Image Processing technologies for art-works restoration

In this paper, we would like to present some results of the research carried out in the Image Processing and Communication Lab of the University of Florence, regarding the applications for the Cultural Heritage field. In particular, the paper focuses on the following items: - edge detection: image processing methods can be useful to extract edges or boundaries from a digital copy of art works; the process is very fast and leads to interesting results; - virtual restoration: image processing can be useful to perform a restoration over digital reproduction of art works; in particular, attention is focused on crack removal and lacuna filling techniques. The results of the research have been joined to a software application, called ArtShop, which collects some interesting tools useful for art-work restoration.