Cropping images in Computer Vision - ML Experiment: Train & Evaluate

Experiment - Cropping images

Problem:You have a set of images, but some contain unwanted borders or background. You want to crop these images to focus on the main subject.

Current Metrics:Images are processed without cropping, so irrelevant parts remain visible.

Issue:The images include unnecessary areas that can confuse a machine learning model or reduce visual clarity.

Your Task

Crop images to remove unwanted borders and focus on the main subject, improving image quality for further ML tasks.

Use Python and OpenCV or PIL libraries only.

Do not resize images, only crop.

Crop coordinates must be dynamically calculated based on image content.

Hint 1

Hint 2

Hint 3

Solution

Computer Vision

import cv2
import numpy as np

# Load image
image = cv2.imread('input.jpg')

# Convert to grayscale
gray = cv2.cvtColor(image, cv2.COLOR_BGR2GRAY)

# Threshold to get binary image
_, thresh = cv2.threshold(gray, 10, 255, cv2.THRESH_BINARY)

# Find contours
contours, _ = cv2.findContours(thresh, cv2.RETR_EXTERNAL, cv2.CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE)

# Find bounding box around largest contour
if contours:
    largest_contour = max(contours, key=cv2.contourArea)
    x, y, w, h = cv2.boundingRect(largest_contour)
    cropped_image = image[y:y+h, x:x+w]
    # Save cropped image
    cv2.imwrite('cropped_output.jpg', cropped_image)
else:
    cropped_image = image
    cv2.imwrite('cropped_output.jpg', cropped_image)

print(f'Cropped image saved with shape: {cropped_image.shape}')

Added grayscale conversion and thresholding to isolate the main subject.

Used contour detection to find the largest object in the image.

Calculated bounding box coordinates dynamically based on the largest contour.

Cropped the image using these coordinates to remove unwanted borders.

Results Interpretation

Before: Images include full frame with unwanted borders or background.

After: Images are cropped tightly around the main subject, removing unnecessary parts.

Cropping images based on content helps focus on important parts, improving data quality for machine learning and reducing noise.

Bonus Experiment

Try cropping images automatically using a deep learning model like a pre-trained object detector to find the subject.

💡 Hint

Use models like YOLO or SSD to detect objects and crop images based on detected bounding boxes.

Practice

1. What does cropping an image do in computer vision?

easy

A. Increases the image resolution

B. Changes the color of the entire image

C. Cuts out a part of the image using row and column ranges

D. Rotates the image by 90 degrees

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand cropping concept

   Cropping means selecting a smaller part of the image by specifying rows and columns.

2. Step 2: Compare options with definition

   Only Cuts out a part of the image using row and column ranges describes cutting out part of the image using row and column ranges.

3. Final Answer:

   Cuts out a part of the image using row and column ranges -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Cropping = cutting part of image [OK]

Hint: Cropping means cutting out part of the image [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing cropping with resizing
• Thinking cropping changes colors
• Mixing cropping with rotation

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to crop an image stored in variable img to rows 10 to 50 and columns 20 to 70 in Python?

easy

A. img[10:50, 20:70]

B. img[20:70, 10:50]

C. img[10:50][20:70]

D. img.crop(10,50,20,70)

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall slicing syntax for images

   Images are sliced as img[row_start:row_end, col_start:col_end].

2. Step 2: Match given ranges to syntax

   Rows 10 to 50 and columns 20 to 70 means img[10:50, 20:70].

3. Final Answer:

   img[10:50, 20:70] -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Rows first, columns second in slicing [OK]

Hint: Remember slicing is img[row_start:row_end, col_start:col_end] [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping row and column indices
• Using double brackets instead of comma
• Using a non-existent crop method

3. Given the code:

import numpy as np
img = np.arange(100).reshape(10,10)
cropped = img[2:5, 3:7]
print(cropped)

What is the output?

medium

A. [[3 4 5 6]
[13 14 15 16]
[23 24 25 26]]

B. [[23 24 25 26]
[33 34 35 36]
[43 44 45 46]]

C. [[23 24 25 26 27]
[33 34 35 36 37]
[43 44 45 46 47]]

D. [[32 33 34 35]
[42 43 44 45]
[52 53 54 55]]

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the image array

   img is a 10x10 array with values from 0 to 99 arranged row-wise.

2. Step 2: Extract rows 2 to 4 and columns 3 to 6

   Rows 2,3,4 correspond to indices 2,3,4; columns 3,4,5,6 correspond to indices 3 to 6 exclusive of 7.

3. Step 3: Identify values in cropped

   Row 2: values 20 to 29, columns 3 to 6 are 23,24,25,26
   Row 3: 33,34,35,36
   Row 4: 43,44,45,46

4. Final Answer:

   [[23 24 25 26] [33 34 35 36] [43 44 45 46]] -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   Slice rows 2-5 and cols 3-7 gives these values [OK]

Hint: Check array shape and slicing ranges carefully [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing row and column indices
• Including end index in slice
• Misreading array reshape order

4. You try to crop an image using cropped = img[50:100, 30:60] but get an IndexError. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. The image variable is not defined

B. The slicing syntax is incorrect

C. The image is grayscale, not color

D. The image has fewer than 100 rows

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand IndexError cause

   IndexError occurs when slicing beyond array dimensions.

2. Step 2: Analyze slicing indices

   Rows 50 to 100 means accessing rows starting at 50. If image has fewer rows, this causes error.

3. Final Answer:

   The image has fewer than 100 rows -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   IndexError = slicing outside image size [OK]

Hint: Check image shape before slicing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming syntax error causes IndexError
• Confusing color channels with rows
• Not checking if variable is defined

5. You have a 200x200 image and want to crop a centered square of size 100x100. Which code correctly crops this center square?

hard

A. img[50:150, 50:150]

B. img[0:100, 0:100]

C. img[100:200, 100:200]

D. img[25:125, 25:125]

Solution

1. Step 1: Calculate center start and end indices

   Center of 200x200 is at 100,100. Half of 100 size is 50.

2. Step 2: Determine crop range

   Start at 100-50=50, end at 100+50=150 for both rows and columns.

3. Final Answer:

   img[50:150, 50:150] -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Center crop = middle 100 pixels from 200 [OK]

Hint: Center crop start = center - half size [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Starting crop at 0 instead of center
• Using wrong indices for center
• Cropping smaller or larger than requested