Unit-V

Morphological Image Processing

 Introduction
► Morphology: a branch of biology that deals with the form and
structure of animals and plants
► In image processing, the mathematical morphology as a tool for
extracting image components that are useful in the representation
and description of region shape, such as boundaries, skeletons,
and the convex hull.
► We are interested also in morphological techniques for pre- or
postprocessing, such as morphological filtering, thinning, and
pruning.
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 Mathematic Morphology
► The language of mathematical morphology is set theory.
► When working with images, sets in mathematical morphology
represent objects in those images.
► In binary images, the sets in question are members of the 2-D
integer space Z2 , where each element of a set is a tuple (2-D
vector) whose coordinates are the coordinates of an object
(typically foreground) pixel in the image.
► set in mathematic morphology represent objects in an image
 Binary image (0 = white, 1 = black) : the element of the set is the
coordinates (x, y) of pixel belong to the object  Z2
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 Mathematic Morphology…
► Grayscale digital images can be represented as sets whose
components are in Z3.
► In this case, two components of each element of the set refer to
the coordinates of a pixel, and the third corresponds to its
discrete intensity value.
► Gray-scaled image : the element of the set is the coordinates (x,
y) of pixel belong to the object and the gray levels  Z3
► Sets in higher dimensional spaces can contain other image
attributes, such as color and time-varying components.
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 Mathematic Morphology…
► Morphological operations are defined in terms of sets.
► In image processing, we use morphology with two types of sets
of pixels: objects and structuring elements (SE’s).
► Typically, objects are defined as sets of foreground pixels.
► Structuring elements can be specified in terms of both
foreground and background pixels.
► In addition, structuring elements sometimes contain so-called
“don’t care” elements, denoted by ×, signifying that the value of
that particular element in the SE does not matter.
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 Mathematic Morphology…
► In this sense, the value can be ignored, or it can be made to fit a
desired value in the evaluation of an expression;
► For example, it might take on the value of a pixel in an image in
applications in which value matching is the objective.
► The structuring elements are used in a form similar to spatial
convolution kernels, and the image border just described is
similar to the padding.
► The operations are different in morphology, but the padding and
sliding operations are the same as in convolution.
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 Mathematic Morphology…
► Structuring elements are defined in the same manner, and the
second row in Fig. 9.1 shows an example.

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Basic Set Theory
(a) (b) (c)
(d) and (e)

8
Basic Set Theory

9
 Preliminaries (1)
► Reflection of set B is defined as

Bˆ  {w | w  b, for b  B}
 That is, if B is a set of points in 2-D, then ˆB is the set of points in B
whose (x, y) coordinates have been replaced by (−x,−y).

► Translation

The translation of a set B by point z  ( z1, z2 ), denoted ( B) Z ,

is defined as
( B) Z  {c | c  b  z, for b  B}

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 Example: Reflection and Translation

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 Structure elements
► Structure elements (SE):
► Small sets or sub-images used to probe an image under study for properties
of interest
► Figure 9.2 shows several examples of digital sets (structuring elements) and
their reflection. The dot denotes the origin of
► the SE. Note that reflection consists simply of rotating an SE by 180° about
its origin, and that all elements, including the background and don’t care
elements, are rotated.

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 Examples: Structuring Elements (1)

origin

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 Examples: Structuring Elements (2)
Accommodate the
entire structuring
elements when its Origin of B visits
origin is on the every element of A
border of the
original set A
At each location of
the origin of B, if B
is completely
contained in A,
then the location is
a member of the
new set, otherwise
it is not a member
of the new set.

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 Structuring Elements, Hits & Fits

B Structuring Element

Fit: All on pixels in the

structuring element cover on
pixels in the image
A Hit: Any on pixel in the
C structuring element covers an
on pixel in the image

All morphological processing operations are based on these

simple ideas

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 Basic morphological operations
► Erosion

► Dilation

keep general shape but

► combine to smooth with respect to

 Opening object
 Closing background

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 Erosion

 Erosion of a set A by structuring element B: all z in A such

that B is in A when origin of B=z

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 Example of Erosion

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 Erosion Example
Original Image Processed Image With Eroded Pixels

08/12/24 Structuring Element 19

 Erosion Example
Original Image Processed Image

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 Erosion-Example

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 Erosion Example

Original image Erosion by 3*3 Erosion by 5*5

square structuring square structuring
element element

Watch out: In these examples a 1 refers to a black pixel!

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 Erosion Example

After erosion
Original
with a disc of
image
radius 10

After erosion After erosion

with a disc of with a disc of
radius 5 radius 20

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 Dilation

2
With A and B as sets in Z , the dilation of A by B,
denoted A  B, is defined as

 
 A
A  B= z | B
z

 and A
The set of all displacements z, the translated B
overlap by at least one element.

 
A  B  z |  B

  A  A
z  
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 Examples of Dilation

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 Dilation Example
Original Image Processed Image

08/12/24 Structuring Element 26

 Dilation Example
Original Image Processed Image With Dilated Pixels

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 Dilation

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 Dilation Example

Original image Dilation by 3*3 Dilation by 5*5

square structuring square structuring
element element

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Watch out: In these examples a 1 refers to a black pixel!

 Examples of Dilation

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 Duality
► Erosion and dilation are duals of each other with respect to
set complementation and reflection

 A  B
c 
 A B
c

and
 A  B
c 
 Ac  B

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 Duality

► Erosion and dilation are duals of each other with respect to

set complementation and reflection

 A  B  z |  B Z  A
c c

 z |  B Z  A  
c c

 z |  B Z  Ac  

 Ac  B

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 Duality

► Erosion and dilation are duals of each other with respect to

set complementation and reflection

    A  
c
 A  B
c 
 z| B
Z

 z |  B 
 A 
c

Z


 Ac  B

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 Opening and Closing

► Opening generally smoothes the contour of an object,

breaks narrow isthmuses, and eliminates thin protrusions

► Closing tends to smooth sections of contours but it

generates fuses narrow breaks and long thin gulfs,
eliminates small holes, and fills gaps in the contour

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 Opening and Closing

The opening of set A by structuring element B,

denoted A  B, is defined as
A B   A  B  B

The closing of set A by structuring element B,

denoted AB, is defined as
AB   A  B   B

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 Opening

The opening of set A by structuring element B,

denoted A  B, is defined as
A  B   B Z |  B Z  A

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 Opening Example

Original
Image

Image
After
Opening
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 Closing Example

Original
Image

Image
After
Closing
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 Useful: Opening & Closing

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 Duality of Opening and Closing

► Opening and closing are duals of each other with respect to set
complementation and reflection

ˆ
( A  B)  ( A  B) c c

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 The Properties of Opening and Closing

► Properties of Opening
(a) A  B is a subset (subimage) of A
(b) if C is a subset of D, then C  B is a subset of D  B
(c) ( A  B)  B  A  B
► Properties of Closing

(a) A is subset (subimage) of AB

(b) If C is a subset of D, then C B is a subset of DB
(c) ( AB)B  AB
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 The Hit-or-Miss
Transformation

if B denotes the set composed of

D and its background,the match
(or set of matches) of B in A,
denoted A  B,
A * B   A  D    Ac  W  D 

B   B1 , B2 
B1 : object
B2 : background
A  B   A  B1   ( Ac  B2 )
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