Image processing techniques for detection of objects in blurry pictures: A comprehensive review
by Ghassan Abdullah Abdulwasea Al-Maamari, Mubarak Mohammed Al-Ezzi Sufyan, Ramzi Hamid Abdo Al-Jaberi, Mokhtar H. Al-Sarori, Mahfoudh Al-Asaly, Asma’a Khalil Alkershi
Computing and Artificial Intelligence, Vol.4, No.1, 2026;
Detecting objects in blurry and degraded images remains a critical unsolved challenge in computer vision, affecting applications from medical diagnostics and autonomous navigation to remote sensing and surveillance. Image degradation caused by motion, defocus, poor lighting, or environmental factors severely compromises feature visibility and limits the performance of conventional detection algorithms. This paper presents a comprehensive, systematic review of state-of-the-art techniques designed to address this problem. We first categorize common image degradations and analyze classical and deep learning-based solutions for image deblurring and enhancement, including CNN (Convolutional Neural Networks), GAN (Generative Adversarial Networks), and transformer architectures. The review then critically examines object detection models, particularly YOLO (You Only Look Once) and CNN-based networks, adapted for low-quality inputs. A key focus is on integrated pipelines that jointly optimize restoration and detection. We synthesize findings from over 200 studies, highlighting performance across diverse domains such as UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) imagery, underwater exploration, and medical analysis. Furthermore, we discuss standard datasets and evaluation metrics, identify persistent challenges including real-time processing, multi-degradation handling, and domain adaptation, and outline promising research directions. This review serves as a foundational resource for researchers and practitioners aiming to build robust vision systems for real-world, blur-prone environments.
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