What is Pre-processing of fingerprint image?

Pre-processing of a fingerprint image involves a series of techniques aimed at enhancing the quality of the fingerprint for better analysis and recognition. This process typically includes noise reduction, contrast enhancement, and normalization to improve clarity and detail. Additionally, it may involve fingerprint segmentation to isolate the fingerprint from the background and ridge extraction to highlight the unique patterns. These steps are crucial for increasing the accuracy of fingerprint recognition systems.