1. A computer implemented method of identifying image elements from pixels within a digital input image to permit the input image to be separated into two or more images, the method comprising: filtering the input image to generate a filtered image; thresholding the filtered image at zero to generate a zero crossing image, the zero crossing image having filtered values greater than zero, filtered values less than zero, and filtered values equal to zero; generating a local contrast image of the filtered image, the local contrast image calculates a value for each pixel by determining the maximum value for an absolute value for a difference between a pixel in the second filtered image and one or more of its neighboring pixel values; generating a local contrast image mask using a pre-determined threshold value, the local contrast image mask having pixel values equal to a 1 if the pixel values within the local contrast image are greater than the pre-determined threshold and the local contrast image mask having pixel values equal to a 0 if the pixel values within the local contrast image are less than the pre-determined threshold; generating a processed zero-crossing image corresponding to the zero crossing image having pixel values filtered pixel values of a large size using the filtered image and the local contrast image mask; identifying connected component regions from contiguous pixels having filtered values greater than zero, filtered values less than zero, and filtered values equal to zero; and classifying the connected component regions as corresponding to foreground image elements and background image elements.