In computer vision and image processing, Otsu's method is used to automatically perform histogram shape-based image thresholding, or, the reduction of a graylevel image to a binary image. The algorithm assumes that the image to be thresholded contains two classes of pixels or bi-modal histogram (e.g. foreground and background) then calculates the optimum threshold separating those two classes so that their combined spread (intra-class variance) is minimal. The extension of the original method to multi-level thresholding is referred to as the Multi Otsu method. Otsu's method is named after Nobuyuki Otsu (大津展之, Ōtsu Nobuyuki?).
Famous quotes containing the word method:
“The method of painting is the natural growth out of a need. I want to express my feelings rather than illustrate them. Technique is just a means of arriving at a statement.... I can control the flow of paint: there is no accident, just as there is no beginning and no end.”
—Jackson Pollock (19121956)