What does the process of digital image manipulation involve?

The process of digital image manipulation primarily involves adjusting various qualities of an image to enhance its visual quality or to make specific features more discernible for analysis. This includes modifying parameters such as brightness and contrast, which can significantly impact how structures within an image are perceived. By increasing brightness, darker areas of an image become lighter, allowing for better visualization of details that might otherwise be obscured. Similarly, adjusting contrast enhances the differentiation between various structures, making it easier for practitioners to interpret and analyze the images accurately.

Focusing on other options, changing the imaging equipment refers to the physical hardware used to capture the image, rather than processing the images themselves after they have been captured. Altering patient demographics pertains to changing the data associated with the patient's records, which does not influence the image content itself. Revising imaging protocols involves modifying the procedures or techniques utilized during the imaging process, rather than manipulating the images after acquisition. Thus, while all these elements are related to the imaging process in various ways, they do not specifically pertain to the core elements of digital image manipulation.