7.2 The Principles of Preprocessing

In this section, we introduce you to the general principles of preprocessing.

Subjective Aspects of Preprocessing

Image preprocessing enhances the visibility of the elements that we’re interested in within an image. In other words, the aim is to restore the original information as faithfully as possible. Generally speaking, preprocessing methods make pixels in the same regions more similar or increase the differences among pixels in different regions. But defining exactly what makes up a “region” is difficult.

As mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, preprocessing is more commonly used in scientific imaging applications than when creating decorative imagery or photos for fun. If a photographer wants to touch ...

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