Abstract: A method of stabilising frames of a captured video sequence. First reference patch alignment data is received for each of a plurality of reference patch locations. A first stable frame and a subsequent stable frame are determined from a first plurality of frames based on the first plurality of reference patch locations and reference patch alignment data. A second plurality of reference patch locations is determined using image data from the first stable frame, the second plurality of reference patch locations being determined concurrently with determining the subsequent stable frame from the first plurality of frames. Image data for the determined second plurality of reference patch locations is extracted from the subsequent stable frame. A second plurality of stable frames of the captured video sequence is determined with respect to the reference frame using the second plurality of reference patch locations and the extracted image data.

Abstract: A method for processing microscopy images captures, for each of a first microscopy slide and a second microscopy slide, a plurality of partial spectrum images under multiple optical configurations where each image captures a different portion of the spectrum of the slide. First and second partial spectrum images associated with different optical configuration are selected and used to reconstruct respectively a combined spectrum image of part of the first microscopy slide and a combined spectrum image of at least part of the second microscopy slide, thereby forming a first pair of partial spectrum images. The method determines a distortion map by aligning images derived from the first pair of the partial spectrum images.

Abstract: A system for forming an image (110) of a substantially translucent specimen (102) has an illuminator (108) configured to variably illuminate the specimen from a plurality of angles of illumination such that (a) when each angle (495) at a given point on the specimen is mapped to a point (445) on a plane (420) perpendicular to an optical axis (490), the points on the plane have an increasing density (e.g. FIGS. 4, 11C, 11E, 12C, 12E, 13A, 14A, 14C, 14E, 15A, 15C, 15E) towards an axial position on the plane; or (b) the illumination angles are arranged with a substantially regular pattern in a polar coordinate system (FIG. 13A,13B) defined by a radial coordinate that depends on the magnitude of the distance from an optical axis and an angular coordinate corresponding to the orientation of the angle relative to the optical axis.

Abstract: A method of generating an image of a substantially translucent specimen includes illuminating and imaging the specimen based on light filtered by an optical element. A plurality of variably-illuminated relatively low resolution intensity images of the specimen are acquired for which content of the images corresponds to partially overlapping regions in frequency space. A relatively higher resolution image of the specimen is then reconstructed by iteratively updating overlapping regions of the relatively higher resolution image in Fourier space with the plurality of variably-illuminated, relatively lower resolution intensity images. The iterative updating processes the plurality of relatively lower resolution intensity images in a first sequence which progresses from a centre region of the relatively higher resolution image in increasing spatial frequency followed by a second sequence which progresses towards the centre region in decreasing spatial frequency.

Abstract: A method for processing microscopy images captures, for each of a first microscopy slide and a second microscopy slide, a plurality of partial spectrum images under multiple optical configurations where each image captures a different portion of the spectrum of the slide. First and second partial spectrum images associated with different optical configuration are selected and used to reconstruct respectively a combined spectrum image of part of the first microscopy slide and a combined spectrum image of at least part of the second microscopy slide, thereby forming a first pair of partial spectrum images. The method determines a distortion map by aligning images derived from the first pair of the partial spectrum images.

Abstract: A method of determining a coordinate transform between a first image and a second image, said method comprising the steps of: determining a rate of change of pixel values for locations on the first image to identify candidate alignment patches in the first image; specifying subsets of patches from the set of candidate alignment patches based on an error metric, selecting a subset of candidate alignment patches from said plurality of subsets of candidate alignment patches based upon a predetermined criterion; estimating, for each patch in the selected subset, a shift between the patch and a corresponding patch in the second image, the location of the corresponding patch in the second image being determined from the location of the patch in the first image; and determining the coordinate transform between the first image and second image based on the estimated shifts.

