9 Image Processing Projects: Big and Small

Image processing is a vital part of managing workplaces, companies, and public safety. From libraries to hospitals to the roads we drive on, image processing is a useful tool that can be applied to various projects. This article will discuss image processing as a concept and provide examples of projects you might be interested in. 

What is image processing? 

Image processing is the act of deriving information from an image by digitising it. When you process an image, you essentially think of images as dimensional, pixelated planes. You can determine the number of pixels by an image’s dimensions. For example, if an image is 200 x 300 (width x height), you can conclude that 60,000 pixels make up that image. An image can be processed wholly or broken down pixel by pixel, depending on the project or purpose. 

For processing purposes, all digital images are considered 2D or two-dimensional. Image processing may be used for visualisation, general recognition, enhancement, retrieval, and pattern recognition. To work on an image processing project, you must have the right computer skills and, more generally, knowledge about working with digital images. 

What does image processing entail? 

When you practice image processing, you may have to take many different steps before you reach your final product. The steps may vary depending on the project, but here are the standard image processing practices: 

• Acquisition: Acquiring a digital image is the first step in image processing. 

• Enhancement: In this step, you might work with an image’s brightness or contrast to highlight its important aspects. 

• Restoration: Using mathematical models, here you will try to enhance the overall quality of an image. 

• Colour processing: This may involve many digital colour modelling techniques to reach optimal colours.

• Wavelets and multiresolution processing: Here, you will use “wavelets” to break an image into smaller sections for data recognition. 

• Compression: In this step, you will be compressing the space it takes to store an image virtually. 

• Morphological processing: This process deals with shape and image structure. Similar to enhancement, you will attempt to bring out certain components of an image.

• Segmentation procedure: In this process, you will break an image into constituent parts. 

• Representation and description: After segmentation, the broken-down sections of an image will be ready for further processing. From here, you are one step closer to defining certain pixelated data and extracting the information you need. 

• Detection and recognition: In this step, you will see that objects in an image can finally be assigned a title based on their digitised description. 

9 potential image processing projects 

Image processing projects can be a fun way to learn how to use different types of image processing. Consider projects that build key skills, such as character recognition, image enhancement, space image processing, and remote sensing. Explore potential ideas or gain inspiration from projects such as the following.

1. Social media filters 

A prominent aspect of social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram is interactive filters. On Snapchat, you can morph your face into different shapes, turn your image into an animal, or cue a folder to do something with an open mouth, a smile, or a blink. Image processing plays a huge role in creating and making these filters functional. This project requires you to work with various computer vision and facial recognition algorithms. With certain software like OpenCV, Dlib, or Mediapipe, you can set up a filter that measures face, eye, and mouth shape to work with a person’s specific facial dimensions. 

2. Drowsy driver detection  

Because exhaustion is a leading cause of vehicular accidents, this project works to develop a drowsy detection system through MATLAB. You will be working to specifically target a driver's eye movements in real time to aid in the prevention of accidents. Using MATLAB for image processing, You can create a companion project to detect and track a self-driving vehicle’s path on lanes and curves. 

3. Number plate recognition 

Using image processing to detect number plates is a great beginner project and an easy way to identify vehicles on the road. Using optical character recognition (OCR) technology, you can easily identify a vehicle and cross-reference the data with existing data in the system. If you want to start work on this project and promote safety and security on our streets, MATLAB is a great place to start. 

4. Fake currency detection 

Image processing in detecting fake currency is a quick, easy, and reliable way to prohibit fraud and stop people from using fake currency notes. With the help of this project, security analysts can work to stop the circulation of fake currency and prevent further fraudulent implications. Using MATLAB, you can define different aspects of real and fake currency and even predict the number of circulating real and fake notes. 

5. Sign language recognition 

This project uses systems like DenseNet deep learning, Python, or TensorFlow to detect sign language as a non-verbal form of communication. This work will allow us to bridge the gap in communication between those who use sign language and those who do not. 

6. Breast cancer detection 

Breast cancer detection methods are important in finding and treating cancer early before it has time to spread. The goal of breast cancer screenings is cautionary and preventative in that doctors are merely trying to detect cancer early on so they can treat and hopefully cure afflicted patients. This project uses deep learning approaches like Mthe IAS database or ReLu for testing. 

7. Emotion and gesture recognition 

This project determines and predicts human emotion based on non-verbal communication through gestures. Using technology such as Python, OpenCV, or ASL Alphabet Dataset, you can enhance images and break them down to gather useful information about facial expressions or hand gestures. Projects like this will allow us to understand human emotion and behaviour better and may even be able to detect mental illnesses like anxiety or depression by physical gestures alone. 

8. Secret communication 

Unfortunately, the point of this project is not to decode a spy’s or private messages with your friends. This project, instead, proposes new ways of encrypting digital messages to provide higher levels of network security. To work on this project, you can use the RSA algorithm developed by MATLAB and the LSB steganography messaging method. 

9. Colour image compression 

This project simplifies digital content storage because image compression is a key aspect of image processing and an important means of storing digital images. Using discrete wavelet transformation (DWT) technology, you can learn to produce a better way of compressing colour images. 

Get started with Coursera 

You can find dozens of image-processing projects that might suit your interests. Still, if you're interested in learning more about image processing before starting a project, you can find several courses on Coursera. Consider courses like Introduction to Image Processing and Image Processing for Engineering and Science to build foundational skills and expand your knowledge.