Bitmapped Images

Digital Multimedia, 2nd edition

Nigel Chapman & Jenny Chapman
Chapter 5
 Bitmapped Images
• Also known as raster graphics
• Record a value for every pixel in the image
• Often created from an external source
– Scanner, digital camera, …
• Painting programs allow direct creation of
images with analogues of natural media,
brushes, …
 Device Resolution
• Printers, scanners: specify as dots per unit
length, often dots per inch (dpi)
– Desktop printer 600dpi, typesetter
1270dpi,scanner 300–3600dpi,…
• Video, monitors: specify as pixel dimensions
– PAL TV 768x576px, 17" CRT monitor 1024x768px,
…
– dpi depends on physical size of screen
 Image Resolution
• Array of pixels has pixel dimensions, but no
physical dimensions
• By default, displayed size depends on
resolution (dpi) of output device
– physical dimension = pixel dimension/resolution
• Can store image resolution (ppi) in image file
to maintain image's original size
– Scale by device resolution/image resolution
 Changing Resolution
• If image resolution < output device resolution,
must interpolate extra pixels
– Always leads to loss of quality
• If image resolution > output device resolution,
must downsample (discard pixels)
– Quality will often be better than that of an image
at device resolution (uses more information)
– Image sampled at a higher resolution than that of
intended output device is oversampled
 Compression
• Image files may be too big for network
transmission, even at low resolutions
• Use more sophisticated data representation or
discard information to reduce data size
• Effectiveness of compression will depend on
actual image data
• For any compression scheme, there will always
be some data for which 'compressed' version is
actually bigger than the original
 Lossless Compression
• Always possible to decompress compressed data
and obtain an exact copy of the original
uncompressed data
– Data is just more efficiently arranged, none is
discarded
• Run-length encoding (RLE)
• Huffmann coding
• Dictionary-based schemes – LZ77, LZ78, LZW
(LZW used in GIF, licence fee charged)
 JPEG Compression
• Lossy technique, well suited to photographs,
images with fine detail and continuous tones
• Consider image as a spatially varying signal that
can be analysed in the frequency domain
• Experimental fact: people do not perceive the
effect of high frequencies in images very
accurately
• Hence, high frequency information can be
discarded without perceptible loss of quality
 DCT
• Similar to Fourier Transform, analyses a signal
into its frequency components
• Takes array of pixel values, produces an array
of coefficients of frequency components in the
image
• Computationally expensive process – time
proportional to square of number of pixels
– Apply to 8x8 blocks of pixels
 JPEG – Quantization
• Applying DCT does not reduce data size
– Array of coefficients is same size as array of pixels
• Allows information about high frequency
components to be identified and discarded
• Use fewer bits (distinguish fewer different
values) for higher frequency components
• Number of levels for each frequency coefficient
may be specified separately in a quantization
matrix
 JPEG – Encoding
• After quantization, there will be many zero
coefficients
– Use RLE on zig-zag sequence (maximizes runs)
• Use Huffman coding of other coefficients (best
use of available bits)
 JPEG – Decompression
• Expand runs of zeros and decompress Huffman-
encoded coefficients to reconstruct array of
frequency coefficients
• Use Inverse Discrete Cosine Transform to take
data back from frequency to spatial domain
• Data discarded in quantization step of
compression procedure cannot be recovered
• Reconstructed image is an approximation
(usually very good) to the original image
 Compression Artefacts
• If use low quality setting (i.e. coarser
quantization), boundaries between 8x8 blocks
become visible
• If image has sharp edges these become
blurred
– Rarely a problem with photographic images, but
especially bad with text
– Better to use good lossless method with text or
computer-generated images
 Image Manipulation
• Many useful operations described by analogy
with darkroom techniques for altering photos
• Correct deficiencies in image
– Remove 'red-eye', enhance contrast,…
• Create artificial effects
– Filters: stylize, distort,…
• Geometrical transformations
– Scale (change resolution), rotate,…
 Selection
• No distinct objects (contrast vector graphics)
• Selection tools define an area of pixels
– Draw selection (pen tool, lasso)
– Select regular shape (rectangular, elliptical, 1px
marquee tools)
– Select on basis of colour/edges (magic wand,
magnetic lasso)
• Adjustments &c restricted to selected area
 Masks
• Area not selected is protected, as if masked by
stencil
• Can represent on/off mask as array of 1 bit per
pixel (b/w image)
• Generalize to greyscale image
(semitransparent mask) – alpha channel
– Feathered and anti-aliased selections
– Use as layer mask to modify layer compositing
 Pixel Point Processing
• Compute new value for pixel from its old value
– p' = f(p), f is a mapping function
• In greyscale images, ppp alters brightness and
contrast
– Compensate for poor exposure, bad lighting, bring
out detail
– Use with mask to adjust parts of image
(e.g.shadows and highlights)
 Adjustments in Photoshop
• Brightness and contrast sliders
– Adjust slope and intercept of linear f
• Levels dialogue
– Adjust endpoints by setting white and black levels
– Use image histogram to choose values visually
• Curves dialogue
– Interactively adjust shape of graph of f
 Pixel Group Processing
• Compute new value for pixel from its old value
and the values of surrounding pixels
– Filtering operations
• Compute weighted average of pixel values
– Array of weights k/a convolution mask
– Pixels used in convolution k/a convolution kernel
• Computationally intensive process
 Blurring
• Classic simple blur
– Convolution mask with equal weights
• Unnatural effect
– Gaussian blur
• Convolution mask with coefficients falling off gradually
(Gaussian bell curve)
– More gentle, can set amount and radius
 Sharpening
• Low frequency filter
– 3x3 convolution mask coefficients all equal to -1,
except centre = 9
– Produces harsh edges
• Unsharp masking
– Copy image, apply Gaussian blur to copy, subtract
it from original
• Enhances image features
 Geometrical Transformations
• Scaling, rotation, etc.
– Simple operations in vector graphics
– Requires each pixel to be transformed in
bitmapped image
• Transformations may 'send pixels into gaps‘
– i.e. interpolation is required
• Equivalent to reconstruction & resampling; tends to
degrade image quality
 Interpolation
• Nearest neighbour
– Use value of pixel whose centre is closest in the original
image to real coordinates of ideal interpolated pixel
• Bilinear interpolation
– Use value of all four adjacent pixels, weighted by
intersection with target pixel
• Bicubic interpolation
– Use values of all four adjacent pixels, weighted using
cubic splines