Extraction of video objects by combined motion and edge analysis

We present a method for automatic video region segmentation. The method is based, fundamentally, on motion analysis in image areas showing significant intensity variation. Since motion in these areas can be estimated more accurately than that in smoother areas, segmentation based on such motion information can be more reliable. A frequently encountered problem in automatic video segmentation is that the object boundaries may not be accurately identified: the identified boundaries may extend beyond the actual positions by some distance. We develop an edge delineation method, which combines edge detection and motion analysis, to deal with this problem. Some segmentation examples are provided.