A standard test image is a digital image file used across different institutions to test
image processing
An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be displayed through other media, including a pr ...
and
image compression
Image compression is a type of data compression applied to digital images, to reduce their cost for computer data storage, storage or data transmission, transmission. Algorithms may take advantage of visual perception and the statistical properti ...
algorithms. By using the same standard test images, different labs are able to compare results, both visually and quantitatively.
The images are in many cases chosen to represent natural or typical images that a class of processing techniques would need to deal with. Other test images are chosen because they present a range of challenges to image reconstruction algorithms, such as the reproduction of fine detail and textures, sharp transitions and edges, and uniform regions.
Historical origins
Test images as transmission system calibration material probably date back to the original Paris to Lyon fax link. Analogue Fax equipment (and photographic equipment for the printing trade) were the largest user groups of the standardized image for calibration technology until the coming of television and digital image transmission systems.
Common test image resolutions
The standard
resolution of the images is usually 512×512 or 720×576. Most of these images are available as
TIFF files from the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
's Signal and Image Processing Institute.
Kodak
The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...
has released 768×512 images, available as
PNGs, that was originally on
Photo CD with higher resolution, that are widely used for comparing image compression techniques.
See also
*
Carole Hersee
*
FERET database
The Facial Recognition Technology (FERET) database is a dataset used for facial recognition system evaluation as part of the Face Recognition Technology (FERET) program. It was first established in 1993 under a collaborative effort between Harry ...
(DARPA/NIST face recognition database)
*
Lenna
Lenna (or Lena) is a standard test image used in the field of digital image processing, starting in 1973. It is a picture of the Swedish model Lena Forsén, shot by photographer Dwight Hooker and cropped from the centerfold of the November ...
*
List of common 3D test models
References
External links
The USC-SIPI Image Database— A large collection of standard test images
—
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...
's set of popular test images
CIPR still images — Some sets of test images at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...
(including the Kodak set)
True-color Kodak test images— The Kodak set in
PNG format
TESTIMAGES— Large collection of sample images designed for analysis and quality assessment of different kinds of displays (i.e. monitors, televisions and digital cinema projectors) and image processing techniques
{{Standard test item
Image processing
Test items
Data compression