Bilayer video segmentation for videoconferencing applications

This paper presents a new bilayer video segmentation algorithm focusing on videoconferencing application. A face tracking algorithm is used to guide a generic Ω-shaped template of the head and shoulders. A region of interest (ROI) is created around the generic template, and an energy function based on edge, color and motion cues is used to define the boundary between the person and the background. Our experimental results indicate that the silhouettes can be effectively extracted in common videoconferencing scenarios.