Image processing system for generating a multidimensional adaptive
oriented filter to be applied to the point intensities of a d-dimensional
image, comprising analyzing means with means (5, fi) to estimate at each
image point a probability measure (Fi) of the presence of a type of
feature of interest and a weighting control model (10) issuing a
weighting control vector (11, VC) constructed from said probability
measure, for the user to control synthesized adaptive kernels at each
image point; and synthesizing means for generating the filter kernels at
each image point adapted to the type of the features of interest, whose
filtering strength is controlled by the weighting control vector. The
system may comprise a selection unit (40) for the user to select
synthesizing means for generating "pre-mixing filtering means" comprising
combining means (30, XH) dependent on the type of the image features
having inputs for the weighting control vector (11, VC) and the image
data [I(x)] and having an aspect for weighted adaptive kernels (35, H)
adapted to the type of the image features to produce the filtered image
signal [H(x)], and/or "post-mixing filtering means" comprising both
isotropic and anisotropic filtering means [15, gi)] applied independently
of the type of the image features, whose outputs (Gi) are combined at
each image point and adapted using the weighting control vector (11, VC)
to produce the filtered image signal [G(x)].