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graythresh

Global image threshold using Otsu's method

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Syntax

T = graythresh(I)
[T,EM] = graythresh(I)

Description

T = graythresh(I) computes a global threshold T from grayscale image I, using Otsu's method [1]. Otsu's method chooses a threshold that minimizes the intraclass variance of the thresholded black and white pixels. The global threshold T can be used with imbinarize to convert a grayscale image to a binary image.

example

[T,EM] = graythresh(I) also returns the effectiveness metric, EM.

Examples

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Open Live Script

Read a grayscale image into the workspace.

I = imread('coins.png');

Calculate a threshold using graythresh. The threshold is normalized to the range [0, 1].

level = graythresh(I)
level = 
0.4941

Convert the image into a binary image using the threshold.

BW = imbinarize(I,level);

Display the original image next to the binary image.

imshowpair(I,BW,'montage')

Figure contains an axes object. The hidden axes object contains an object of type image.

Input Arguments

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Grayscale image, specified as a numeric array of any dimensionality. The graythresh function expects images of data type double and single to have values in the range [0, 1]. If I has values outside the range [0, 1], then you can rescale values to the expected range by using the rescale function.

Data Types: single | double | int16 | uint8 | uint16

Output Arguments

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Global threshold, returned as a nonnegative number in the range [0, 1].

Data Types: double

Effectiveness metric of the threshold, returned as a nonnegative number in the range [0, 1]. The lower bound is attainable only by images having a single gray level, and the upper bound is attainable only by two-valued images.

Data Types: double

Tips

  • By default, the function imbinarize creates a binary image using a threshold obtained using Otsu’s method. This default threshold is identical to the threshold returned by graythresh. However, imbinarize only returns the binary image. If you want to know the level or the effectiveness metric, use graythresh before calling imbinarize.

References

[1] Otsu, N., "A Threshold Selection Method from Gray-Level Histograms." IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics. Vol. 9, No. 1, 1979, pp. 62–66.

Extended Capabilities

Version History

Introduced before R2006a

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See Also

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