Abstract: Methods and systems for resizing an image utilizing content-aware seam operations include defining low-energy seams defining contextually less-important information and utilizing such information for interpolation based on one-dimensional manifolds. The interpolation can form new seams and/or regenerated pixels that can be combined with the image to provide a content-aware resized image exhibiting smooth and continuous features.

Abstract: A system and method of the present disclosure provides a block, or region, based error diffusion process for reducing artifacts in images. The system and method allows for the generation and the control of the spatial frequency of a masking signal, e.g., noise, in a way that it can be easily passed through the compression process. The system and method provides for selecting a block size of pixels of the image, adding a masking signal to the image, determining a quantization error for at least one block in the image, and distributing the quantization error to neighboring blocks in the image to mask artifacts in the image. An output image is then encoded with a compression function.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of the present disclosure provides an automatic banding region detection function for detecting an image region that has a smooth linear transition of color intensity and is prone to have banding artifacts in image processing. The apparatus and method use a parametric model based approach to detect the banding region. The apparatus and method provide for segmenting at least one first image into at least one homogeneous color region (304), estimating the linear transition of color intensity for the at least one homogeneous color region (308), and if the linear transition of color intensity is substantially smooth, classifying the at least one homogenous color region as a banding region (310).

Abstract: A system and method of the present disclosure provides a region based error diffusion algorithm or function for reducing artifacts in images. The system and method utilizes knowledge of a region of interest (ROI) in an image and applies effects like dithering or error diffusion to the area or region that shows the artifacts, e.g., a banding phenomenon. The system and method provide for defining a region in at least one first image, the defined region having at least one artifact, tracking the defined region to at least one second image, and applying an error diffusion function to the defined region to mask the at least one artifact in the at least one first and second images.

Abstract: A system and method reduce artifacts in images in a manner that efficiently incorporates user feedback, minimizes user effort, and adaptively processes images. According to one exemplary embodiment, the method includes executing an algorithm to remove artifacts in a first region of a first frame, regions outside of the first region being unaffected; identifying a second region of a second frame following the first frame, the second region of the second frame corresponding to the first region of the first frame; displaying the second frame with an indication of the second region; receiving a first user input defining a third region inside the second region; and executing the algorithm to remove artifacts in the second region excluding the third region.

Abstract: Methods and systems for resizing an image utilizing content-aware seam operations include defining low-energy seams defining contextually less-important information and utilizing such information for interpolation based on one-dimensional manifolds. The interpolation can form new seams and/or regenerated pixels that can be combined with the image to provide a content-aware resized image exhibiting smooth and continuous features.

Abstract: A system and method for an efficient semantic similarity search of images with a classification structure are provided. The system and method provide for building a semantic classification-search tree for the plurality of images, the classification tree including at least two categories of images, each category of images representing a subset of the plurality of images, receiving a query image, classifying the query image to select one of the at least two categories of images, and restricting the search for the image of interest using the query image to the selected one of the at least two categories of images.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of the present disclosure provides an automatic banding region detection function for detecting an image region that has a smooth linear transition of color intensity and is prone to have banding artifacts in image processing. The apparatus and method use a parametric model based approach to detect the banding region. The apparatus and method provide for segmenting at least one first image into at least one homogeneous color region (304), estimating the linear transition of color intensity for the at least one homogeneous color region (308), and if the linear transition of color intensity is substantially smooth, classifying the at least one homogenous color region as a banding region (310).

Abstract: A system and method of the present disclosure provides a block, or region, based error diffusion process for reducing artifacts in images. The system and method allows for the generation and the control of the spatial frequency of a masking signal, e.g., noise, in a way that it can be easily passed through the compression process. The system and method provides for selecting a block size of pixels of the image, adding a masking signal to the image, determining a quantization error for at least one block in the image, and distributing the quantization error to neighboring blocks in the image to mask artifacts in the image. An output image is then encoded with a compression function.

Abstract: A system and method of the present disclosure provides a region based error diffusion algorithm or function for reducing artifacts in images. The system and method utilizes knowledge of a region of interest (ROI) in an image and applies effects like dithering or error diffusion to the area or region that shows the artifacts, e.g., a banding phenomenon. The system and method provide for defining a region in at least one first image, the defined region having at least one artifact, tracking the defined region to at least one second image, and applying an error diffusion function to the defined region to mask the at least one artifact in the at least one first and second images.