Matplotlib Image tutorial Plotting numpy arrays as images
So, you have your data in a numpy array (either by importing it, or by generating it). Let's render it. In Matplotlib, this is performed using the imshow() function. Here we'll grab the plot object. This object gives you an easy way to manipulate the plot from the prompt.
imgplot = plt.imshow(img)
Matplotlib Image tutorial Plotting numpy arrays as images Applying pseudocolor schemes to image plots
Pseudocolor is only relevant to single-channel, grayscale, luminosity images. We currently have an RGB image. Since R, G, and B are all similar (see for yourself above or in your data), we can just pick one channel of our data:
lum_img = img[:, :, 0]

# This is array slicing.  You can read more in the `Numpy tutorial
# <https://numpy.org/doc/stable/user/quickstart.html>`_.

plt.imshow(lum_img)

# Output:
# <matplotlib.image.AxesImage object at 0x7f216cf2a0d0>
Matplotlib Image tutorial Plotting numpy arrays as images Applying pseudocolor schemes to image plots
Now, with a luminosity (2D, no color) image, the default colormap (aka lookup table, LUT), is applied. The default is called viridis. There are plenty of others to choose from.
plt.imshow(lum_img, cmap="hot")

# Output:
# <matplotlib.image.AxesImage object at 0x7f217caf35b0>
Matplotlib Image tutorial Plotting numpy arrays as images Array Interpolation schemes
We'll use the Pillow library that we used to load the image also to resize the image.
from PIL import Image

img = Image.open('../../doc/_static/stinkbug.png')
img.thumbnail((64, 64), Image.ANTIALIAS)  # resizes image in-place
imgplot = plt.imshow(img)
Matplotlib Image tutorial Plotting numpy arrays as images Examining a specific data range
Sometimes you want to enhance the contrast in your image, or expand the contrast in a particular region while sacrificing the detail in colors that don't vary much, or don't matter. A good tool to find interesting regions is the histogram. To create a histogram of our image data, we use the hist() function.
plt.hist(lum_img.ravel(), bins=256, range=(0.0, 1.0), fc='k', ec='k')

