Image Library Applications
The image library applications team within the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
has the goal of capturing and reproducing "faithful" digital images. We
develop technology to make this possible, and work to bring the benefits
of this technology both to the cultural and to the commercial arenas.
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The image at the left shows a blue and green enamel and diamond
dragonfly pin, scanned directly by the IBM Research Pro/3000
Digital Imaging System. Click on it to see a more detailed version
(JPEG, 65K).
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Note: These pages use inline JPEG images with 24-bit color. The
color and brightness of these images will be most accurate when
displayed on hardware with SMPTE-standard primary chromaticities,
a D65 white point, and a gamma of 2.2.
Topics
Being able to produce an image which is faithful to the original
requires end-to-end color management. The characteristics of the input
device (camera or scanner) and of the output device (computer
display or printer) must both be known to provide the most accurate
color rendition. The physics of color and the physiology of its
perception are both key elements in this effort.
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Our group has constructed a high-quality input device, the IBM
Research Pro/3000 Digital Imaging System. A typical configuration
is shown at left, set up with a copy stand for scanning flat art
or documents.
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Pro/3000 Camera (JPEG, 52K)
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Compressing the image
The images on these web pages were compressed with the JPEG (Joint
Photographic Experts Group) International Standard baseline system. A
member of our group was one of the editors for the JPEG standard
(ITU-T Rec. T.81 | ISO/IEC 10918-1) document, and worked to create a
standard that worked well both in hardware and software.
A number of books give further information
about the JPEG and MPEG standards.
As you might expect, there is a tradeoff between compressed image size and
reconstructed image quality with the JPEG compression scheme.
A brief example
helps to illustrate this tradeoff.
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Displaying an accurate image on a computer screen requires knowing
something about the display hardware so that appropriate
transformations may be applied to the device-independent image to
correct for size, color, and brightness characteristics of the
particular display.
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Cameo (JPEG, 63K)
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Just as producing a faithful image on a computer display requires
knowing about the display, so printing a faithful color image requires
that the color characteristics of a printer be calibrated and taken into
account. Unlike computer displays where color is described in RGB (red,
green, blue) terms, most printers use the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow,
black) color space.
A watermark is a secondary image which is overlaid
translucently on the primary image. Watermarks may be used to protect
intellectual property or to provide authentication and validation of
images.
Applications of the technology
Applications of our technology help provide museums, art galleries, and
other cultural institutions with a means of making valuable objects more
widely accessible, while still protecting and preserving the objects.
Our imaging technology has also been used in several
applications, where it has helped IBM customers better
sell their merchandise.
Related information
Other links
Links to a number of related sources of
information are listed.
Demonstrations
The technology described here is actively being used in a number of
projects, some of which are described in these pages. Our group has
prepared stand-alone demonstration versions of several of these
applications which are available for viewing in the IBM Industry
Solutions Labs located in Zurich, Switzerland and in Hawthorne, New
York in the United States.
Patents and Publications
See Visual Technologies main page.
Contacts
Visual Technologies contacts
page.
[Visual Technologies Home page]
