Syntactic characterization of appearance and its application to image retrieval

The goal of image retrieval is to retrieve images 'similar' to a given query image by comparing the query and database using visual attributes like color, texture and appearance. In this paper, we discuss how to characterize appearance and use it for image retrieval. Visual appearance is represented by the outputs of a set of Gaussian derivative filters applied to an image. These outputs are computed off-line and stored in a database. A query is created by outlining portions of the query image deemed useful for retrieval by the user (this may be changed interactively depending on the results). The query is also filtered with Gaussian derivatives and these outputs are compared with those from the database. The images in the database are ranked on the basis of this comparison. The technique has been experimentally tested on a database of 1600 images which includes a variety of images. The system does not require prior segmentation of the database. Objects can be embedded in arbitrary backgrounds. The system handles a range of size variations and viewpoint variations up to 20 or 25 degrees.

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