following formula:

A B Bz ( Bz ) A

Outer boundary of A

Origin of B
Circular structuring element Shaded area: complete opening

Possible translations of B in A Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD

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Morphological Image Processing

Opening and closing
Closing: The closing has a similar geometric interpretation except that we roll
B on the outside of the boundary.
The opening operation can also be expressed by the following formula:

A B ( Bz ) ( Bz ) A
Outer boundary of A

Outer boundaries of closing

Shaded area: complete closing

Possible translations of B on the outer boundaries of A Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD
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Morphological Image Processing

Opening and closing
B
circular structuring
element

result of erosion of A by B

result of opening of A by B

result of dilation of A by B

result of closing of A by B

Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD

 EE-583: Digital Image Processing

Morphological Image Processing

Opening and closing
Noise Filtering: The morphological operations can be used to remove the noise
as in the following example:

3x3 square
structuring
element

result of opening followed by closing

after Note that impulsive noise within the

opening background and the fingerprints is removed.

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 EE-583: Digital Image Processing

Morphological Image Processing

Hit-or-Miss Transform (Template Matching)
Hit-or-miss transform can be used for shape detection/ Template matching.

Given the shape as the structuring element B1 the Hit-or-miss transform is

defined by:
A
* B ( A B1 ) ( Ac
B2 )
Where B2 =W-X and B1=X. W is the window enclosing B1. Windowing is used to
isolate the structuring element/object.

B2=W-X, used as the second

structuring element.

Complement of B1

Shape that we are searching for

Used as the structuring element (B1=X) Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD
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Morphological Image Processing

Hit-or-Miss Transform

A
* B ( A B1 ) ( Ac
B2 )
B2
B1

Complement of A

Erosion of A by B1

Erosion of comp of AC by B2

The location of the matched object/shape,

Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD

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Morphological Image Processing

Basic Morphological Algorithms
Boundary Extraction: The boundaries/edges of a region/shape can be extracted
by first applying erosion on A by B and subtracting the eroded A from A.
( A) A ( A B)

Ex 1: 3x3 Square structuring element is used Ex 2: The same structuring element in Ex1 is used.
for boundary extraction.
Note that thicker boundaries can be obtained by
increasing the size of structuring element.

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Morphological Image Processing

Basic Morphological Algorithms
Region Filling: Region filling can be performed by using the following
definition. Given a symmetric structuring element B, one of the non-boundary
pixels (Xk) is consecutively diluted and its intersection with the complement of A
is taken as follows:
k 1,2,3,...
X k ( X k 1 B) A c
terminates when X k X k 1
X 0 1 (inner pixel)

Following consecutive dilations and their intersection with the complement of A,

finally resulting set is the filled inner boundary region and its union with A gives
the filled region F(A).

F ( A) X k A

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 EE-583: Digital Image Processing

Morphological Image Processing

Basic Morphological Algorithms
Region Filling: This region is filled first.

Filling of all the other regions

A non-boundary pixel

Ex 1: X0=1 (Assume that the shaded boundary points are

1 and the white pixels are 0) Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD
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Morphological Image Processing

Basic Morphological Algorithms
Connected Component Extraction: The following iterative expression can be
used to determine all the pixels in component Y which is in A.
k 1,2,3,...
X k ( X k 1 B) A
terminates when X k X k 1
X 0 1(boundary pixel)

X0=1 corresponds to one of the pixels on the

component Y. Note that one of the pixel
locations on the component must be known.
Result of first iteration
Known pixel, p Consecutive dilations and their intersection
with A, yields all elements of component Y.

Result of second iteration Result of last iteration Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD
 EE-583: Digital Image Processing

Morphological Image Processing

Basic Morphological Algorithms
Connected Component Extraction:

Input image
(Chicken fillet)

Thresholded image

15 connected
components with
different number of
pixels
After erosion by 5x5
square structuring
element of 1s

Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD

 EE-583: Digital Image Processing

Morphological Image Processing

Basic Morphological Algorithms
Thinning: Thinning of A by the structuring element B is defined by:

A B A (A
* B)
hit-or-miss transform/template matching

Note that we are only interested in pattern matching of B in A, so no background operation

is required of the hit-miss-transform.
{B} {B1 , B 2 , B3 ,..., B n }
The structuring element B consists of a sequence of structuring elements, where Bi is the
rotated version of Bi-1. Each structuring elements helps thinning in one direction. If there
are 4 structuring elements thinning is performed from 4 directions separated by 90o. If 8
structuring elements are used the thinning is performed in 8 directions separated by 45o.

The process is to thin A by one pass with B1, then the result with one pass of B2, and
continue until A is thinned with one pass of Bn.

A {B} ((...(( A B1 ) B 2 )...) B n )

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Morphological Image Processing

Basic Morphological Algorithms
Thinning: The following set of structuring elements are used for thinning operation.

...

If there is no change any

more. Declared to be the
thinned object
Prepared By: Dr. Hasan Demirel, PhD