Image fusion based on wavelet transform and gray-level features

Image fusion makes the fused image more reliable and intelligible, and more suitable for human vision and computer detection, classification, recognition and understanding. This paper proposes a pixel-level image fusion method for merging two source images of the same scene using wavelet transform and gray-level features (GLF). First, a three-level discrete two-dimensional wavelet transform is used to decompose the two source images into low-frequency image components and horizontal, vertical, and diagonal high-frequency components. Then, the spatial frequency correlation coefficient is used to determine the pixel fusion rule to apply to each of the low-frequency images, and the correlation coefficient of the GLF is used to determine the pixel fusion rule to apply to each of the high-frequency images. Finally, the fused image is reconstructed using inverse wavelet transform. The results of the experiments conducted indicate that the proposed method is more effective than relevant conventional methods.