Multi-level image segmentation based on fuzzy - Tsallis entropy and differential evolution

This paper presents a fuzzy partition and Tsallis entropy based thresholding approach for multi-level image segmentation. Image segmentation is considered as one of the most critical tasks in image processing and pattern recognition area. However, discriminating many objects present in an image automatically is the most challenging one. As a result, multilevel thresholding based methods gain importance in recent times, because of its ability to split the image into more than one segments. Efficiency of these algorithms still remains a matter of concern. Over the years, fuzzy partition of 1-D histogram has been employed successfully in bi-level image segmentation to improve the separation between object and the background. Here a fuzzy based technique is adopted in multi-level image segmentation scenario using Tsallis entropy based thresholding. Differential Evolution, a widely used meta-heuristic in recent times, is used for lesser computation time of the proposed algorithm. Both visual and statistical comparison of outcomes between Tsallis and Fuzzy - Tsallis entropy based methods are given in this paper to establish the superiority of the technique.