Abstract: A method calibrates a microscope using a test pattern by capturing a plurality of images of the test pattern with the microscope. The test pattern has a plurality of uniquely identifiable positions across a plurality of repeating and overlapping 2D sub-patterns. The method determines an image contrast metric from the captured image in a selected patch of the test pattern and a reference contrast metric in the corresponding region; and (iii) determines a normalised contrast metric using the reference contrast metric and the image contrast metric. The method estimates depths of the two captured images at the plurality of positions using the normalised contrast metrics and a set of predetermined calibration data for a stack of images captured using the test pattern at a range of depths, and calibrates the microscope using a comparison of the determined depth estimates for the at least two images.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of generating an electronic document having an enclosed region with a fill color. The method receives a digital representation of a source document, the source document containing an enclosed region and at least one corresponding background region, the enclosed region overlapping at least a portion of the background region. A fill color is determined for the enclosed region from the digital representation as is a reference background color for the enclosed region from the corresponding background region of the digital representation. The method assigns a transparent fill color to the enclosed region based on a comparison of the determined fill color for the enclosed region with the reference background color and stores enclosed region with the transparent fill color to generate an electronic document.

Abstract: A method of determining a coordinate transform between a first image and a second image, said method comprising the steps of: determining a rate of change of pixel values for locations on the first image to identify candidate alignment patches in the first image; specifying subsets of patches from the set of candidate alignment patches based on an error metric, selecting a subset of candidate alignment patches from said plurality of subsets of candidate alignment patches based upon a predetermined criterion; estimating, for each patch in the selected subset, a shift between the patch and a corresponding patch in the second image, the location of the corresponding patch in the second image being determined from the location of the patch in the first image; and determining the coordinate transform between the first image and second image based on the estimated shifts.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and computer readable storage mediums for generating an object representation from a bitmap image by selecting a set of regions, including a background region, from the bitmap image. Color and partial transparency parameters of a first graphical object with partial transparency that overlaps a second graphical object are estimated according to colors of the set of regions. The estimated color and partial transparency are consistent with a transparency compositing model. Geometric models of the first and second graphical objects are constructed from the set of regions and the estimated color and transparency parameters of the first graphical object. The object representation is generated dependent upon the geometric models. The object representation may be an electronic document and the bitmap image may be a scanned version of a document.

Abstract: Disclosed is a computer implemented method (200) of processing a bitmap image (110) including at least one shape defined by at least one line (113-115). The method processes the image to form a plurality of boundaries, each boundary representing an enclosed path (410-424). The boundaries also define at least one enclosed region (425-429) representing a graphical object. Line elements are detected (310) together with associated regions (430-465) in the graphical object. The method determines line statistics (325) corresponding to at least one of the boundaries of the object based on the detected line elements and performs shape recognition (1010) on at least one of the boundaries based on said line statistics. The method recognizes (1020,1045) at least one part of the object as a shape and stores a description of the shape.

Abstract: A method (1100) of creating a document comprising a modifiable shape, is disclosed. The method analyzes an image to detect at least a graphical object. The method matches the detected graphical object with at least one of a plurality of predetermined modifiable closed-form non-textual template shapes (e.g., 420) comprising control parameters for modifying the closed-form non-textual template shape in a non-affine manner. The number of control parameters of the predetermined modifiable closed-form non-textual template shape is less than the number of sections making up the modifiable closed-form non-textual template shape. The method creates a document comprising the at least one modifiable closed-form non-textual template shape.

Abstract: A method (100), an apparatus, and a computer program product for automatically producing a compact representation of a colour document are disclosed. In the method, a digital image of a colour-document page is segmented (110) into connected components in one-pass, block raster order. The digital image of the page is partitioned into foreground and background images using layout analysis (120) based on compact, connected-component statistics of the whole page. At least one portion of the background image where at least one portion of the foreground image obscures the background image is inpainting (520) in one-pass block raster order. The foreground and background images are combined (130) to form a compact document. A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for segmenting a digital image comprising a plurality of pixels are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method (1100) of creating an editable document is disclosed. The method analyses a bitmap image to detect at least one bit map representation of a graphical object and a bitmap representation of a line object. The method matches the graphical object with one of a plurality of predetermined template shapes (e.g., 420), the template shape having one or more predetermined non-contiguous connection points. The method selects one of the predetermined connection points for the line object if at least one end of the line object is within a predetermined distance of the selected connection point and associates the line object with the selected connection point. The method creates an editable document comprising the template shape with the line object connected thereto, wherein the line object remains associated with the selected connection point upon the template shape being modified within the document such that the line object remains dynamically connected to the template shape.

