Computer Vision Engineer Interview

Preparation Guide
📋 Table of Contents
1. Foundational Mathematics & Theory
2. Computer Vision Fundamentals
3. Deep Learning for Computer Vision
4. Object Detection & Recognition
5. OCR & Text Processing
6. Facial Recognition & Biometrics
7. Model Optimization & Deployment
8. Evaluation Metrics & Testing
9. Advanced Topics
10. Project Deep Dive Preparation
11. Coding Practice
12. Interview Questions Bank

1. Foundational Mathematics & Theory

1.1 Linear Algebra Essentials

 Vectors & Matrices: Operations, eigenvalues, eigenvectors

 Transformations: Rotation, translation, scaling matrices
 Singular Value Decomposition (SVD): PCA applications
 Practice: Implement basic matrix operations in NumPy

1.2 Signal Processing

 Convolution: 1D and 2D convolution operations

 Fourier Transform: Frequency domain analysis
 Filters: Low-pass, high-pass, band-pass filters
 Sampling Theory: Nyquist frequency, aliasing

1.3 Probability & Statistics

 Distributions: Gaussian, Uniform, Binomial

 Bayes' Theorem: Applications in classification
 Statistical Testing: Confidence intervals, hypothesis testing
 Information Theory: Entropy, mutual information
2. Computer Vision Fundamentals
2.1 Image Representation & Processing

Basic Concepts:

 Pixel intensity values, coordinate systems

 Color spaces: RGB, HSV, LAB, YUV
 Image histograms and their applications
 Bit depth and dynamic range

Essential Operations:

import cv2
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Basic image operations you should master

def basic_image_ops():
# Load and display image
img = cv2.imread('image.jpg')

# Color space conversion

gray = cv2.cvtColor(img, cv2.COLOR_BGR2GRAY)
hsv = cv2.cvtColor(img, cv2.COLOR_BGR2HSV)

# Histogram calculation
hist = cv2.calcHist([gray], [0], None, [256], [0, 256])

# Basic filtering
blurred = cv2.GaussianBlur(img, (15, 15), 0)

return img, gray, hist, blurred

2.2 Image Filtering & Enhancement

Linear Filters:

 Gaussian blur, box filter, motion blur

 Sobel, Prewitt, Laplacian operators
 Custom kernel design

Non-linear Filters:

 Median filter (noise reduction)

 Bilateral filter (edge-preserving smoothing)
 Morphological operations (erosion, dilation, opening, closing)
Image Enhancement:

 Histogram equalization (global and adaptive)

 Gamma correction
 Contrast stretching
 Sharpening techniques

2.3 Edge Detection & Feature Extraction

Edge Detection:

 Canny edge detector (multi-stage process)

 Sobel and Scharr operators
 Laplacian of Gaussian (LoG)
 Parameters tuning and threshold selection

Corner Detection:

 Harris corner detector

 Shi-Tomasi corner detector
 FAST (Features from Accelerated Segment Test)

Traditional Feature Descriptors:

 SIFT (Scale-Invariant Feature Transform):

o Scale-space extrema detection
o Keypoint localization
o Orientation assignment
o Feature descriptor computation
 SURF (Speeded-Up Robust Features):
o Hessian matrix-based detection
o Integral images for speed
 ORB (Oriented FAST and Rotated BRIEF):
o Combines FAST keypoint detector with BRIEF descriptor
o Rotation invariance

2.4 Image Segmentation

Thresholding:

 Global thresholding (Otsu's method)

 Adaptive thresholding
 Multi-level thresholding

Region-based Segmentation:
  Watershed algorithm
 Region growing
 Mean shift clustering

Contour Analysis:

 Contour detection and properties

 Contour approximation
 Shape analysis and matching

3. Deep Learning for Computer Vision

3.1 Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs)

Architecture Components:

 Convolutional Layers:
o Filter operations, stride, padding
o Feature map computation
o Parameter sharing concept
 Pooling Layers: Max, average, global pooling
 Activation Functions: ReLU, LeakyReLU, Swish
 Normalization: Batch norm, layer norm, group norm

