Multi-resolution image fusion technique and its application to forensic science

Image fusion is a process of combining two or more images into an image. It can extract features from source images, and provide more information than one image can. Multi-resolution analysis plays an important role in image processing, it provides a technique to decompose an image and extract information from coarse to fine scales. In some practical forensic examinations (such as the cartridge image check), we cannot obtain all information from just one image; on the contrary, we need information from images with difference light sources (or light ways). In this paper, we apply an image fusion method based on multi-resolution analysis to forensic science. Synthetic and real images (such as images from closed-up photography and flash photography) are used to show the capability of the multi-resolution image fusion technique. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.