# Filter image in Fourier space imaginary components after ifft (R)

I want to high-pass filter an image in Fourier space. It works but the retransformed image has an imaginary part, what shouldn't be the case http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/867337/how-to-interpret-the-imaginary-part-of-an-inverse-fourier-transform. I have two questions:

1. Is that a problem?
2. How can I fix it?

Here is my code: I work with the IMAGER-Package for loading the image and for the Fourier transform

The original image imLenaGr has dim 512/512 (Image plotted at the end).

Transforming the image to Fourier space

lenaFFT <- FFT(imLenaGr)


Transform to matrix and rotate the image so that low frequencies are in the middle

lenaFFTMa <- matrix(complex(real = lenaFFT$real,imaginary = lenaFFT$imag), nrow = 512, ncol = 512)

lenaRot <- fftshift(lenaFFTMa)


Calculating the amplitude for plotting purposes

ampLena <- lenaRot %>% Mod() %>% log()


Creating the filter

heigthM <- height(lenaRot)
widthM <- width(lenaRot)

# Creat empty filter matrix
filMa <- matrix(nrow = heigthM, ncol = widthM)

# Create matrix with values indicating distance from the midpoint of the matrix
distMa <- filMa

for(x in 1:widthM){
for(y in 1:heigthM){
distMa[x,y] <-  sqrt((x - (widthM/2 + 0.5))^2 + (y - (heigthM/2 + 0.5))^2)
}
}
# I also tried it with sqrt((x - (widthM/2))^2 + (y - (heigthM/2))^2) but it didn't work

# finding the cut-off-distance
cutOff <- max(distMa) * 0.03 #0.03 cut off value

# Creating a butterworth filter
for(x in 1:widthM){
for(y in 1: heigthM){
filMa[x,y] <-  1 - (1/(1 + (distMa[x,y]/cutOff)^11))
}
}


Then I multiplicated the Fourier image with the Filter

lenaFilFftRot <-lenaRot * filMa


Afterwards, I rotated and transformed the image back.

# low freq to the edge
lenaFilFft <- ifftshift(lenaFilFftRot)

# transforming back
lenaFil <- FFT(im.real = Re(lenaFilFft) %>% as.cimg(), im.imag = Im(lenaFilFft) %>% as.cimg(), inverse = TRUE)


My problem is now that I have a not insignificant imaginary part

range(lenaFil\$imag)


## 1 -0.02229874 0.02248397

I tried it without filtering and then there was no problem. So the problem must be the filter. I read that the filtered fft has to be complex conjugate. But as I am not from a technical or mathematical field, I don't know why applying my filter violates this assumption.

Images: