How can I make matlab identify a specific feature in an image?

I have two images I want matlab to process them; first one: a white sheet with few black dots (like domino cards), I want Matlab to detect these dots and count them.

Second image: an interferogram with gray vertical fringes on a black background, I want it to count the number of fringes.

[Walter Roberson]

For the first one: threshold the image. imcomplement so that the dots become true and the white background becomes false . Then bwconncomp() or bwlabel() or regionprops() and look at how many regions were returned.