An Interdisciplinary Introduction to Image Processing: Pixels, Numbers, and Programs (Hardcover)

This book explores image processing from several perspectives: the creative, the theoretical (mainly mathematical), and the programmatical. It explains the basic principles of image processing, drawing on key concepts and techniques from mathematics, psychology of perception, computer science, and art, and introduces computer programming as a way to get more control over image processing operations. It does so without requiring college-level mathematics or prior programming experience. The content is supported by PixelMath, a freely available software program that helps the reader understand images as both visual and mathematical objects.

The first part of the book covers such topics as digital image representation, sampling, brightness and contrast, color models, geometric transformations, synthesizing images, stereograms, photomosaics, and fractals. The second part of the book introduces computer programming using an open-source version of the easy-to-learn Python language. It covers the basics of image analysis and pattern recognition, including edge detection, convolution, thresholding, contour representation, and K-nearest-neighbor classification. A chapter on computational photography explores such subjects as high-dynamic-range imaging, autofocusing, and methods for automatically inpainting to fill gaps or remove unwanted objects in a scene. Applications described include the design and implementation of an image-based game. The PixelMath software provides a "transparent" view of digital images by allowing the user to view the RGB values of pixels by zooming in on an image. PixelMath provides three interfaces: the pixel calculator; the formula page, an advanced extension of the calculator; and the Python window.

本書從多個角度探索圖像處理：創意、理論（主要是數學）和程式設計。它解釋了圖像處理的基本原理，借鑒了數學、感知心理學、計算機科學和藝術的關鍵概念和技術，並介紹了計算機編程作為獲得對圖像處理操作更多控制的方法。它不需要大學水平的數學知識或先前的編程經驗。內容由PixelMath支持，這是一個免費的軟件程序，幫助讀者將圖像理解為視覺和數學對象。

本書的第一部分涵蓋了數字圖像表示、取樣、亮度和對比度、顏色模型、幾何變換、合成圖像、立體圖、照片馬賽克和分形等主題。本書的第二部分介紹了使用易於學習的Python語言的開源版本進行計算機編程。它涵蓋了圖像分析和模式識別的基礎知識，包括邊緣檢測、卷積、閾值處理、輪廓表示和K最近鄰分類。關於計算攝影的章節探討了高動態範圍成像、自動對焦以及自動修補場景中的空白或不需要的對象的方法。描述的應用包括基於圖像的遊戲的設計和實施。PixelMath軟件通過允許用戶放大圖像並查看像素的RGB值，提供了對數字圖像的“透明”視圖。PixelMath提供三個界面：像素計算器、公式頁面（計算器的高級擴展）和Python窗口。