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Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center
ImagePyramid
  • See Also
    • InverseImagePyramid
    • ImagePyramidApply
    • Image
    • DynamicImage
    • DiscreteWaveletTransform
    • ImageResize
    • GaussianFilter
    • LaplacianGaussianFilter
    • Upsample
    • Downsample
  • Related Guides
    • Creating & Importing Images
    • Image Computation: Update History
    • See Also
      • InverseImagePyramid
      • ImagePyramidApply
      • Image
      • DynamicImage
      • DiscreteWaveletTransform
      • ImageResize
      • GaussianFilter
      • LaplacianGaussianFilter
      • Upsample
      • Downsample
    • Related Guides
      • Creating & Importing Images
      • Image Computation: Update History

ImagePyramid[image]

creates a Gaussian image pyramid formed from image.

ImagePyramid[image,pyrtype]

returns a Gaussian or Laplacian pyramid depending of the specified pyrtype.

ImagePyramid[image,pyrtype,n]

returns up to n levels of the pyramid.

ImagePyramid[image,pyrtype,{size}]

returns pyramid levels down to image dimensions given by size.

ImagePyramid[image,pyrtype,n,s]

returns a pyramid with successive levels downsampled by factor s.

Details and Options
Details and Options Details and Options
Examples  
Basic Examples  
Scope  
Data  
Parameters  
Options  
Padding  
Applications  
Efficient Image Viewer  
Multiscale Feature Detection  
Image Effects  
Possible Issues  
See Also
Related Guides
History
Cite this Page
BUILT-IN SYMBOL
  • See Also
    • InverseImagePyramid
    • ImagePyramidApply
    • Image
    • DynamicImage
    • DiscreteWaveletTransform
    • ImageResize
    • GaussianFilter
    • LaplacianGaussianFilter
    • Upsample
    • Downsample
  • Related Guides
    • Creating & Importing Images
    • Image Computation: Update History
    • See Also
      • InverseImagePyramid
      • ImagePyramidApply
      • Image
      • DynamicImage
      • DiscreteWaveletTransform
      • ImageResize
      • GaussianFilter
      • LaplacianGaussianFilter
      • Upsample
      • Downsample
    • Related Guides
      • Creating & Importing Images
      • Image Computation: Update History

ImagePyramid

ImagePyramid[image]

creates a Gaussian image pyramid formed from image.

ImagePyramid[image,pyrtype]

returns a Gaussian or Laplacian pyramid depending of the specified pyrtype.

ImagePyramid[image,pyrtype,n]

returns up to n levels of the pyramid.

ImagePyramid[image,pyrtype,{size}]

returns pyramid levels down to image dimensions given by size.

ImagePyramid[image,pyrtype,n,s]

returns a pyramid with successive levels downsampled by factor s.

Details and Options

  • Image pyramid is a multi-resolution representation of an image to facilitate efficient multiscale processing. Typical applications include noise removal, image blending, texture synthesis and efficient rendering.
  • An image pyramid consists of several images with consecutively lower resolutions. Typically, specific levels of the pyramid are processed, and the result is reconstructed using the inverse process.
  • ImagePyramid works with arbitrary 2D and 3D images.
  • Use InverseImagePyramid to reconstruct the image from an image pyramid.
  • The pyramid type pyrtype can be any of the following:
  • "Lowpass" or "Gaussian"iteratively blurs and downsamples
    "Bandpass" or "Laplacian"difference pyramid by upsampling and subtracting the lower levels from the upper levels
    {"Lowpass",ker}use ker for downsampling
    {"Bandpass",ker1,ker2}use ker1 for downsampling and ker2 for upsampling
    pyruse specifications of a reference pyramid pyr
  • Kernel specification ker can be given by an array or any valid setting for Resampling.
  • By default, ImagePyramid[image] creates a Gaussian pyramid with all possible levels using a scaling factor of 2.
  • Using pyr["Properties"], all available properties are returned.
  • Using pyr["prop"], properties or content of the constructed image pyramid can be extracted.
  • Available properties "prop" are:
  • levelsextract images as specific levels
    "ImageDimensions"dimensions of the original image
    "LevelCount"the number of levels available
    "Levels"all images
    "LowpassKernel"lowpass kernel used when creating the pyramid
    "HighpassKernel"highpass kernel used when creating the pyramid
    "Padding"padding scheme used when creating the pyramid
    "ScalingFactor"the scaling factor used when creating the pyramid
    "Type"type of the pyramid, "Lowpass" or "Bandpass"
  • Level specification levels can take any of the following settings:
  • Allall levels of the pyramid
    nthe n^(th) level
    -ncounts from the last level
    {n1,n2,…}a list of level indices
    m;;nlevels m through n
    m;;n;;slevels m through n with step s
  • ImagePyramid preserves the image type when creating a lowpass pyramid and returns a pyramid of a real type when creating a bandpass pyramid.
  • By default, a "Reversed" padding is used. Use the Padding option to specify other settings.

