Detecting Gradients in Text Images Using the Hough Transform

The use of gradients in text images is nowadays quite frequent. Existing segmentation methods encounter serious problems when it comes to modern text images where gradients might appear in the background or the foreground or both at the same time. This paper presents an approach for lightness gradient areas detection based on the Hough Transform. The issues arising are discussed, and results are presented on a dataset comprising Web images, logos and scanned documents.