Interactive object extraction using hierarchical graph cuts

Foreground object extraction, which aims to accurately separate a foreground object from its background in still images, plays an important role in many computer vision applications. An interactive object extraction method by extending the graph cut approach is presented in this paper. The coarse-to-fine object segmentation method makes it efficiently to specify the main object and adjust the detail of object. The user interaction is simplified to drawing a rectangle around the desired object, followed by optional boundary editing. The coarse scale segmentation is performed on the basis of the initial interactive rectangle, the accurate boundary portrayal is performed at the finer scale. A pyramid structure provides a framework for the processing, and this hierarchical structure ensures rapid boundary mapping between pyramid levels. Experimental results on multiple kinds of color images show the effectiveness and convenience of the approach.