Key CNN Architectures:

 LeNet-5: Historical significance

 AlexNet: Deep learning breakthrough
 VGGNet: Depth importance, small filters
 ResNet: Skip connections, residual learning
 Inception/GoogLeNet: Multi-scale processing
 MobileNet: Depthwise separable convolutions
 EfficientNet: Compound scaling

3.2 Training Deep Networks

Optimization:

 Gradient descent variants (SGD, Adam, AdamW)

 Learning rate scheduling
 Weight initialization strategies

Regularization:
  Dropout and spatial dropout
 Data augmentation techniques
 Early stopping
 Weight decay (L1/L2 regularization)

Transfer Learning:

 Pre-trained model utilization

 Feature extraction vs fine-tuning
 Domain adaptation strategies

4. Object Detection & Recognition

4.1 Object Detection Fundamentals

Problem Definition:

 Classification vs Localization vs Detection

 Single vs Multiple object detection
 Real-time vs Accuracy trade-offs

Evaluation Metrics:

 IoU (Intersection over Union): Box overlap measurement

 Precision & Recall: For detection tasks
 mAP (mean Average Precision):
o AP calculation at different IoU thresholds
o mAP@0.5, mAP@0.5:0.95
 FPS (Frames Per Second): Speed evaluation

4.2 Traditional Object Detection

Sliding Window Approach:

 Exhaustive search limitations

 Pyramid representation
 Haar-like features and Viola-Jones

Selective Search:

 Region proposal generation

 Hierarchical segmentation
 Feature-based grouping
4.3 Modern Object Detection (Deep Learning)

Two-Stage Detectors:

 R-CNN Family:
o R-CNN: Region proposals + CNN classification
o Fast R-CNN: ROI pooling, end-to-end training
o Faster R-CNN: RPN (Region Proposal Network)
 Mask R-CNN: Instance segmentation extension

One-Stage Detectors:

 YOLO (You Only Look Once) Series:

o YOLOv1: Grid-based detection
o YOLOv2/YOLO9000: Anchor boxes, batch normalization
o YOLOv3: Multi-scale prediction, residual connections
o YOLOv4: Advanced training techniques
o YOLOv5: PyTorch implementation, user-friendly
o YOLOv8: Latest improvements, versatile tasks

YOLOv8 Deep Dive (Your Project):

# YOLOv8 Architecture Understanding

- Backbone: Modified CSPDarknet
- Neck: PAN (Path Aggregation Network)
- Head: Coupled/Decoupled heads for classification and regression
- Anchor-free detection
- Advanced augmentation strategies

 SSD (Single Shot MultiBox Detector):

o Multi-scale feature maps
o Default boxes (similar to anchors)
o Hard negative mining

Advanced Concepts:

 Anchor Boxes: Predefined box shapes and sizes

 NMS (Non-Maximum Suppression): Duplicate removal
 Focal Loss: Addressing class imbalance
 Feature Pyramid Networks (FPN): Multi-scale features

4.4 Practical Implementation Skills

# YOLOv8 Implementation Example
from ultralytics import YOLO

def yolo_pipeline():
# Model loading
 model = YOLO('yolov8n.pt') # Your lightweight choice

# Training on custom dataset

model.train(data='custom_dataset.yaml',
epochs=100,
imgsz=640,
batch=16)

# Inference
results = model('test_image.jpg')

# Post-processing
for result in results:
boxes = result.boxes
confidences = boxes.conf
classes = boxes.cls

return results

5. OCR & Text Processing

5.1 OCR Pipeline Architecture

Traditional OCR Pipeline:

1. Image Preprocessing:
o Noise reduction and denoising
o Skew correction and deskewing
o Binarization (Otsu, adaptive thresholding)
o Resolution enhancement
2. Text Detection:
o Connected component analysis
o MSER (Maximally Stable Extremal Regions)
o Text/non-text classification
3. Text Recognition:
o Character segmentation
o Feature extraction
o Character classification

Modern Deep Learning OCR:

