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Image stylization using anisotropic reaction diffusion

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Abstract

Image stylization refers to the process of converting input images to a specific representation that enhances image content using several designed patterns. The critical steps to a successful image stylization are the design of patterns and arrangements. However, only skilled artists master such tasks because these tasks are challenging for most users. In this paper, a novel image stylization system based on anisotropic reaction diffusion is proposed to facilitate pattern generation and stylized image design. The system begins with self-organized patterns generated by reaction diffusion. To extend the style of reaction diffusion, the proposed method involves using a set of modifications of anisotropic diffusion to deform shape and introducing a flow field to guide pattern arrangement. A pattern picker is proposed to facilitate the pattern selection from these modifications. In the post-process step, a new thresholding and color mapping method is introduced to refine the sizes, densities, and colors of patterns. From the experimental results and a user study, several image stylizations, including paper-cut, stylized halftone, and motion illusion, are generated using our method, demonstrating the feasibility and flexibility of the proposed system.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their valuable comments. We acknowledge Chao-Hung Lin and Shin-Syun Lin for their suggestions. We thank Chen-Chi Hu for helping on user study. This work is supported by the ministry of science and technology, Taiwan under MOST 103-2221-E-004-008.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Chengchi University, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Ming-Te Chi, Wei-Ching Liu & Shu-Hsuan Hsu

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  1. Ming-Te Chi
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  2. Wei-Ching Liu
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  3. Shu-Hsuan Hsu
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Correspondence to Ming-Te Chi.

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Chi, MT., Liu, WC. & Hsu, SH. Image stylization using anisotropic reaction diffusion. Vis Comput 32, 1549–1561 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00371-015-1139-2

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