Image Processing Toolbox User's Guide

FIR Filters

The Image Processing Toolbox supports one class of linear filter, the two-dimensional finite impulse response (FIR) filter. FIR filters have a finite extent to a single point, or impulse. All filter design functions in the Image Processing Toolbox return FIR filters.

FIR filters have several characteristics that make them ideal for image processing in the MATLAB environment:

• FIR filters are easy to represent as matrices of coefficients.
• Two-dimensional FIR filters are natural extensions of one-dimensional FIR filters.
• There are several well-known, reliable methods for FIR filter design.
• FIR filters are easy to implement.
• FIR filters can be designed to have linear phase, which helps prevent distortion.

Another class of filter, the infinite impulse response (IIR) filter, is not as suitable for image processing applications. It lacks the inherent stability and ease of design and implementation of the FIR filter. Therefore, this toolbox does not provide IIR filter support.

Filter Design

Frequency Transformation Method

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