 Text Detection Models:

o EAST (Efficient Accurate Scene Text)
o TextBoxes, TextBoxes++
o CRAFT (Character Region Awareness for Text)
 Text Recognition Models:
o CRNN (CNN + RNN + CTC)
o Attention-based sequence-to-sequence
 o Transformer-based models

5.2 OCR Tools & Libraries

PaddleOCR (Your Experience):

 Multi-language support
 Detection + Recognition pipeline
 Lightweight models for deployment

TrOCR (Your Experience):

 Transformer-based OCR
 End-to-end trainable
 Good for handwritten text

Other Important Tools:

 Tesseract: Traditional OCR engine

 EasyOCR: Deep learning-based
 Google Cloud Vision API

5.3 Advanced OCR Challenges

Document Analysis:

 Layout analysis and parsing

 Table detection and extraction
 Form understanding
 Handwriting recognition

Scene Text OCR:

 Irregular text shapes

 Multiple orientations
 Complex backgrounds
 Low resolution challenges

6. Facial Recognition & Biometrics

6.1 Face Detection

Traditional Methods:
  Haar-like features with Cascade classifiers
 HOG (Histogram of Oriented Gradients) + SVM
 LBP (Local Binary Patterns)

Deep Learning Methods:

 MTCNN (Multi-Task CNN):

o Three-stage cascade (P-Net, R-Net, O-Net)
o Face detection + landmark localization
 RetinaFace: Single-stage detection
 DSFD (Dual Shot Face Detector)

6.2 Face Recognition Pipeline

DeepFace Framework (Your Experience):

from deepface import DeepFace

# Face verification (1:1)

result = DeepFace.verify("img1.jpg", "img2.jpg",
model_name='Facenet')

# Face identification (1:N)

df = DeepFace.find("target.jpg", "database_folder/")

Core Concepts:

1. Face Detection: Locate faces in images

2. Face Alignment: Normalize pose and scale
3. Feature Extraction: Generate face embeddings
4. Matching: Compare embeddings using distance metrics

Popular Face Recognition Models:

 FaceNet: Triplet loss, embedding learning

 ArcFace: Angular margin loss
 CosFace: Cosine margin loss
 SphereFace: Angular softmax loss

6.3 Challenges in Face Recognition

Technical Challenges:

 Illumination variations
 Pose variations
 Expression changes
 Aging effects
  Occlusion handling

Security Considerations:

 Liveness detection (anti-spoofing)

 Privacy and ethical implications
 Bias and fairness in recognition systems

7. Model Optimization & Deployment

7.1 Model Optimization Techniques

Model Compression:

 Quantization:
o Post-training quantization
o Quantization-aware training
o INT8, FP16 precision
 Pruning:
o Structured vs unstructured pruning
o Magnitude-based pruning
o Channel pruning
 Knowledge Distillation:
o Teacher-student training
o Feature matching
o Attention transfer

Architecture Optimization:

 Neural Architecture Search (NAS)

 Efficient architectures: MobileNet, EfficientNet
 Hardware-aware design

7.2 Deployment Frameworks

Model Formats:

 ONNX: Cross-platform model representation

 TensorRT: NVIDIA GPU optimization
 OpenVINO: Intel CPU/VPU optimization
 TensorFlow Lite: Mobile deployment
 PyTorch Mobile: Mobile deployment
Deployment Platforms:

# FastAPI Deployment (Your Experience)

from fastapi import FastAPI, File, UploadFile
import cv2
import numpy as np

app = FastAPI()

@app.post("/predict/")
async def predict_image(file: UploadFile = File(...)):
# Image preprocessing
image = cv2.imdecode(np.frombuffer(await file.read(), np.uint8),
cv2.IMREAD_COLOR)

# Model inference
results = model.predict(image)

# Post-processing and return

return {"predictions": results}

7.3 Edge Deployment Considerations

Hardware Constraints:

 Memory limitations
 Computational power
 Power consumption
 Real-time requirements

Optimization Strategies:

 Model pruning and quantization

 Batch processing optimization
 Caching mechanisms
 Pipeline parallelization

8. Evaluation Metrics & Testing

8.1 Classification Metrics

Basic Metrics:

