Fractal Imaging

This book is based on notes for the course Fractals:lntroduction, Basics and Perspectives given by MichaelF. Barnsley, RobertL. Devaney, Heinz-Otto Peit gen, Dietmar Saupe and Richard F. Voss. The course was chaired by Heinz-Otto Peitgen and was part of the SIGGRAPH '87 (Anaheim, California) course pro gram. Though the five chapters of this book have emerged from those courses we have tried to make this book a coherent and uniformly styled presentation as much as possible. It is the first book which discusses fractals solely from the point of view of computer graphics. Though fundamental concepts and algo rithms are not introduced and discussed in mathematical rigor we have made a serious attempt to justify and motivate wherever it appeared to be desirable. Ba sic algorithms are typically presented in pseudo-code or a description so close to code that a reader who is familiar with elementary computer graphics should find no problem to get started. Mandelbrot's fractal geometry provides both a description and a mathemat ical model for many of the seemingly complex forms and patterns in nature and the sciences. Fractals have blossomed enormously in the past few years and have helped reconnect pure mathematics research with both natural sciences and computing. Computer graphics has played an essential role both in its de velopment and rapidly growing popularity. Conversely, fractal geometry now plays an important role in the rendering, modelling and animation of natural phenomena and fantastic shapes in computer graphics.

Basic rules govern our universe, and an understanding of these rules makes a wide array of subjects crystal-clear. Fractal is such a rule: it completely describes the geometry of a leaf in 24 numbers. This book tells how to apply this fractal rule to photographic images.

This book is concerned with the theory and application of fractal geometry in digital imaging. Throughout the book, a series of new approaches to defining fractals are illustrated, such as the analysis of the fractal power spectrum and the use of fractional differentials. Several new algorithms and applications are also discussed and applied to real life images. Fractal Geometry in Digital imaging will appeal to postgraduates, researchers and practitioners in image processing, mathematics and computing, information technology and engineering.

Digital image processing is a field that is constantly improving. Gaining high-level understanding from digital images is a key requirement for computing. One aspect of study that is assisting with this advancement is fractal theory. This new science has gained momentum and popularity as it has become a key topic of research in the area of image analysis. Examining Fractal Image Processing and Analysis is an essential reference source that discusses fractal theory applications and analysis, including box-counting analysis, multi-fractal analysis, 3D fractal analysis, and chaos theory, as well as recent trends in other soft computing techniques. Featuring research on topics such as image compression, pattern matching, and artificial neural networks, this book is ideally designed for system engineers, computer engineers, professionals, academicians, researchers, and students seeking coverage on problem-oriented processing techniques and imaging technologies.

Interest in image compression for internet and other multimedia applications has spurred research into compression techniques that will increase storage capabilities and transmission speed. This tutorial provides a practical guide to fractal and wavelet approaches--two techniques with exciting potential. It is intended for scientists, engineers, researchers, and students. It provides both introductory information and implementation details. Three Windows-compatible software systems are included so that readers can explore the new technologies in depth. Complete C/C++ source code is provided, enabling readers to go beyond the accompanying software. The mathematical presentation is accessible to advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students in technical fields.

Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics merges two long-running serials-Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics and Advances in Optical and Electron Microscopy. This series features extended articles on the physics of electron devices (especially semiconductor devices), particle optics at high and low energies, microlithography, image science and digital image processing, electromagnetic wave propagation, electron microscopy, and the computing methods used in all these domains.

One half of the book is authored by Yuval Fisher himself, while articles from another 12 experts in the field present material from different points of view. The focus here is solely on fractal image encoding, with the aim of providing a working code that is usable in applications, while containing the complete details of how to encode and decode images. An indispensable "how to" guide, combining the very latest results in the field. Of interest to a very wide audience, ranging from experts in image processing to high school students.