What Is the Image Processing Toolbox?

The Image Processing Toolbox is a collection of functions that extend the capability of the MATLAB® numeric computing environment. The toolbox supports a wide range of image processing operations, including:

• Spatial image transformations
• Morphological operations
• Neighborhood and block operations
• Linear filtering and filter design
• Transforms
• Image analysis and enhancement
• Image registration
• Deblurring
• Region of interest operations

Many of the toolbox functions are MATLAB M-files, a series of MATLAB statements that implement specialized image processing algorithms. You can view the MATLAB code for these functions using the statement.
             
type function_name


You can extend the capabilities of the Image Processing Toolbox by writing your own M-files, or by using the toolbox in combination with other toolboxes, such as the Signal Processing Toolbox and the Wavelet Toolbox.

Read and Display an Image

Clear the MATLAB workspace of any variables and close open figure windows. 

       clear, close all


To read an image, use the imread command. Let's read in a TIFF image named pout.tif(which is one of the sample images that is supplied with the Image Processing Toolbox), and store it in an array named I.
            
            I=imread('pout.tif');


Now call imshow to display I.
              
            imshow(I)


Check the Image in Memory

Enter the whos command to see how I is stored in memory.
·         whos
MATLAB responds with
·         Name      Size         Bytes  Class
·          
·           I       291x240        69840  uint8 array
·          
·         Grand total is 69840 elements using 69840 bytes