 Accuracy: Correct predictions / Total predictions

 Precision: TP / (TP + FP)
 Recall (Sensitivity): TP / (TP + FN)
 Specificity: TN / (TN + FP)
  F1-Score: Harmonic mean of precision and recall

Advanced Metrics:

 ROC Curve & AUC: Receiver Operating Characteristic

 Precision-Recall Curve: Better for imbalanced datasets
 Confusion Matrix Analysis
 Cohen's Kappa: Inter-rater agreement

8.2 Object Detection Metrics

IoU-based Metrics:

 mAP@0.5: Average precision at IoU threshold 0.5

 mAP@0.5:0.95: Average over IoU thresholds 0.5 to 0.95
 AP per class: Individual class performance

Speed Metrics:

 FPS (Frames Per Second)

 Inference Time: Per image processing time
 FLOPS: Floating point operations per second

8.3 OCR-specific Metrics

Character-level:

 CER (Character Error Rate): Character mistakes / Total characters

 Character Accuracy: Correct characters / Total characters

Word-level:

 WER (Word Error Rate): Word mistakes / Total words

 Word Accuracy: Correct words / Total words

Sequence Similarity:

 Levenshtein Distance: Edit distance between strings

 BLEU Score: Precision-based metric
 Exact Match: Perfect string matching

9. Advanced Topics
9.1 Image Segmentation

Semantic Segmentation:

 U-Net: Skip connections for medical imaging

 FCN (Fully Convolutional Networks): End-to-end learning
 DeepLab: Atrous convolution, CRF post-processing
 PSPNet: Pyramid pooling module

Instance Segmentation:

 Mask R-CNN: Extends Faster R-CNN

 YOLACT: Real-time instance segmentation
 SOLOv2: Direct instance segmentation

9.2 Vision Transformers (ViT)

Architecture:

 Self-attention mechanism in vision

 Patch-based processing
 Position embeddings
 Multi-head attention

Variants:

 DeiT: Data-efficient training

 Swin Transformer: Hierarchical processing
 Vision-Language Models: CLIP, ALIGN

9.3 Generative Models

GANs for Computer Vision:

 Image Generation: StyleGAN, BigGAN

 Image-to-Image Translation: Pix2Pix, CycleGAN
 Super Resolution: ESRGAN, RealSR

Diffusion Models:

 DALL-E 2: Text-to-image generation

 Stable Diffusion: Open-source alternative
 Image Editing: InstructPix2Pix

9.4 3D Computer Vision

3D Reconstruction:

 Structure from Motion (SfM)

 Multi-view stereo
 SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping)

3D Object Detection:

 Point cloud processing

 Voxel-based methods
 PointNet, PointNet++

9.5 Self-Supervised Learning

Contrastive Learning:

 SimCLR: Simple framework for contrastive learning

 MoCo: Momentum contrast
 SwAV: Clustering-based approach

Masked Image Modeling:

 MAE (Masked Autoencoders): BERT for images

 BEiT: BERT pre-training for images

10. Project Deep Dive Preparation

10.1 KYC System Analysis

Technical Deep Dive Questions:

1. Architecture Design:
o How did you design the end-to-end pipeline?
o What were the main components and their interactions?
o How did you handle different document types?
2. Preprocessing Pipeline:
o Image quality assessment techniques
o Denoising and enhancement methods
o Perspective correction for tilted documents
3. Edge Case Handling:
4. # Be prepared to discuss these scenarios
5. edge_cases = {
6. "blurry_images": "Quality assessment + super-resolution",
7. "tilted_documents": "Perspective correction using keypoints",
 8. "poor_lighting": "Histogram equalization + gamma correction",
9. "multiple_documents": "Document separation algorithms",
10. "damaged_documents": "Inpainting techniques"
11. }
12. Performance Optimization:
o Model selection rationale
o Inference speed improvements
o Memory usage optimization

10.2 Document Detector & Classifier

YOLOv8n Selection Rationale:

