Digital Image Processing, 4th Edition

he second edition of Pratt’s Digital Image rocessing has been a well-thumbed memer of the reviewer’s library for a number f years. As the author states in the preface o the fourth edition, this book is an “inustrial strength” introduction to digital mage processing. Collected in one place re discussions of most image processing opics, complete with extensive references o key papers in each arena. When asked to olve a new problem, or create a new soution for an old problem, the reviewer freuently starts with Pratt to see how others ave previously addressed the topic. More nteresting, perhaps, is the ability to review ther seemingly unrelated topics in the hance to realize new linkages and syneries that can result in invention. The trength of Digital Image Processing in his regard is the easy accessibility of the ext for the nonexpert on any given topic. ach subject is treated concisely with all he advanced details left to the cited refernces. One quickly gets the gist of the roblem and its basic solutions. In short, his book provides a painless entry into the arious arenas of digital image processing. It is an inherent liability of any encylopedic work that new important topics urface and beg for inclusion. This is the tated motivation for the subsequent ediions of this book. Also new to the fourth dition is the PIKS Scientific API software upplied as a CD affixed to the back cover f the book. With interest in these updates, he reviewer decided to add the fourth ediion to his library. The book is divided into six parts. Part on Continuous Image Characterization is argely the obligatory review of basic Fouier mathematics, the human visual system, nd photometry and colorimetry. In keepng with the brief expositional tone of the ook, one finds largely just an organized resentation of the essential results with eferences to the classic texts in the field uch as Goodman’s Introduction to Fouier Optics and Wyszecki and Stiles’ Color