Interactive image retrieval by color distribution content

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Colombo, C.^{a; b} | Del Bimbo, A.^{a; *} | Genovesi, I.^b

Affiliations: [a] Università di Firenze, Via S. Marta 3, I-50139 Firenze, Italy. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] | [b] Università di Brescia, Via Branze 38, I-25123 Brescia, Italy

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Alberto Del Bimbo, Dipartimento di Sistemi e Informatica, Università di Firenze, Via Santa Marta 3, I-50139 Firenze, Italy. Tel.: +39 055 4796 262; Fax: +39 055 4796 363; E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: An interactive system for content-based retrieval in a pictorial database using color distribution features is discussed. Images are internally represented and indexed by a set of histograms reflecting homogeneous chromatic properties of image structure and also including color-induced geometric features. User query images are interactively composed through a graphic environment featuring color sketching, image sampling and relevance feedback. Queries are first translated into the internal representation and then matched against the database index using a modified multi-feature histogram intersection operator. Examples of system operation are provided, and experimental results are reported indicating that using multiple distributions instead of global color histogramming allows for a system output in better accordance to human expectation.

DOI: 10.3233/ICA-2000-7106

Journal: Integrated Computer-Aided Engineering, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 79-88, 2000