# Why YOLOv8n over alternatives?

yolo_advantages = {
"speed": "Real-time inference capability",
"accuracy": "Good balance of speed vs accuracy",
"ease_of_use": "Simple training and deployment",
"model_size": "Lightweight for edge deployment",
"versatility": "Multiple task support (detection, classification,
segmentation)"
}

Evaluation Strategy:

 Custom dataset creation and annotation

 Train/validation/test split strategy
 Cross-validation for robust evaluation
 Error analysis and failure case study

Post-processing Pipeline:

def post_process_detections(predictions, conf_threshold=0.5,

iou_threshold=0.4):
# Confidence filtering
filtered_preds = predictions[predictions.conf > conf_threshold]

# Non-Maximum Suppression
keep_indices = nms(filtered_preds.boxes, filtered_preds.conf,
iou_threshold)
final_predictions = filtered_preds[keep_indices]

# Box refinement
refined_boxes = refine_boxes(final_predictions.boxes)

return refined_boxes

11. Coding Practice

11.1 Essential OpenCV Operations
import cv2
import numpy as np

# Image loading and basic operations

def image_basics():
img = cv2.imread('sample.jpg')
gray = cv2.cvtColor(img, cv2.COLOR_BGR2GRAY)

# Resizing
resized = cv2.resize(img, (640, 480))

# Cropping
cropped = img[100:300, 50:250]

return img, gray, resized, cropped

# Edge detection pipeline

def edge_detection_pipeline(image):
# Gaussian blur
blurred = cv2.GaussianBlur(image, (5, 5), 0)

# Canny edge detection

edges = cv2.Canny(blurred, 50, 150)

# Find contours
contours, hierarchy = cv2.findContours(edges, cv2.RETR_EXTERNAL,
cv2.CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE)

return edges, contours

# Feature matching
def feature_matching():
# SIFT detector
sift = cv2.SIFT_create()

# Find keypoints and descriptors

kp1, des1 = sift.detectAndCompute(img1, None)
kp2, des2 = sift.detectAndCompute(img2, None)

# FLANN matcher
FLANN_INDEX_KDTREE = 1
index_params = dict(algorithm=FLANN_INDEX_KDTREE, trees=5)
search_params = dict(checks=50)
flann = cv2.FlannBasedMatcher(index_params, search_params)

matches = flann.knnMatch(des1, des2, k=2)

return matches

11.2 Deep Learning Implementation

import torch
import torch.nn as nn
import torchvision.transforms as transforms

# Simple CNN for image classification

class SimpleCNN(nn.Module):
def __init__(self, num_classes):
super(SimpleCNN, self).__init__()
self.features = nn.Sequential(
nn.Conv2d(3, 64, kernel_size=3, padding=1),
nn.ReLU(inplace=True),
nn.MaxPool2d(kernel_size=2, stride=2),

nn.Conv2d(64, 128, kernel_size=3, padding=1),

nn.ReLU(inplace=True),
nn.MaxPool2d(kernel_size=2, stride=2),

nn.Conv2d(128, 256, kernel_size=3, padding=1),

nn.ReLU(inplace=True),
nn.MaxPool2d(kernel_size=2, stride=2),
)

self.classifier = nn.Sequential(
nn.Dropout(),
nn.Linear(256 * 28 * 28, 512),
nn.ReLU(inplace=True),
nn.Dropout(),
nn.Linear(512, num_classes),
)

def forward(self, x):

x = self.features(x)
x = x.view(x.size(0), -1)
x = self.classifier(x)
return x

# Training loop
def train_model(model, train_loader, criterion, optimizer, num_epochs):
model.train()
for epoch in range(num_epochs):
running_loss = 0.0
for i, (inputs, labels) in enumerate(train_loader):
optimizer.zero_grad()
outputs = model(inputs)
loss = criterion(outputs, labels)
loss.backward()
optimizer.step()
running_loss += loss.item()

print(f'Epoch [{epoch+1}/{num_epochs}], Loss:

{running_loss/len(train_loader):.4f}')

12. Interview Questions Bank

12.1 Technical Questions
Fundamental Concepts:

1. Explain the difference between convolution and cross-correlation.

2. What is the vanishing gradient problem and how do ResNets solve it?
3. Describe the working principle of Non-Maximum Suppression.
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of different color spaces?
5. Explain the concept of receptive field in CNNs.

