CSE 483: Computer Vision

Image Segmentation

Prof. Mahmoud Khalil

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Segmentation Goals
Goal: identify groups of pixels that go together

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Image Segmentation – Point Detection

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Image Segmentation – Line Detection

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Image Segmentation – Line Detection

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Image Segmentation – Edge Detection

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Image Segmentation – Edge Detection

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Image Segmentation – Edge Detection

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Edge Detection (Gradient Operators)

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Edge Detection (Gradient Operators)

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Partial Derivatives of an Image

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Image Gradient

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Designing an Edge Detector

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Derivative Theorem of Convolution

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Edge by Derivative of Gaussian

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Laplacian of Gaussian

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 2D Edge Detection Filters

Source: Steve Seitz 18

 Smoothing with a Gaussian

Source: Kristen Grauman, UT-Austin 19

 Effect of σ on derivatives

Source: Kristen Grauman, UT-Austin 20

Edge Detection
• Criteria for optimal edge detection (Canny 86):
• Good detection:
• minimize the probability of false positives (detecting spurious
edges caused by noise),
• false negatives (missing real edges)
- Good localization:
• edges must be detected as close as possible to the true edges.
- Single response constraint:
• minimize the number of local maxima around the true edge (i.e.
detector must return single point for each true edge point)

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Edge Detection
• Examples:

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Canny Edge Detector
• Smooth by Gaussian
x2  y2
S  G * I 1 
G  e 2 2

2 
• Compute x and y derivatives
T
  
S   S S   Sx  Sy 
T

 x y 
• Compute gradient magnitude and orientation

S  S x2  S y2

Sy
  tan 1

Sx
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Canny Edge Operator

S  G * I   G * I
T
 G G 
G  
 x y 

T
 G G 
S   *I *I
 x y 

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Canny Edge Detector
Sx

Sy

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 Non‐maximum suppression for each orientation
At q, we have a
maximum if the
value is larger
than those at both
p and at r.
Interpolate to get
these values.

Source: D. Forsyth 26
 Edge linking
Assume the marked point
is an edge point. Then we
construct the tangent to the
edge curve (which is
normal to the gradient at
that point) and use this to
predict the next points
(here either r or s).

Source: D. Forsyth 27
 Non‐Maximum Suppression Examples

Source: D. Forsyth 28
 Thresholding

Source: D. Forsyth High Threshold (Strong Edges) Small Threshold (Weak Edges) 29
 Hysteresis thresholding
• Use a high threshold
to start edge curves
and a low threshold
to continue them.

Source: S. Seitz 30
Hysteresis Thresholding

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 Hysteresis Thresholding

Source: L. Fei-Fei 32
Canny edge detector
1. Filter image with x, y derivatives of Gaussian
2. Find magnitude and orientation of gradient
3. Non‐maximum suppression:
• Thin multi‐pixel wide “ridges” down to single pixel width
4. Thresholding and linking (hysteresis):
• Define two thresholds: low and high
• Use the high threshold to start edge curves and the low threshold to continue them

• MATLAB: edge(image, ‘canny’)

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Effect of  (Gaussian kernel spread/size)

original Canny with Canny with

The choice of  depends on desired behavior

• large  detects large scale edges
• small  detects fine features
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 Low‐level Edges vs. Perceived Contours

Source: L. Lazebnik
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Thresholding

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Global Thresholding

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Global Thresholding

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The Role of Illumination

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Adaptive Thresholding

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Adaptive Thresholding

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Optimal Global Adaptive Thresholding

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