Optimized Comics-Based Storytelling for Temporal Image Sequences

We propose a system to transform any temporal image sequence into a comics-based presentation, as an effective and interesting storytelling manner. Three main components, including page allocation, layout selection, and speech balloon placement, are respectively formulated as optimization problems, and systematic approaches are proposed to find solutions. Page allocation is viewed as a labeling problem, and the best solution is determined by the genetic algorithm. Importance values of images and predefined layouts are both represented in vector forms, and the best layout is selected by finding the best match between vectors. Feasible solutions of speech balloons constitute a solution space, and the best solution that jointly describes the best locations of all balloons in a page is determined by the particle swarm optimization algorithm. Objective evaluation and subjective evaluation are designed from various perspectives to demonstrate effectiveness and superiority of the proposed system.