Obtaining average RGB value of an image with selected area

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Hello, I have an irregular shaped image. I want to have the average RGB value of the image with selected area. How Can I select a particular area and get the average RGB value of that area? How can I get L, a, b value from the image?

Accepted Answer

Image Analyst
Image Analyst on 31 Aug 2013
First split the image into color channels:
% Extract the individual red, green, and blue color channels.
redChannel = rgbImage(:, :, 1);
greenChannel = rgbImage(:, :, 2);
blueChannel = rgbImage(:, :, 3);
Then adapt this demo where I do the same thing on a grayscale image:
% Demo to have the user freehand draw an irregular shape over a gray scale image.
% Then it creates new images:
% (1) where the drawn region is all white inside the region and untouched outside the region,
% (2) where the drawn region is all black inside the region and untouched outside the region,
% (3) where the drawn region is untouched inside the region and all black outside the region.
% It also (4) calculates the mean intensity value and standard deviation of the image within that shape,
% (5) calculates the perimeter, centroid, and center of mass (weighted centroid), and
% (6) crops the drawn region to a new, smaller separate image.
% Change the current folder to the folder of this m-file.
if(~isdeployed)
cd(fileparts(which(mfilename)));
end
clc; % Clear command window.
clear; % Delete all variables.
close all; % Close all figure windows except those created by imtool.
imtool close all; % Close all figure windows created by imtool.
workspace; % Make sure the workspace panel is showing.
fontSize = 16;
% Read in a standard MATLAB gray scale demo image.
folder = fullfile(matlabroot, '\toolbox\images\imdemos');
baseFileName = 'cameraman.tif';
% Get the full filename, with path prepended.
fullFileName = fullfile(folder, baseFileName);
% Check if file exists.
if ~exist(fullFileName, 'file')
% File doesn't exist -- didn't find it there. Check the search path for it.
fullFileName = baseFileName; % No path this time.
if ~exist(fullFileName, 'file')
% Still didn't find it. Alert user.
errorMessage = sprintf('Error: %s does not exist in the search path folders.', fullFileName);
uiwait(warndlg(errorMessage));
return;
end
end
grayImage = imread(fullFileName);
imshow(grayImage, []);
axis on;
title('Original Grayscale Image', 'FontSize', fontSize);
set(gcf, 'Position', get(0,'Screensize')); % Maximize figure.
message = sprintf('Left click and hold to begin drawing.\nSimply lift the mouse button to finish');
uiwait(msgbox(message));
hFH = imfreehand();
% Create a binary image ("mask") from the ROI object.
binaryImage = hFH.createMask();
xy = hFH.getPosition;
% Now make it smaller so we can show more images.
subplot(2, 3, 1);
imshow(grayImage, []);
axis on;
drawnow;
title('Original Grayscale Image', 'FontSize', fontSize);
% Display the freehand mask.
subplot(2, 3, 2);
imshow(binaryImage);
axis on;
title('Binary mask of the region', 'FontSize', fontSize);
% Label the binary image and computer the centroid and center of mass.
labeledImage = bwlabel(binaryImage);
measurements = regionprops(binaryImage, grayImage, ...
'area', 'Centroid', 'WeightedCentroid', 'Perimeter');
area = measurements.Area
centroid = measurements.Centroid
centerOfMass = measurements.WeightedCentroid
perimeter = measurements.Perimeter
% Calculate the area, in pixels, that they drew.
numberOfPixels1 = sum(binaryImage(:))
% Another way to calculate it that takes fractional pixels into account.
numberOfPixels2 = bwarea(binaryImage)
% Get coordinates of the boundary of the freehand drawn region.
