The ImageZebra Platform
The ImageZebra platform has been developed to track and improve the image quality of capture devices. It includes the following components:
The ImageZebra Website
Our website is the central component of the platform. At its core, it rates a scan of a test target against the FADGI General Collections specification, and allows the user to set acceptance criteria for their scans. The website tracks the performance of capture devices over time, and constructs corrections to improve device performance. With institutional partners and collaboration in mind, users who belong to a common organization have visibility of a common set of devices and results, but individualized settings and access control.
The ImageZebra Native Client
For users who can benefit from utilizing an onsite software tool to automate tracking of image quality, we provide the ImageZebra Native Client. We work with our customers to integrate the Native Client into their processes, often taking advantage of a monitored "hot folder" workflow similar to Dropbox or Google Drive. For those with more advanced needs, we offer a REST API enabling full programmatic access to our platform.
The ImageZebra ImageProcessing Technology
Based on many years of industry experience in image quality and high performance image processing, the technology built into ImageZebra results in superior corrections for optimal image quality.
System Features
ImageZebra Website
Current Features:
- Easy drag and drop of images to analyze
- Lowest tier provides same functionality as Delt.ae
- Charting capabilities include:
- Per-check charts for Lightness, Tone Scale, DeltaE, and DeltaAB
- Geometry info (Rotation, Scale, etc)
- All image metadata
- Published API
Coming Soon:
- Each user account allows tracking of multiple devices
- Users each belong to an “organization”. Devices are owned by the organization, and can be viewed by all users of that organization with user-level access control
- Tagging devices by Customer/Project, or custom tags
- Tracks per-device performance over time
- Additional charting for: historical charts (over time) of performance for Rating, DeltaE, DeltaAB, and Tone
Future features:
- Automatically sends email notification to selected recipients if a device goes in/out of spec
- ImageZebra Client Application
- Monitors an input hotfolder, waiting for images to be captured by scanner/camera
- Each image is checked to see if it is a test target or not
- Test targets are uploaded to ImageZebra
- Other images are processed with the most recent correction
- After an image is checked, it can be moved, deleted, or left in place
- Fast image processing - can utilize full hardware resources of the machine
- Runs on Mac or Windows
- Implement against other specs other than FADGI, in particular other than FADGI General collections. For example: Metamorfoze, FADGI Photographs, possibly the Imatest suite of test targets
ImageZebra Image Processing Technology
Target identification
- Right now detects GoldenThread targets
- More targets can be added easily
- Images can be in any orientation
- Images can contain large margins. (Target must be at least > ½ image width)
- 2-D barcodes are decoded. Information currently not used. System could be tweaked to identify a particular device by the 2-D barcode. For example, place a 2-D barcode sticker, with the Device ID, on the test target.
Corrections
- Builds a color correction using the patches from GoldenThread
- Correction is from the current state to a known colorspace, such as AdobeRGB
- Can easily build a correction from other test targets. Just need the Ideal LAB of each patch.
- Correction does NOT improve resolution. (For example, out of focus). Correction is only for color, tone and white balance.
- (MLF - Add Before/After artwork here.)
Getting Started with ImageZebra
(Last updated: 07/07/2021)
ImageZebra easily lets you check the health of your image capture system. You can get going in 3 easy steps:
Step 1: Get your system ready.
ImageZebra works by evaluating the captured images of calibrated test targets. So, in order to use the system you need to do a few things:
1) Get a physical test target
ImageZebra supports several different test targets. Use of high quality targets is an important first step in characterizing the quality of an image capture system. If you don't have a test target, one can be obtained from Image Science Associates.
2) Capture test target images
Use your image capture system (scanner or camera) to capture an image of the test target. If you don't have a test target yet, you can download a few samples here:
GoldenThread_A.jpg GoldenThread_B.jpg
Step 2: Set up your ImageZebra account
Getting going with the ImageZebra platform is very easy:
1) Create an ImageZebra account.
It's easy to create an account. Once you do this, you can use ImageZebra to assess your test target images.
2) Set your preferences
The ImageZebra Settings panel is used to let the user set the desired "passing" tolerances for the various metrics. This allows the user to adjust the tolerances based on the particular circumstances of that capture device.
Step 3: Check your device
The Check Now page of ImageZebra lets you upload an image of a test target, and view the results. Uploads can be done by simply dragging and dropping an image onto "Zach", the ImageZebra, or by clicking the "Upload a file" button, and browsing to the image file.
Resources
2016 FADGI Guidelines (pdf, 5 MB)GoldenThread target image (tif, 16 MB)