Segmentation of natural images using anisotropic diffusion and linking of boundary edges

We present a segmentation method of natural images that uses an anisotropic diffusion algorithm and a region growing algorithm. We propose a modified version of the anisotropic diffusion algorithm as a precise edge-preserving smoothing technique modified by using boundary edges. We incorporate a linking algorithm for boundary edges based on a directional potential function into the anisotropic diffusion algorithm to improve the ability of edge-preserving smoothing. As a result, unnecessary details of images are effectively smoothed before performing a region growing algorithm. Therefore, the proposed method is suitable for an accurate segmentation of natural images. Several simulated examples are presented that demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.