structBoundaries = bwboundaries(binaryImage);
xy=structBoundaries{1}; % Get n by 2 array of x,y coordinates.
x = xy(:, 2); % Columns.
y = xy(:, 1); % Rows.
subplot(2, 3, 1); % Plot over original image.
hold on; % Don't blow away the image.
plot(x, y, 'LineWidth', 2);
drawnow; % Force it to draw immediately.
% Burn line into image by setting it to 255 wherever the mask is true.
burnedImage = grayImage;
burnedImage(binaryImage) = 255;
% Display the image with the mask "burned in."
subplot(2, 3, 3);
imshow(burnedImage);
axis on;
caption = sprintf('New image with\nmask burned into image');
title(caption, 'FontSize', fontSize);
% Mask the image and display it.
% Will keep only the part of the image that's inside the mask, zero outside mask.
blackMaskedImage = grayImage;
blackMaskedImage(~binaryImage) = 0;
subplot(2, 3, 4);
imshow(blackMaskedImage);
axis on;
title('Masked Outside Region', 'FontSize', fontSize);
% Calculate the mean
meanGL = mean(blackMaskedImage(binaryImage));
sdGL = std(double(blackMaskedImage(binaryImage)));
% Put up crosses at the centriod and center of mass
hold on;
plot(centroid(1), centroid(2), 'r+', 'MarkerSize', 30, 'LineWidth', 2);
plot(centerOfMass(1), centerOfMass(2), 'g+', 'MarkerSize', 20, 'LineWidth', 2);
% Now do the same but blacken inside the region.
insideMasked = grayImage;
insideMasked(binaryImage) = 0;
subplot(2, 3, 5);
imshow(insideMasked);
axis on;
title('Masked Inside Region', 'FontSize', fontSize);
% Now crop the image.
leftColumn = min(x);
rightColumn = max(x);
topLine = min(y);
bottomLine = max(y);
width = rightColumn - leftColumn + 1;
height = bottomLine - topLine + 1;
croppedImage = imcrop(blackMaskedImage, [leftColumn, topLine, width, height]);
% Display cropped image.
subplot(2, 3, 6);
imshow(croppedImage);
axis on;
title('Cropped Image', 'FontSize', fontSize);
% Put up crosses at the centriod and center of mass
hold on;
plot(centroid(1)-leftColumn, centroid(2)-topLine, 'r+', 'MarkerSize', 30, 'LineWidth', 2);
plot(centerOfMass(1)-leftColumn, centerOfMass(2)-topLine, 'g+', 'MarkerSize', 20, 'LineWidth', 2);
% Report results.
message = sprintf('Mean value within drawn area = %.3f\nStandard deviation within drawn area = %.3f\nNumber of pixels = %d\nArea in pixels = %.2f\nperimeter = %.2f\nCentroid at (x,y) = (%.1f, %.1f)\nCenter of Mass at (x,y) = (%.1f, %.1f)\nRed crosshairs at centroid.\nGreen crosshairs at center of mass.', ...
meanGL, sdGL, numberOfPixels1, numberOfPixels2, perimeter, ...
centroid(1), centroid(2), centerOfMass(1), centerOfMass(2));
msgbox(message);
To convert to LAB, if you want to use the book formula, you can use makecform():
cform = makecform('srgb2lab');
lab = applycform(rgb,cform);
rgb can be a 3 element array of your mean RGB values
rgb = [rMean, gMean, bMean];
Alternatively you can convert the entire image to LAB first, then use the drawing code. It will take a little longer and will give you a slightly different answer, though slightly more accurate if you have a wide variety of colors in the ROI. For uniformly colored areas, there's essentially no significant difference.
  2 Comments
KB
KB on 1 Sep 2013
Thank you !! However, when I am trying to transform RGB to Lab value, the lab values are coming out of range (i.e. l is more than 100 and so others) using this code: I1 = imread('image.jpg'); cform = makecform('srgb2lab'); lab = applycform(I1,cform)
Just wondering how I can get the traditional Lab values (i.e. L = 0-100, a and b = -100 to 100)
Image Analyst
Image Analyst on 3 Sep 2013
Edited: Image Analyst on 3 Sep 2013
Cast lab to double then extract L and multiply it by 100/255.

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