Object Detection:

1. Compare YOLO vs R-CNN family in terms of speed and accuracy.

2. What is anchor-free detection and how does YOLOv8 implement it?
3. Explain the role of Feature Pyramid Networks in modern detectors.
4. How would you handle class imbalance in object detection?
5. Describe the differences between mAP@0.5 and mAP@0.5:0.95.

OCR & Text Recognition:

1. What preprocessing steps are crucial for OCR accuracy?

2. Compare traditional OCR vs deep learning-based OCR.
3. How do you handle multi-language text recognition?
4. Explain the CRNN architecture for text recognition.
5. What are the challenges in scene text recognition?

Face Recognition:

1. Explain the difference between face verification and face identification.

2. What is the role of face alignment in recognition pipelines?
3. How do you handle the trade-off between security and usability?
4. Describe different loss functions used in face recognition (triplet, center, etc.).
5. What are anti-spoofing techniques in face recognition?

Model Optimization:

1. Explain different types of neural network pruning.

2. What is knowledge distillation and when would you use it?
3. Compare different quantization techniques.
4. How do you optimize models for mobile deployment?
5. What are the trade-offs between model compression techniques?

12.2 System Design Questions

1. Design a real-time face recognition system for access control.

2. How would you build a scalable OCR service for document processing?
3. Design an end-to-end pipeline for autonomous vehicle perception.
4. How would you implement a content moderation system for images?
 5. Design a medical image analysis system for X-ray diagnosis.

12.3 Behavioral Questions

1. Describe a time when your model performed poorly - how did you debug it?
2. How do you stay updated with the latest developments in computer vision?
3. Tell me about a challenging optimization problem you solved.
4. How do you handle conflicting requirements between speed and accuracy?
5. Describe your approach to testing and validating computer vision systems.

12.4 Project-Specific Questions

For Your KYC System:

1. Walk me through your entire KYC pipeline.

2. How did you ensure the system works across different document types?
3. What were the main challenges and how did you overcome them?
4. How would you improve the system if you had more time?
5. What metrics did you use to evaluate the system's performance?

For Your Document Classifier:

1. Why did you choose YOLOv8n specifically?

2. How did you create and annotate your training dataset?
3. What post-processing steps did you implement?
4. How did you handle false positives and false negatives?
5. What would be your approach to scale this to handle millions of documents?

📚 Study Schedule Recommendation

Week 1-2: Foundations

 Day 1-3: Mathematics & Image Processing Basics

 Day 4-7: OpenCV practice and traditional CV methods
 Day 8-10: CNN fundamentals and popular architectures
 Day 11-14: Object detection theory and YOLO deep dive

Week 3: Specialization Areas

 Day 1-2: OCR systems and text processing

 Day 3-4: Face recognition and biometrics
 Day 5-7: Model optimization and deployment
Week 4: Advanced Topics & Practice

 Day 1-2: Advanced topics (Transformers, Segmentation)

 Day 3-4: Coding practice and implementation
 Day 5-7: Mock interviews and project presentation practice

🎯 Final Interview Tips

1. Code Live: Be prepared to implement basic CV operations from scratch
2. Explain Trade-offs: Always discuss speed vs accuracy, memory vs performance
3. Real-world Considerations: Mention deployment challenges, edge cases, scalability
4. Stay Updated: Know about recent developments (SAM, GPT-4V, etc.)
5. Ask Questions: Show curiosity about their specific CV challenges and tech stack

Key Preparation Points:

 Practice explaining your projects in 2, 5, and 10-minute versions

 Prepare specific examples of debugging and optimization
 Review recent CV papers and their practical applications
 Set up a coding environment for live demonstrations
 Practice drawing system architectures on whiteboard/screen

Good luck with your interview! The key is to demonstrate both theoretical understanding and
practical implementation experience.