1. A method for displaying a digital mammographic image comprising: obtaining a mammographic image of an object, the mammographic image including a plurality of pixels with a pixel value assigned to each pixel; selecting a subsection within the mammographic image for optimizing the contrast of the subsection, wherein the pixel values of all pixels of the mammographic image are within a pre-determined first range of values and the pixel values of the pixels of a subsection are within a second range of values, wherein the second range of values represents a subset of the first range of values; and optimizing the contrast of the subsection by applying a spreading function to the second range of values of the pixels within the subsection.