How do I apply SVD (Singular Value Decomposition) to an image?

Adrianna - 2020-09-28T12:00:37+00:00

Question: How do I apply SVD (Singular Value Decomposition) to an image?

The syntax given for singular value decomposition is svd(x). I tried it with my image, but it didn't work. Can you tell me how to work with svd for images please?

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Expert Answer

Neeta Dsouza answered . 2025-11-20

Applying Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) to an image involves treating the image as a matrix and decomposing it into three matrices. Here's how you can do it step by step:

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Steps to Apply SVD to an Image:

1. Understand the Image as a Matrix:

   • Digital images are represented as matrices where each entry corresponds to the intensity (grayscale images) or color channel values (RGB images).
   • For a grayscale image, the matrix has dimensions (height x width).
   • For a color image, each channel (Red, Green, Blue) is treated as a separate 2D matrix.

2. Convert the Image to a Matrix:

   • Use a library like NumPy in Python to read and represent the image as a matrix.

3. Perform SVD:

   • Decompose the image matrix $A$ into three matrices $U,\Sigma ,$ and VTV^TVT, such that: A=U⋅Σ⋅VTA = U \cdot \Sigma \cdot V^TA=U⋅Σ⋅VT Here:
     • $U$: Orthogonal matrix (contains left singular vectors).
     • $\Sigma$: Diagonal matrix (contains singular values).
     • VTV^TVT: Transposed orthogonal matrix (contains right singular vectors).

4. Reconstruct or Compress the Image:

   • By keeping only a subset of the largest singular values (and their corresponding singular vectors), you can reconstruct a compressed version of the image.
   • This is done by truncating $\Sigma$ to keep only $k$ largest singular values.

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Example Code for Grayscale Image

Here's an example using Python with NumPy and Matplotlib:

 

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from PIL import Image

# Load the grayscale image
image = Image.open('your_image.jpg').convert('L')  # Convert to grayscale
image_matrix = np.array(image)

# Perform SVD
U, S, Vt = np.linalg.svd(image_matrix, full_matrices=False)

# Reconstruct the image using the first k singular values
k = 50  # Number of singular values to keep
S_k = np.diag(S[:k])  # Truncated diagonal matrix
U_k = U[:, :k]  # Truncated U matrix
Vt_k = Vt[:k, :]  # Truncated V^T matrix

compressed_image = np.dot(U_k, np.dot(S_k, Vt_k))

# Plot the original and compressed images
plt.figure(figsize=(10, 5))
plt.subplot(1, 2, 1)
plt.title("Original Image")
plt.imshow(image_matrix, cmap='gray')
plt.axis('off')

plt.subplot(1, 2, 2)
plt.title(f"Compressed Image (k={k})")
plt.imshow(compressed_image, cmap='gray')
plt.axis('off')

plt.show()

For RGB Images

If the image is in color, you need to apply SVD to each channel separately:

# Load the RGB image
image = Image.open('your_image.jpg')
image_array = np.array(image)

# Initialize an empty array for the compressed image
compressed_image = np.zeros_like(image_array)

# Perform SVD on each channel
for i in range(3):  # Loop through R, G, B channels
    U, S, Vt = np.linalg.svd(image_array[:, :, i], full_matrices=False)
    S_k = np.diag(S[:k])
    U_k = U[:, :k]
    Vt_k = Vt[:k, :]
    compressed_image[:, :, i] = np.dot(U_k, np.dot(S_k, Vt_k))

# Ensure values are in the valid range [0, 255]
compressed_image = np.clip(compressed_image, 0, 255).astype('uint8')

# Display the compressed image
plt.imshow(compressed_image)
plt.title(f"Compressed RGB Image (k={k})")
plt.axis('off')
plt.show()

Key Notes:

1. Library: Use numpy.linalg.svd() for the decomposition.
2. Compression: The value of $k$ controls the level of compression—smaller $k$ means higher compression but more loss of detail.
3. Grayscale vs. RGB: Grayscale images involve one matrix, while RGB images involve three matrices (one for each color channel).

Let me know if you have additional questions! ????

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