A well-known method for image registration is based on a conventional correlation between phase-only, or whitened, versions of the two images to be realigned. The method, covering rigid translational movements, is characterized by an outstanding robustness against correlated noise and disturbances, such as those encountered with nonuniform, time varying illumination. This correspondence discusses an extension of the method to cover both translational and rotational movements.

In many application fields (e.g., aerospace and biomedical image processing), one has to deal with a sequence of images whose observation is made difficult by unpredictable relative movements of the camera and the scene. In order to obtain a stable display, the displacement of each image in the sequence with respect to one chosen as a reference must be preliminarily determined. This would usually require two-dimensional algorithms, involving a considerable computational effort. This work discusses a new algorithm for image registration, which requires only one-dimensional Fourier transformations. Preliminary experimental results are reported.