Image representation with level difference set and its application

We propose an image representation, which has the property of level of details. By decomposing the image into level sets and subtracting between two level sets, a level difference set is defined. The connected components of each level difference set are measured using their area. Then the connected components are stored in a data structure in order of size, largest first. The level difference sets-based representation is applied in image-based rendering when time is critical. The data of the image is loaded from the head of the data structure and used to calculate or render. Thus the outlines of the image are displayed first, and details are added as time passes. Some experimental results are demonstrated here to show the efficiency of the method.