Examples

open all close all

Basic Examples  (2)

Compute a lowpass pyramid:

Wolfram Language code: pyr = ImagePyramid[[image]]

View all image levels:

Wolfram Language code: pyr[All]

Compute a bandpass pyramid:

Wolfram Language code: pyr = ImagePyramid[[image], "Bandpass"]

View all image levels, adjusting the images to see the details:

Wolfram Language code: Map[ImageAdjust, pyr[All]]

Scope  (7)

Data  (3)

Lowpass pyramid of a 2D image:

Wolfram Language code: pd = ImagePyramid[[image]]

View all image levels:

Wolfram Language code: pd[All]

Dimensions are halved at each level:

Wolfram Language code: pd["ImageDimensions"]

Lowpass pyramid of a 3D image:

Wolfram Language code: img = ExampleData[{"TestImage3D", "CTengine"}];
Wolfram Language code: pd = ImagePyramid[img]

View all image levels:

Wolfram Language code: pd[All]
Wolfram Language code: pd["ImageDimensions"]

Lowpass pyramid of a partially transparent image:

Wolfram Language code: img = [image];
Wolfram Language code: ImageMeasurements[img, "Transparency"]
Wolfram Language code: ipd = ImagePyramid[img, "Gaussian", 4]
Wolfram Language code: ipd[All]

Parameters  (4)

The default lowpass kernel applied in each level before downsampling is the Gaussian kernel:

Wolfram Language code: image = [image];
Wolfram Language code: pd = ImagePyramid[image, "Lowpass"];
Wolfram Language code: pd[All]
Wolfram Language code: pd["LowpassKernel"]

Use a binomial kernel instead:

Wolfram Language code: pd = ImagePyramid[image, {"Lowpass", {1, 4, 6, 4, 1} / 16}];
Wolfram Language code: pd["LowpassKernel"] //MatrixForm

Use a box kernel:

Wolfram Language code: pd = ImagePyramid[image, {"Lowpass", {1, 1, 1} / 3}]
Wolfram Language code: pd["LowpassKernel"]//MatrixForm

Use a Gaussian kernel with standard deviation σ equal to half the downsampling factor a:

Wolfram Language code: a = 2;σ = a / 2; pd = ImagePyramid[ image, {"Lowpass", GaussianMatrix[{{Automatic}, σ}]}, ∞, a ]
Wolfram Language code: pd[All]
Wolfram Language code: pd["LowpassKernel"]//MatrixForm

Specify the number of levels to be returned:

Wolfram Language code: pd = ImagePyramid[[image], "Lowpass", 4]
Wolfram Language code: pd[All]

Specify an image size that is smaller than or equal to the smallest image in the pyramid:

Wolfram Language code: pd = ImagePyramid[[image], "Lowpass", {50, 50}]

This pyramid has two levels. The next pyramid level of size 50×38 would have been smaller than 50×50:

Wolfram Language code: pd["ImageDimensions"]

Specify a single number for the size:

Wolfram Language code: ImagePyramid[[image], "Lowpass", {50}]

The default downsampling factor between successive levels is 2:

Wolfram Language code: image = [image]; pd = ImagePyramid[image]
Wolfram Language code: pd["ImageDimensions"]

Specify a downsampling factor of 5:

Wolfram Language code: pd = ImagePyramid[image, "Lowpass", ∞, 5]
Wolfram Language code: pd["ImageDimensions"]

Options  (1)

Padding  (1)

The default padding is "Reversed":

Wolfram Language code: image = [image];
Wolfram Language code: pd = ImagePyramid[image]
Wolfram Language code: pd[All]

Use "Fixed" padding instead:

Wolfram Language code: pd = ImagePyramid[image, Padding -> "Fixed"]
Wolfram Language code: pd[All]

Use red padding:

Wolfram Language code: pd = ImagePyramid[image, Padding -> Red]
Wolfram Language code: pd[All]

Applications  (6)

Efficient Image Viewer  (1)

Convert a large image into a pyramid for faster viewing:

Wolfram Language code: img = ExampleData[{"TestImage", "Volubilis"}];
Wolfram Language code: pd = ImagePyramid[img, "Gaussian"]

View the image with width 320:

Wolfram Language code: ImageResize[InverseImagePyramid[pd, Automatic, {320}], {320}]

Compare the timings for image retrieval:

