Additive noise removal using a novel fuzzy-based filter

The paper proposes a new fuzzy-based two-step filter for restoring images corrupted with additive noise. The goal of the first step is to compute the difference between the central pixel and its neighborhood in a selected window and to compute a fuzzy membership degree for each difference value using a Gaussian membership function. Computed fuzzy membership values are appropriately utilized as weights for each pixel and then computes the weighted average representing the modified value for the current central pixel. The second step is used as an augmented step to the first one and its goal is to improve the result obtained in the first step by reducing the noise in the color component differences without destroying the fine details of the image. The experimental analysis shows that the proposed method gives better results compared to existing advanced filters for additive noise reduction. Both visual, quantitative and qualitative analysis have been done to prove the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method.