Image Sampling and

Quantization
Prepared By
E.T.JABA JASPHIN M.E
Assistant Professor(SG)
Sampling and Quantization
• Objective: To generate digital images from sensed data
• Converting continuous sensed data into digital form involves two
processes.
• Sampling
• Quantization
• An image may be continuous w.r.to the x and y coordinates and also
in amplitude.
• Digitizing the coordinate values – sampling
• Digitizing the amplitude values – Quantization.
• The method of sampling is determined by the sensor arrangement
used to generate the image.
• Single sensing element combined with mechanical motion.
• Sensing strip.
• Sensing array
Representing Digital Images
• 𝑓 𝑥, 𝑦 − Value of the image at any coordinates 𝑥, 𝑦
• 𝑥, 𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠.
• The section of the real plane spanned by the coordinates of an image
is called the spatial domain, with 𝑥 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦 being referred to as spatial
variables or spatial coordinates.
Three ways to represent 𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦)
 𝑓(0,0) 𝑓 0,1 … 𝑓(0, 𝑁 − 1)
𝑓(1,0) 𝑓(1,1) … 𝑓(1, 𝑁 − 1)
• 𝑓 𝑥, 𝑦 =
⋮ ⋮ ⋮
𝑓(𝑀 − 1,0) 𝑓(𝑀 − 1,1) … 𝑓(𝑀 − 1, 𝑁 − 1)

• Each element of this matrix is called an image element, picture

element, pixel or pel.

𝑎0,0 𝑎0,1 … 𝑎0,0

𝑎0,0 𝑎0,0 … 𝑎0,0
•𝐴= ⋮ ⋮ ⋮
𝑎0,0 𝑎0,0 … 𝑎0,0
• 𝑀 × 𝑁 – Size of the image
• 𝐿-Discrete intensity levels
• 𝐿 = 2𝑘
• Dynamic range of an imaging system- Ratio of the maximum
measurable intensity to the minimum detectable intensity level in the
system.
• The upper limit is determined by saturation and the lower limit by
noise.
• Contrast- The difference in intensity between the highest and lowest
intensity levels in an image.
• High dynamic range- High contrast and Vice versa.
Saturation and Noise
• The number, b, of bits required to store a digitized image is

𝑏 =𝑀×𝑁×𝑘

• When 𝑀 = 𝑁

𝑏 = 𝑁 2𝑘
Spatial and Intensity Resolution
• Spatial resolution is a measure of the smallest discernible detail in an
image.
• Spatial resolution can be stated as line pairs per unit distance and
dots(pixels) per unit distance.
• Image resolution is the largest number of discernible line pairs per
unit distance.
• Dots per unit distance is a measure of image resolution used
commonly in printing and publishing industry.
• In US this measure is usually expressed as dots per inch(dpi).
• Newspapers are printed with a resolution of 75 dpi.
• Magazines at 133dpi.
• Glossary brochures at 175dpi.
• Digital image processing book page is printed at 2400dpi.

• Intensity Resolution refers to the smallest discernible change in

intensity level.
• The number of bits used to quantize intensity as the intensity
resolution.
Effects of reducing spatial resolution
• 1250,300,150, and 72dpi.
Reducing the number of intensity levels from
256 to 2, in integer powers of 2
Three images with varying N and k
&
Isopreference curves
Image Interpolation
• Used in tasks like zooming, shrinking, rotating, and geometric corrections.
• Interpolation is the process of using known data to estimate values at
unknown locations.
• 1. Nearest neighbour interpolation –the intensity of its nearest neighbour
in the original image is assigned to each new location.
• Disadvantage: Produce undesirable artifacts. (used infrequently)
• 2. Bilinear Interpolation- The four nearest neighbors are used to estimate
the intensity at a given location.
𝑣 𝑥, 𝑦 = 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏𝑦 + 𝑐𝑥𝑦 + 𝑑
𝑣 𝑥, 𝑦 denote the intensity value at the location 𝑥, 𝑦
• Bilinear interpolation gives much better results than nearest neighbour
interpolation, with modest increase in computational burden.

• Next level complexity is bicubic interpolation- involves sixteen nearest

neighbors of a point.

• Intensity value assigned to point (𝑥, 𝑦)is obtained using the equation
3 3

𝑣 𝑥, 𝑦 = 𝑎𝑖𝑗 𝑥 𝑖 𝑦 𝑖
𝑖=0 𝑗=0
Preserves fine details than bilinear interpolation.

• Bicubic Interpolation is the standard used in commercial image editing

programs, such as Adobe Photoshop and Corel Photopaint.