Graphics Algorithms: Object Selection

Révolte Development AB är ett litet utvecklingsföretag som arbetar med grafikapplikationer. Révolte ligger centralt i Stockholm, nära KTH östra. Vi söker en erfaren C++-programmerare för ett intressant exjobb inom grafikområdet.


--
Master's Thesis
Easy-to-Use Object Selection

Research Field: Graphics algorithms
Thesis Guide: Marcus Hoverby, Révolte Development AB, [email protected], 08-6733364


Background
The increased usage of consumer digital cameras increases the need for easy-to-use photo retouching applications. This need may also require new algorithms. The algorithms can also be assisted by user interfaces to improve the result.

Object and area selection is the task of selecting an area of an image that the user wants to operate on. This can be done is several ways. One is by selecting an area with a magic wand, another is by drawing an outline around the selection area. The outline tool can also be magnetic which improves accuracy. These tools are available in Adobe Photoshop, but are not working very well. There are other tools like ProCreate KnockOut that handles this task with much more precision, but it is a professional tool that is hard to use for a beginner.


Task
To investigate how and whether it is possible to select objects in an accurate and easy way. Also to investigate how to solve this issue for a number of purposes and applications. The thesis may involve user-interface design issues, but should mainly be focused on algorithm investigation, research and development.


Possible Improvements
We think there are numerous ways to improve the selection task:
- One way is to assist the algorithm with more user interaction, for example by presenting a number of selection of alternatives. Object selection is a hard task, but may be solve with assistance from the user.
- Selection sensitivity can sense similarity of brightness, saturation and hue with different tolerance. It may also be sensitive to texture differences.
- Selected objects are often one big blob, rather than a lot of small connected blobs.
- Marking a square rough object extent area would improve algorithm accuracy. We have experienced this when developing red eye removal algorithms.
- The user can assist in the selction process by hinting which areas that belong to the object and which does not.
- Use different selection tools for different purposes. One tool can be good at cutting out an object from a solid background, another can cut out fuzzy objects etc.


Purposes
Object selection can be used for several purposes:
- Cutting out an object from a background.
- Adjusting the colors of a selected object.
- One-click red eye removal.