Multiscale gradient watersheds of color images.
We present a new framework for the hierarchical segmentation of color images. The proposed scheme comprises a nonlinear scale-space with vector-valued gradient watersheds. Our aim is to produce a meaningful hierarchy among the objects in the image using three image components of distinct perceptual significance for a human observer, namely strong edges, smooth segments and detailed segments. The scale-space is based on a vector-valued diffusion that uses the Additive Operator Splitting numerical scheme. Furthermore, we introduce the principle of the dynamics of contours in scale-space that combines scale and contrast information. The performance of the proposed segmentation scheme is presented via experimental results obtained with a wide range of images including natural and artificial scenes.
Vanhamel
Iris
I
Vrije Univ. Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. iuvanham@etro.vub.ac.be
Pratikakis
Ioannis
I
Sahli
Hichem
H