Texture synthesis and transfer for pixel images

• US 20020122043A1
• Filed: 03/02/2001
• Published: 09/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mind Fusion, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Freeman, William T., Efros, Alexei
• Granted Patent: US 6,919,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/582
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping

Abstract

The invention provides an image-based method for generating novel visual appearance in a new image. Synthetic texture is stitching together from small patches in existing images. First, we use a least cost path determination to determine the local boundaries between the patches. Second, we perform texture transfer by rendering an arbitrary object with a synthetic texture taken from a different object. More generally, we provide methods for rendering entire images in styles of different images. The method works directly on pixel images, and does not require 3D information.

Claims

1. A method for generating texture for a pixel image, comprising:

partitioning the pixel image into a plurality of blocks in a predetermined order, and for each block further comprising the steps of;

searching a set of texture blocks for a next block that best matches an adjacent previous block in a region where the previous and next block overlap;

finding a least cost path in the region; and

inserting the next block adjacent to the previous block according to the least cost path.