Object oriented image normalization

A system for reducing a number of colors per pixel in an image, comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory device in communication with the processor, the memory device containing program instructions executable by the processor to perform a method for reducing a first number of colors per pixel in an image, the method comprising:
• receiving the image, the image having a plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels having a plurality of colors;
• determining a final number of colors per pixel to reduce the image to, wherein the final number of colors is a number of colors less than the plurality of colors;
• identifying a corresponding threshold value for each of the final number of colors, such that the corresponding threshold values optimize an arithmetic combination of a separation score function applied to the plurality of pixels and the threshold values, the separation score function based on a number of transitions between pixels across a given threshold value, wherein a transition is when a pixel from one side of the given threshold value is a neighbor of a pixel from an other side of the given threshold value;
• and
• reducing the image from the first number of colors per pixel to the final number of colors per pixel, by creating an output image where a value of each output pixel is determined based on the threshold values and the value of a corresponding input pixel.

A method for reducing a first number of colors per pixel in an image to a second number of colors, comprising:

• receiving the image, the image having a plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels having a plurality of colors;
• determining a final number of colors per pixel to reduce the image to, wherein the final number of colors is a number of colors less than the plurality of colors;
• identifying a corresponding threshold value for each of the final number of colors, such that the corresponding threshold values optimize an arithmetic combination of a separation score function applied to the plurality of pixels and the threshold values, the separation score function based on a number of transitions between pixels across a given threshold value, wherein a transition is when a pixel from one side of the given threshold value is a neighbor of a pixel from an other side of the given threshold value;
• and
• reducing the image from the first number of colors per pixel to the final number of colors per pixel, by creating an output image where a value of each output pixel is determined based on the threshold values and the value of a corresponding input pixel.