Pildikäitlemise

Pildikäitlemine, often translated as image processing, refers to a set of techniques used to manipulate or analyze digital images. The primary goal of image processing is to enhance an image in some way, or to extract useful information from it. This can range from simple adjustments like brightness and contrast to more complex operations like noise reduction, edge detection, and object recognition.

The field of image processing has applications in a wide variety of areas. In medicine, it is used for analyzing medical scans such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans to detect abnormalities. In remote sensing, image processing allows for the analysis of satellite imagery for environmental monitoring, crop yield prediction, and urban planning. Consumer electronics heavily utilize image processing for digital cameras to improve photo quality, and in smartphones for features like facial recognition and augmented reality.

There are two main categories of image processing: analog and digital. Analog image processing operates on analog signals, such as the video signal from a television camera. Digital image processing, which is far more common today, operates on digital images, which are essentially arrays of numbers representing pixel values. Digital image processing typically involves algorithms that perform mathematical operations on these pixel values to achieve the desired transformation or analysis. Techniques include filtering, segmentation, transformation, and restoration. The development of powerful computers and algorithms has made digital image processing a crucial technology in many scientific, industrial, and everyday applications.