# Output:
# (array([2.000e+00, 2.000e+00, 3.000e+00, 3.000e+00, 2.000e+00, 2.000e+00,
#        3.000e+00, 1.000e+00, 7.000e+00, 9.000e+00, 7.000e+00, 2.000e+00,
#        7.000e+00, 1.000e+01, 1.100e+01, 1.500e+01, 1.400e+01, 2.700e+01,
#        2.100e+01, 2.400e+01, 1.400e+01, 3.100e+01, 2.900e+01, 2.800e+01,
#        2.400e+01, 2.400e+01, 4.000e+01, 2.600e+01, 5.200e+01, 3.900e+01,
#        5.700e+01, 4.600e+01, 8.400e+01, 7.600e+01, 8.900e+01, 8.000e+01,
#        1.060e+02, 1.130e+02, 1.120e+02, 9.000e+01, 1.160e+02, 1.090e+02,
#        1.270e+02, 1.350e+02, 9.800e+01, 1.310e+02, 1.230e+02, 1.110e+02,
#        1.230e+02, 1.160e+02, 1.010e+02, 1.170e+02, 1.000e+02, 1.010e+02,
#        9.000e+01, 1.060e+02, 1.260e+02, 1.040e+02, 1.070e+02, 1.110e+02,
#        1.380e+02, 1.000e+02, 1.340e+02, 1.210e+02, 1.400e+02, 1.320e+02,
#        1.390e+02, 1.160e+02, 1.330e+02, 1.180e+02, 1.080e+02, 1.170e+02,
#        1.280e+02, 1.200e+02, 1.210e+02, 1.100e+02, 1.160e+02, 1.180e+02,
#        9.700e+01, 9.700e+01, 1.140e+02, 1.070e+02, 1.170e+02, 8.700e+01,
#        1.070e+02, 9.800e+01, 1.040e+02, 1.120e+02, 1.110e+02, 1.180e+02,
#        1.240e+02, 1.340e+02, 1.200e+02, 1.410e+02, 1.520e+02, 1.360e+02,
#        1.610e+02, 1.380e+02, 1.620e+02, 1.570e+02, 1.350e+02, 1.470e+02,
#        1.690e+02, 1.710e+02, 1.820e+02, 1.980e+02, 1.970e+02, 2.060e+02,
#        2.160e+02, 2.460e+02, 2.210e+02, 2.520e+02, 2.890e+02, 3.450e+02,
#        3.620e+02, 3.760e+02, 4.480e+02, 4.630e+02, 5.170e+02, 6.000e+02,
#        6.200e+02, 6.410e+02, 7.440e+02, 7.120e+02, 8.330e+02, 9.290e+02,
#        1.061e+03, 1.280e+03, 1.340e+03, 1.638e+03, 1.740e+03, 1.953e+03,
#        2.151e+03, 2.290e+03, 2.440e+03, 2.758e+03, 2.896e+03, 3.384e+03,
#        4.332e+03, 5.584e+03, 6.197e+03, 6.422e+03, 6.404e+03, 7.181e+03,
#        8.196e+03, 7.968e+03, 7.474e+03, 7.926e+03, 8.460e+03, 8.091e+03,
#        9.148e+03, 8.563e+03, 6.747e+03, 6.074e+03, 6.328e+03, 5.291e+03,
#        6.472e+03, 6.268e+03, 2.864e+03, 3.760e+02, 1.620e+02, 1.180e+02,
#        1.270e+02, 9.500e+01, 7.600e+01, 8.200e+01, 6.200e+01, 6.700e+01,
#        5.600e+01, 5.900e+01, 4.000e+01, 4.200e+01, 3.000e+01, 3.400e+01,
#        3.200e+01, 4.300e+01, 4.200e+01, 2.300e+01, 2.800e+01, 1.900e+01,
#        2.200e+01, 1.600e+01, 1.200e+01, 1.800e+01, 9.000e+00, 1.000e+01,
#        1.700e+01, 5.000e+00, 2.100e+01, 1.300e+01, 8.000e+00, 1.200e+01,
#        1.000e+01, 8.000e+00, 8.000e+00, 5.000e+00, 1.300e+01, 6.000e+00,
#        3.000e+00, 7.000e+00, 6.000e+00, 2.000e+00, 1.000e+00, 5.000e+00,
#        3.000e+00, 3.000e+00, 1.000e+00, 1.000e+00, 1.000e+00, 5.000e+00,
#        0.000e+00, 1.000e+00, 3.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 1.000e+00, 1.000e+00,
#        2.000e+00, 1.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00,
#        0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00,
#        0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00,
#        0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00,
#        0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00,
#        0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00,
#        0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00, 0.000e+00]), array([0.        , 0.00390625, 0.0078125 , 0.01171875, 0.015625  ,
#        0.01953125, 0.0234375 , 0.02734375, 0.03125   , 0.03515625,
#        0.0390625 , 0.04296875, 0.046875  , 0.05078125, 0.0546875 ,
#        0.05859375, 0.0625    , 0.06640625, 0.0703125 , 0.07421875,
#        0.078125  , 0.08203125, 0.0859375 , 0.08984375, 0.09375   ,
#        0.09765625, 0.1015625 , 0.10546875, 0.109375  , 0.11328125,
#        0.1171875 , 0.12109375, 0.125     , 0.12890625, 0.1328125 ,
#        0.13671875, 0.140625  , 0.14453125, 0.1484375 , 0.15234375,
#        0.15625   , 0.16015625, 0.1640625 , 0.16796875, 0.171875  ,
#        0.17578125, 0.1796875 , 0.18359375, 0.1875    , 0.19140625,
#        0.1953125 , 0.19921875, 0.203125  , 0.20703125, 0.2109375 ,
#        0.21484375, 0.21875   , 0.22265625, 0.2265625 , 0.23046875,
#        0.234375  , 0.23828125, 0.2421875 , 0.24609375, 0.25      ,
#        0.25390625, 0.2578125 , 0.26171875, 0.265625  , 0.26953125,
#        0.2734375 , 0.27734375, 0.28125   , 0.28515625, 0.2890625 ,
#        0.29296875, 0.296875  , 0.30078125, 0.3046875 , 0.30859375,
#        0.3125    , 0.31640625, 0.3203125 , 0.32421875, 0.328125  ,
#        0.33203125, 0.3359375 , 0.33984375, 0.34375   , 0.34765625,
#        0.3515625 , 0.35546875, 0.359375  , 0.36328125, 0.3671875 ,
#        0.37109375, 0.375     , 0.37890625, 0.3828125 , 0.38671875,
#        0.390625  , 0.39453125, 0.3984375 , 0.40234375, 0.40625   ,
#        0.41015625, 0.4140625 , 0.41796875, 0.421875  , 0.42578125,
#        0.4296875 , 0.43359375, 0.4375    , 0.44140625, 0.4453125 ,
#        0.44921875, 0.453125  , 0.45703125, 0.4609375 , 0.46484375,
#        0.46875   , 0.47265625, 0.4765625 , 0.48046875, 0.484375  ,
#        0.48828125, 0.4921875 , 0.49609375, 0.5       , 0.50390625,
#        0.5078125 , 0.51171875, 0.515625  , 0.51953125, 0.5234375 ,
#        0.52734375, 0.53125   , 0.53515625, 0.5390625 , 0.54296875,
#        0.546875  , 0.55078125, 0.5546875 , 0.55859375, 0.5625    ,
#        0.56640625, 0.5703125 , 0.57421875, 0.578125  , 0.58203125,
#        0.5859375 , 0.58984375, 0.59375   , 0.59765625, 0.6015625 ,
#        0.60546875, 0.609375  , 0.61328125, 0.6171875 , 0.62109375,
#        0.625     , 0.62890625, 0.6328125 , 0.63671875, 0.640625  ,
#        0.64453125, 0.6484375 , 0.65234375, 0.65625   , 0.66015625,
#        0.6640625 , 0.66796875, 0.671875  , 0.67578125, 0.6796875 ,
#        0.68359375, 0.6875    , 0.69140625, 0.6953125 , 0.69921875,
#        0.703125  , 0.70703125, 0.7109375 , 0.71484375, 0.71875   ,
#        0.72265625, 0.7265625 , 0.73046875, 0.734375  , 0.73828125,
#        0.7421875 , 0.74609375, 0.75      , 0.75390625, 0.7578125 ,
#        0.76171875, 0.765625  , 0.76953125, 0.7734375 , 0.77734375,
#        0.78125   , 0.78515625, 0.7890625 , 0.79296875, 0.796875  ,
#        0.80078125, 0.8046875 , 0.80859375, 0.8125    , 0.81640625,
#        0.8203125 , 0.82421875, 0.828125  , 0.83203125, 0.8359375 ,
#        0.83984375, 0.84375   , 0.84765625, 0.8515625 , 0.85546875,
#        0.859375  , 0.86328125, 0.8671875 , 0.87109375, 0.875     ,
#        0.87890625, 0.8828125 , 0.88671875, 0.890625  , 0.89453125,
#        0.8984375 , 0.90234375, 0.90625   , 0.91015625, 0.9140625 ,
#        0.91796875, 0.921875  , 0.92578125, 0.9296875 , 0.93359375,
#        0.9375    , 0.94140625, 0.9453125 , 0.94921875, 0.953125  ,
#        0.95703125, 0.9609375 , 0.96484375, 0.96875   , 0.97265625,
#        0.9765625 , 0.98046875, 0.984375  , 0.98828125, 0.9921875 ,
#        0.99609375, 1.        ], dtype=float32), <BarContainer object of 256 artists>)
Matplotlib Image tutorial Plotting numpy arrays as images Applying pseudocolor schemes to image plots
Note that you can also change colormaps on existing plot objects using the set_cmap() method:
imgplot = plt.imshow(lum_img)
imgplot.set_cmap('nipy_spectral')
Matplotlib Image tutorial Plotting numpy arrays as images Examining a specific data range
You can specify the clim in the call to plot.
imgplot = plt.imshow(lum_img, clim=(0.0, 0.7))
Matplotlib Image tutorial Plotting numpy arrays as images Color scale reference
It's helpful to have an idea of what value a color represents. We can do that by adding a color bar to your figure:
imgplot = plt.imshow(lum_img)
plt.colorbar()

# Output:
# <matplotlib.colorbar.Colorbar object at 0x7f217c063ee0>
Matplotlib Image tutorial Plotting numpy arrays as images Examining a specific data range
You can also specify the clim using the returned object
fig = plt.figure()
ax = fig.add_subplot(1, 2, 1)
imgplot = plt.imshow(lum_img)
ax.set_title('Before')
plt.colorbar(ticks=[0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7], orientation='horizontal')
ax = fig.add_subplot(1, 2, 2)
imgplot = plt.imshow(lum_img)
imgplot.set_clim(0.0, 0.7)
ax.set_title('After')
plt.colorbar(ticks=[0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7], orientation='horizontal')

# Output:
# <matplotlib.colorbar.Colorbar object at 0x7f216dd16be0>
Matplotlib Image tutorial Plotting numpy arrays as images Array Interpolation schemes
Let's try some others. Here's "nearest", which does no interpolation.
imgplot = plt.imshow(img, interpolation="nearest")

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