What Is Lenna?
There's nothing like a good test image to get your computer system up to speed. Whether you're trying to figure out how well your facial recognition software works or want to see if the new image compression algorithm you wrote will handle the load, there's no better way than with Lenna! Lenna is short for Lenna Soderberg, an American model used as a test subject since at least 1973. Computer scientists and engineers often use her picture to test processing systems because it's simply a black-and-white photo of her face from the side. It's also because she has no eyebrows, making her appear creepy when viewed under certain conditions (like an upside-down). It can also help test things like facial recognition systems when you need access to many photos from different angles. Many companies use this same picture in their research papers and reports! While some people might find that boring or repetitive, it does mean that researchers have been able to use the same image for decades now without having to worry about copyright issues or changes in technology affecting how well it represents today's world. Many attribute the emergence of "Lenna" to the efforts of an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Southern California in 1973, where the associate professor, a graduate student and a lab manager arbitrarily used a Playboy magazine page to scan onto a Hewlett-Packard 2100 minicomputer. This was not done in vain, however. The assistant professor was attempting to teach his students about image processing. He wanted them to see what was possible with a computer, so he showed them how to reproduce images from magazines and newspapers on their minicomputers. Since then, Lenna's face has been produced countless times on computers worldwide, and she's still smiling!
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