Introduction to Basic Digital Images

 Definition of an Image
 The analogue and the digital world
 Pixel
 Matrix
 How is the pixel created - Image Capture
 CR Technology & DR Technology
 Resolution - sampling & quantization
 The Binary System
 Bit & Bit-depth
 Histogram
 Look Up Table
 Window / Level
 Image Noise
 Image Display
 Image Quality
 Definition of an Image
A man-made 2-dimentional representation of
an object (photo, painting, drawing, x-ray
etc.)
The analogue and the digital world
 Pixel & Image matrix

Y-axis = Pixel (Picture Element)

Number of lines
Smallest unit of
information in an
Image
Each pixel has an
address in the matrix
+ a pixel value
X-axis = Number of pixels pr line A pixel is a 3 -
dimentional value!

Image matrix
X ·Y = Total number
of pixels in an Image
Image matrixes for modalities

CT, MR, US = 256 x 256 or 512 x 512

Fluoroscopy = 1024 x 1024

DSA = 512 x 512
CR = 2048 x 2500
DR = 2560 x 3072
Image matrixes for monitors

2560

2048
1600

1200
1024
1200

1280
1600
600
768
1024

800
1024
1280
Film matrix for Printer

5596 5596
5222 5222

4620 4620
4096 4096
 How is the Pixel created?
 Pixels in Computed Radiography
 Sampling of the analogue read-out signal from
the storage phosphor screen makes the pixels

Voltage
2400 pixels

1800 pixels
CR cassette 18x24
time
Pitch : 100 µm
Line 1 Line 2 Line 3.….….

 Pixel pitch = distance between 2 pixel

centers!
 How is the Pixel created?
 Pixels in Digital Radiography
 Each pixel has an electronic device
 Direct digital signal for each pixel

Magnified
vies of the
detector
with a 80
micron hair.
Each pixel is
2560 x 3072 pix. 139 microns.
ca 8 mill. pixels

 Pixel pitch = distance between 2 pixel

centers!
 Image Capture Media
 In the analogue world :
 The film is the media for
• Capture
• Process
• Store
• Distribution
• Viewing
 In the digital world :
 There are separate media for
• Capture, Process, Store, Distribution & Viewing

X- ray exposure is still used to

penetrate the object and create the
latent image
Resolution - sampling & quantization

 Geometric resolution = no. of Pixels in total

 Spatial resolution = no. of Pixels pr mm
 Contrast resolution = no. of Greylevels
 The Binary System
 A computer can only handle numbers.
 All information (numbers, text, colours, greylevels
etc.) must be converted to numbers made in the
binary system.
 The binary system is combinations of 0 and 1 (2
values) and it is different from the decimal system
(10 values).
 1 Bit (Binary Digit) is the smallest unit of info for a
computer. It can represent 2 values:
 0 or 1
 8 Bits = 1 Byte and this is the smallest unit of info to
represent one letter or number.
 By increasing the number of bits it is possible to
increase the number of possible combinations of 0
and 1, and by that make higher values.
 The Binary System

 Letters and numbers in ASCII* code:

 A = 0100 0001, B = 0100 0010
 1 = 0011 0001, 2 = 0011 0010

* = American Standard Code for Information Interchange

 Bit-debth of each Pixel
 1 bit 2 greylevels
 2 bit 4 greylevels
 3 bit 8 greylevels
Greylevel Bit-debth
value  4 bit 16 greylevels
 5 bit 32 greylevels
Pixel 0 2 2 4  6 bit 64 greylevels
 7 bit 128 greylevels
1 4 5 6
 8 bit 256 greylevels
3 5 6 7  10 bit 1.024 greylevels
5 5 7
 12 bit 4.096 greylevels
5
 14 bit 16.384 greylevels
1 3 4 4  16 bit 65.536 greylevels
 Bits & Bytes

 8 Bit = 1 Byte
 1024 Byte = 1 KB (KiloByte)
 1024 KiloByte = 1 MB (MegaByte)
 1024 MegaByte = 1 GB (GigaByte)
 1024 GigaByte = 1 TB (TeraByte)
 1024 TeraByte = 1 PB (PetaByte)
 Histogram
 Distribution of all the pixels and values in the
image, meaning - how many pixels have
grayscale-value 1261, 1262, 1263, 1264 etc.

Air
No.
pixels
M Collimation Mediastinum/Subdiaphragm
e
d
L i L
u a u
n
s n
t Lung
g i g
n
u Air
m 4096
Subdiaphragm Grey-
levels
Collimation

The Histogram is the basis for image processing!

 Look Up Table = LUT
A LUT contains no calculations of the pixels,
It is just a “Look Up Table” for Input and Output.

Code
Value
Out
LUT

4096

0
0 4096
CV (Raw Data)

INPUT Image OUPUT Image

CVE CVD
0 0
1 0
• •
504 980
• •
4095 4095
 Look Up Table = LUT
 The LUT is a table or a curve that
transforms each possible Code
Value in E (exposure) into a new
Code Value in D (density)
CVD
CVE CVD 4095
0 0
1 0
• •
2013 1035
• • 1035
4095 4095 CVE
0 2013 4095
LUT as a Table LUT as a Curve
 Window & Level
 Window Width
 Alters the number of greylevels displayed
and by that altering the contrast in the
image

 Window Level
 Alters the level on the greyscale
displayed and by that it gives a lighter or
darker image
Window & Level
 Image Noise

 Noise is a random variation in the

pixel value in an image caused by
the aquisition process rather than
by the object itself.
 Noise originates in all electronic
equipment.
 Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)
 higher value = better image quality
 Image Display
 Image display on a CRT monitor is a
digital to analogue conversion (D-A).
 The system uses a LUT to map pixel
values in the image-file to Luminance
values on the monitor.
 Image Quality
 Image Quality is devided in 2 categories:
 image unsharpness coming from the design
of the equipment
 image noise coming from
• photon fluctuation from the energy source
• electronic noise accumulated through the
imaging chain
 Objective parameters of Image Quality
 Spatial resolution, contrast resolution & SNR