Abstract: Methods (500), apparatuses (140), and computer readable storage mediums for generating an object representation (150) from a bitmap image (130) are disclosed. A set of regions, including a background region, is selected (510) from the bitmap image (130). Colour and partial transparency parameters of a first graphical object with partial transparency that overlaps a second graphical object are estimated (520) according to colours of the set of regions. The estimated colour and partial transparency are consistent with a transparency compositing model. Geometric models of the first and second graphical objects are constructed (530) from the set of regions and the estimated colour and transparency parameters of the first graphical object. The object representation (150) is generated (540) dependent upon the geometric models. The object representation (150) may be an electronic document and the bitmap image (130) may be a scanned version of a document (110).

Abstract: Disclosed is a computer implemented method (200) of processing a bitmap image (110) including at least one shape defined by at least one line (113-115). The method processes the image to form a plurality of boundaries, each boundary representing an enclosed path (410-424). The boundaries also define at least one enclosed region (425-429) representing a graphical object. Line elements are detected (310) together with associated regions (430-465) in the graphical object. The method determines line statistics (325) corresponding to at least one of the boundaries of the object based on the detected line elements and performs shape recognition (1010) on at least one of the boundaries based on said line statistics. The method recognises (1020,1045) at least one part of the object as a shape and stores a description of the shape.

Abstract: Methods, computer program products and apparatuses are disclosed for processing images to detect and/or remove halftone. In one aspect, a portion of an image comprising a plurality of color channels is selected for processing (210), a frequency domain representation of the selected portion is generated for each color channel (220), data relating to predetermined regions in the frequency domain representations is processed (230), and halftone present in the selected portion is detected based on a result of the processing the data (240).

Abstract: A method (1100) of creating an editable document is disclosed. The method analyses a bitmap image to detect at least one bit map representation of a graphical object and a bitmap representation of a line object. The method matches the graphical object with one of a plurality of predetermined template shapes (e.g., 420), the template shape having one or more predetermined non-contiguous connection points. The method selects one of the predetermined connection points for the line object if at least one end of the line object is within a predetermined distance of the selected connection point and associates the line object with the selected connection point. The method creates an editable document comprising the template shape with the line object connected thereto, wherein the line object remains associated with the selected connection point upon the template shape being modified within the document such that the line object remains dynamically connected to the template shape.

Abstract: A method (1100) of creating a document comprising a modifiable shape, is disclosed. The method analyses an image to detect at least a graphical object. The method matches the detected graphical object with at least one of a plurality of predetermined modifiable closed-form non-textual template shapes (e.g., 420) comprising control parameters for modifying the closed-form non-textual template shape in a non-affine manner. The number of control parameters of the predetermined modifiable closed-form non-textual template shape is less than the number of sections making up the modifiable closed-form non-textual template shape. The method creates a document comprising the at least one modifiable closed-form non-textual template shape.

Abstract: A method (100), an apparatus, and a computer program product for automatically producing a compact representation of a colour document are disclosed. In the method, a digital image of a colour-document page is segmented (110) into connected components in one-pass, block raster order. The digital image of the page is partitioned into foreground and background images using layout analysis (120) based on compact, connected-component statistics of the whole page. At least one portion of the background image where at least one portion of the foreground image obscures the background image is inpainting (520) in one-pass block raster order. The foreground and background images are combined (130) to form a compact document. A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for segmenting a digital image comprising a plurality of pixels are also disclosed.