Shape from shading using graph cuts

This paper describes a new semiglobal method for SFS (shape-from-shading) using graph cuts. The new algorithm combines the local method proposed by Lee and Rosenfeld (1985) and the global method using energy minimization technique. By employing a new global energy minimization formulation, the convex/concave ambiguity problem of the Lee and Rosenfeld method can be resolved efficiently. A new combinatorial optimization technique, graph cuts method is used for the minimization of the proposed energy functional. Experimental results on a variety of synthetic and real-world images show that the proposed algorithm reconstructs the 3-D shape of objects very efficiently.