Facial component extraction by cooperative active nets with global constraints

This paper describes a new method for extracting facial components from a color image using cooperative active nets with global constraints. We utilize an active net model which is a region extraction method based on energy minimization principle. Each net deforms with its own energy being minimized and the position of the nets are controlled by minimizing an additional energy defined by global constraints on their placement. Our method has been experimentally shown to be robust to variations of facial size, position and rotation.