The Canny Edge Detector follows a multi-stage process to achieve optimal edge detection:
1. Noise Reduction: The image is first smoothed using a Gaussian filter to reduce noise, which can otherwise lead to false edge detection. 2. Gradient Calculation: The intensity gradients of the image are calculated to identify regions with high spatial derivatives. 3. Non-Maximum Suppression: This step removes all but the most significant edges, ensuring that any detected edge is a local maximum. 4. Double Thresholding: Two thresholds (high and low) are applied to distinguish between strong, weak, and irrelevant edges. 5. Edge Tracking by Hysteresis: Strong edges are immediately marked as edges, while weak edges are only marked if they are connected to strong edges.