Wolfram Language code: ImageResize[InverseImagePyramid[pd, Automatic, {320}], 320];//RepeatedTiming
Wolfram Language code: ImageResize[img, 320];//RepeatedTiming

Multiscale Feature Detection  (3)

Apply a gradient filter at several scales simultaneously:

Wolfram Language code: img = [image];
Wolfram Language code: pyramid = ImagePyramid[img, "Gaussian", 4]
Wolfram Language code: pyramidG = ImagePyramidApply[img  GradientFilter[img, 1.4], pyramid];

Reconstruct assuming a Laplacian pyramid to add up features extracted from all levels:

Wolfram Language code: InverseImagePyramid[pyramidG, "Laplacian"]//ImageAdjust

Alter pyramid levels and type to detect mountain ridges at all scales:

Wolfram Language code: img = [image];
Wolfram Language code: pyramid = ImagePyramid[img, "Gaussian", 5]
Wolfram Language code: ridgePyr = ImagePyramidApply[RidgeFilter, pyramid]

Reconstruct assuming a Laplacian pyramid to add up features extracted from all levels:

Wolfram Language code: InverseImagePyramid[ridgePyr, "Laplacian"]//ImageAdjust

Perform a multiscale saliency filtering:

Wolfram Language code: img = [image];

Apply ImageSaliencyFilter to an image:

Wolfram Language code: ImageSaliencyFilter[img]//ImageAdjust

Apply a saliency filter to all levels of the image pyramid to get a multiscale result:

Wolfram Language code: pd = ImagePyramid[img, "Gaussian", 3];
Wolfram Language code: pdSaliency = ImagePyramidApply[ImageSaliencyFilter, pd];

Use Laplacian reconstruction to add up filter responses at all levels:

Wolfram Language code: InverseImagePyramid[pdSaliency, "Laplacian"]//ImageAdjust

Image Effects  (2)

Compute a bandpass pyramid:

Wolfram Language code: pyr = ImagePyramid[[image], "Bandpass"]

Extract, negate and reinsert the three bottom levels of the image pyramid:

Wolfram Language code: pyr[1 ;; 3] = Map[-#&, pyr[1 ;; 3]]

Reconstruct the image pyramid to exhibit the visual effect:

Wolfram Language code: InverseImagePyramid[pyr]

Merge two images at just one scale:

Wolfram Language code: {apple, orange} = {[image], [image]};
Wolfram Language code: splitMerge[i1_Image, i2_Image] := With[{c = Floor[1 / 2 First@ImageDimensions[i1]]}, ImageAssemble[{{ImageTake[i1, All, {1, c}], ImageTake[i2, All, {c + 1, -1}]}}]]
Wolfram Language code: splitMerge[apple, orange]

Merge the two images at all scales:

Wolfram Language code: pyramids = Map[ImagePyramid[#, "Laplacian", {2, 2}]&, {apple, orange}];
Wolfram Language code: pFruit = ImagePyramidApply[splitMerge, pyramids]
Wolfram Language code: InverseImagePyramid[pFruit]

Possible Issues  (1)

Images with constant alpha-channel result in Laplacian image pyramids that appear to be empty:

Wolfram Language code: img = [image];
Wolfram Language code: ImageMeasurements[img, "Transparency"]
Wolfram Language code: ipd = ImagePyramid[img, "Laplacian", 4];

All pyramid levels except the last one will have an alpha channel equal to 0 and appear invisible:

Wolfram Language code: ipd[All]

The image reconstruction works, since the data in the color channel is present and the alpha channel of the fully opaque last level contributes to the correct alpha channel for the reconstructed image:

Wolfram Language code: InverseImagePyramid[ipd]

See Also

InverseImagePyramid  ImagePyramidApply  Image  DynamicImage  DiscreteWaveletTransform  ImageResize  GaussianFilter  LaplacianGaussianFilter  Upsample  Downsample

Related Guides

    ▪
  • Creating & Importing Images
  • ▪
  • Image Computation: Update History

History

Introduced in 2019 (12.0)

Wolfram Research (2019), ImagePyramid, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ImagePyramid.html.

Text

Wolfram Research (2019), ImagePyramid, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ImagePyramid.html.

CMS

Wolfram Language. 2019. "ImagePyramid." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ImagePyramid.html.

APA

Wolfram Language. (2019). ImagePyramid. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ImagePyramid.html

BibTeX

@misc{reference.wolfram_2026_imagepyramid, author="Wolfram Research", title="{ImagePyramid}", year="2019", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ImagePyramid.html}", note=[Accessed: 01-September-2026]}

BibLaTeX

@online{reference.wolfram_2026_imagepyramid, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={ImagePyramid}, year={2019}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ImagePyramid.html}, note=[Accessed: 01-September-2026]}

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