[net.graphics] Difference between Computer Graphics and Image Processing

ken@turtlevax.UUCP (Ken Turkowski) (07/13/85)

In article <305@ur-laser.uucp> nitin@ur-laser.uucp (Nitin Sampat) writes:
> at what point do you start separating computer
> graphics from a field called image processing ? 

It all depends on the computational model:

	+----------+   \ +-------------+
	| Computer |---->| Frame Store |		Computer Graphics (CG)
	+----------+   / +-------------+


	       \ +----------+
	    +--->| Computer |-----+
	    |  / +----------+     |
	    |                     |			Image Processing (IP)
	    |   +-------------+ / |
	    +---| Frame Store |<--+
	        +-------------+ \


Of course, variants are allowed, such as a source and target
framestores, which may be virtual.

There is cross-breeding, though, to the benefit of both disciplines:

Texture mapping is an image processing technique that is used in to
render realistic computer graphic images.  Curve fitting

Pattern recognition (perhaps a discipline unto itself, but more closely
related to image processing than computer graphics) has been used to
create a geometric model, which is then visualized using computer
graphic techniques.  Examples of these are noise reduction in CAT scans
and such, and font representation by polygons or splines.
-- 

Ken Turkowski @ CADLINC, Menlo Park, CA
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ARPA: turtlevax!ken@DECWRL.ARPA

tcs@usna.UUCP (Terry Slattery <tcs@usna>) (07/15/85)

> In article <305@ur-laser.uucp> nitin@ur-laser.uucp (Nitin Sampat) writes:
> > at what point do you start separating computer
> > graphics from a field called image processing ? 

I prefer the quote made by Dr. Azriel Rosenfeld a few years ago on the
topic of computer graphics/processing/imaging:

The world can be broken into four pieces;  the first has nothing to
do with images.  The second is generally called computer graphics
and deals with generating visible images from numbers (display a line
drawn from 0,0 to 1,1).  The third, image processing, deals with
generating an image from another image, generally with certain
enhancements.  The fourth, computer vision, deals with generating
numbers from images (reading the numbers from bank checks).

So, we get:
1.	numbers -> computer -> image	(show me the line)
2.	image   -> computer -> image	(anti-alias this image)
3.	image   -> computer -> numbers	(what was that check number?)

For the net.graphics group, I think enough overlap in various areas
exist that a good number of the people will be subscribing to all
sub-groups.

	-tcs
	Terry Slattery	  U.S. Naval Academy	301-267-4413
	ARPA: tcs@brl-bmd     UUCP: decvax!brl-bmd!usna!tcs

nather@utastro.UUCP (Ed Nather) (07/16/85)

> I prefer the quote made by Dr. Azriel Rosenfeld a few years ago on the
> topic of computer graphics/processing/imaging:
> 
> The world can be broken into four pieces;  the first has nothing to
> do with images.  The second is generally called computer graphics
> and deals with generating visible images from numbers (display a line
> drawn from 0,0 to 1,1).  The third, image processing, deals with
> generating an image from another image, generally with certain
> enhancements.  The fourth, computer vision, deals with generating
> numbers from images (reading the numbers from bank checks).
> 
> So, we get:
> 1.	numbers -> computer -> image	(show me the line)
> 2.	image   -> computer -> image	(anti-alias this image)
> 3.	image   -> computer -> numbers	(what was that check number?)
> 
> For the net.graphics group, I think enough overlap in various areas
> exist that a good number of the people will be subscribing to all
> sub-groups.
> 	Terry Slattery	  U.S. Naval Academy	301-267-4413

Well, this categorization totally misses the operations astronomers refer
to as image processing, where we are concerned with extracting quantitative
values from digital images -- values which represent, in some way, the
physics involved in the processes the images represent.  I suspect other
disciplines do similar, but different, things.  I find the proposed
categories too limited to be of much value.

-- 
Ed Nather
Astronomy Dept, U of Texas @ Austin
{allegra,ihnp4}!{noao,ut-sally}!utastro!nather
nather%utastro.UTEXAS@ut-sally.ARPA

dmt@mtgzz.UUCP (d.m.tutelman) (07/18/85)

> > .....So, we get:
> > 1.	numbers -> computer -> image	(show me the line)
> > 2.	image   -> computer -> image	(anti-alias this image)
> > 3.	image   -> computer -> numbers	(what was that check number?)
> > 
> > For the net.graphics group, I think enough overlap in various areas
> > exist that a good number of the people will be subscribing to all
> > sub-groups.
> 
> Well, this categorization totally misses the operations astronomers refer
> to as image processing, where we are concerned with extracting quantitative
> values from digital images -- values which represent, in some way, the
> physics involved in the processes the images represent.  I suspect other
> disciplines do similar, but different, things.  I find the proposed
> categories too limited to be of much value.

Am I missing something?  It looks like a nice categorization to me, if
you don't mistake the example for the scope of the category.  The astronomical
problem is clearly (to me, at least) image->computer->number, or
IMAGE ANALYSIS.  OK, so it isn't ONE number.  But the essence of image
analysis is to go from the pixels to the ABSTRACTION of which they
are an image. Reading a check for text is only one such example.
Finding a person in a photo is another [harder] example.  But if you
read "number" to mean "semantics of the abstraction", this is a much
better system of nomenclature than the one I proposed a few days ago.
 
			Dave Tutelman
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