Preprocess Images for Deep Learning
To train a network and make predictions on new data, your images must match the input size of the network. If you need to adjust the size of your images to match the network, then you can rescale or crop your data to the required size.
You can effectively increase the amount of training data by applying randomized
augmentation to your data. Augmentation also enables you to train
networks to be invariant to distortions in image data. For example, you can add randomized
rotations to input images so that a network is invariant to the presence of rotation in
input images. An augmentedImageDatastore
provides a convenient way to apply a limited set of
augmentations to 2-D images for classification problems.
For more advanced preprocessing operations, to preprocess images for regression problems,
or to preprocess 3-D volumetric images, you can start with a built-in datastore. You can
also preprocess images according to your own pipeline by using the transform
and
combine
functions.
Resize Images Using Rescaling and Cropping
You can store image data as a numeric array, an ImageDatastore
object, or a table. An ImageDatastore
enables you to import data in batches from image collections that are too large to fit
in memory. You can use an augmented image datastore or a resized 4-D array for training,
prediction, and classification. You can use a resized 3-D array for prediction and
classification only.
There are two ways to resize image data to match the input size of a network.
Rescaling multiplies the height and width of the image by a scaling factor. If the scaling factor is not identical in the vertical and horizontal directions, then rescaling changes the spatial extents of the pixels and the aspect ratio.
Cropping extracts a subregion of the image and preserves the spatial extent of each pixel. You can crop images from the center or from random positions in the image.
Resizing Option | Data Format | Resizing Function | Sample Code |
---|---|---|---|
Rescaling |
| imresize |
im = imresize(I,outputSize);
|
| augmentedImageDatastore |
auimds = augmentedImageDatastore(outputSize,I);
| |
Cropping |
| imcrop (Image Processing Toolbox) |
im = imcrop(I,rect);
|
| imcrop3 (Image Processing Toolbox) |
im = imcrop3(I,cuboid);
| |
| augmentedImageDatastore |
auimds = augmentedImageDatastore(outputSize,I,'OutputSizeMode',m);
Specify Specify |
Augment Images for Training with Random Geometric Transformations
For image classification problems, you can use an augmentedImageDatastore
to augment images with a random combination of
resizing, rotation, reflection, shear, and translation transformations.
The diagram shows how trainNetwork
uses an augmented image
datastore to transform training data for each epoch. When you use data augmentation, one
randomly augmented version of each image is used during each epoch of training. For an
example of the workflow, see Train Network with Augmented Images.
Specify training images.
Configure image transformation options, such as the range of rotation angles and whether to apply reflection at random, by creating an
imageDataAugmenter
.Tip
To preview the transformations applied to sample images, use the
augment
function.Create an
augmentedImageDatastore
. Specify the training images, the size of output images, and theimageDataAugmenter
. The size of output images must be compatible with the size of theimageInputLayer
of the network.Train the network, specifying the augmented image datastore as the data source for
trainNetwork
. For each iteration of training, the augmented image datastore applies a random combination of transformations to images in the mini-batch of training data.When you use an augmented image datastore as a source of training images, the datastore randomly perturbs the training data for each epoch, so that each epoch uses a slightly different data set. The actual number of training images at each epoch does not change. The transformed images are not stored in memory.
Perform Additional Image Processing Operations Using Built-In Datastores
Some datastores perform specific and limited image preprocessing operations when they
read a batch of data. These application-specific datastores are listed in the table. You
can use these datastores as a source of training, validation, and test data sets for
deep learning applications that use Deep Learning Toolbox™. All of these datastores return data in a format supported by
trainNetwork
.
Datastore | Description |
---|---|
augmentedImageDatastore | Apply random affine geometric transformations, including resizing, rotation, reflection, shear, and translation, for training deep neural networks. For an example, see Transfer Learning Using Pretrained Network. |
randomPatchExtractionDatastore (Image Processing Toolbox) | Extract multiple pairs of random patches from images or pixel label images (requires Image Processing Toolbox™). You optionally can apply identical random affine geometric transformations to the pairs of patches. For an example, see Increase Image Resolution Using Deep Learning. |
denoisingImageDatastore (Image Processing Toolbox) | Apply randomly generated Gaussian noise for training denoising networks (requires Image Processing Toolbox). |
Apply Custom Image Processing Pipelines Using Combine and Transform
To perform more general and complex image preprocessing operations than offered by the
application-specific datastores, you can use the transform
and combine
functions. For more information, see Datastores for Deep Learning.
Transform Datastores with Image Data
The transform
function creates an altered form of a datastore, called an
underlying datastore, by transforming the data read by
the underlying datastore according to a transformation function that you
define.
The custom transformation function must accept data in the format returned by the
read
function of the underlying datastore. For image data in
an ImageDatastore
, the format depends on the
ReadSize
property.
When
ReadSize
is 1, the transformation function must accept an integer array. The size of the array is consistent with the type of images in theImageDatastore
. For example, a grayscale image has dimensions m-by-n, a truecolor image has dimensions m-by-n-by-3, and a multispectral image with c channels has dimensions m-by-n-by-c.When
ReadSize
is greater than 1, the transformation function must accept a cell array of image data. Each element corresponds to an image in the batch.
The transform
function must return data that matches the input
size of the network. The transform
function does not support
one-to-many observation mappings.
Tip
The transform
function supports prefetching when the
underlying ImageDatastore
reads a batch of JPG or PNG
image files. For these image types, do not use the
readFcn
argument of ImageDatastore
to apply image preprocessing, as this option is usually significantly
slower. If you use a custom read function, then
ImageDatastore
does not prefetch.
Combine Datastores with Image Data
The combine
function concatenates the data read from multiple datastores
and maintains parity between the datastores.
Concatenate data into a two-column table or two-column cell array for training networks with a single input, such as image-to-image regression networks.
Concatenate data to a (
numInputs
+1)-column cell array for training networks with multiple inputs.
See Also
trainNetwork
| imresize
| transform
| combine
| ImageDatastore
Related Examples
- Train Network with Augmented Images
- Train Deep Learning Network to Classify New Images
- Create and Explore Datastore for Image Classification
- Prepare Datastore for Image-to-Image Regression