Gareth J. Edwards

Active appearance models

We describe a new method of matching statistical models of appearance to images. A set of model parameters control modes of shape and gray-level variation learned from a training set. We construct an efficient iterative matching algorithm by learning the relationship between perturbations in the model parameters and the induced image errors.

Active Appearance Models

We demonstrate a novel method of interpreting images using an Active Appearance Model (AAM). An AAM contains a statistical model of the shape and grey-level appearance of the object of interest which can generalise to almost any valid example. During a training phase we learn the relationship between model parameter displacements and the residual errors induced between a training image and a synthesised model example. To match to an image we measure the current residuals and use the model to predict changes to the current parameters, leading to a better fit. A good overall match is obtained in a few iterations, even from poor starting estimates. We describe the technique in detail and give results of quantitative performance tests. We anticipate that the AAM algorithm will be an important method for locating deformable objects in many applications.

Interpreting face images using active appearance models

We demonstrate a fast, robust method of interpreting face images using an Active Appearance Model (AAM). An AAM contains a statistical model of shape and grey level appearance which can generalise to almost any face. Matching to an image involves finding model parameters which minimise the difference between the image and a synthesised face. We observe that displacing each model parameter from the correct value induces a particular pattern in the residuals. In a training phase, the AAM learns a linear model of the correlation between parameter displacements and the induced residuals. During search it measures the residuals and uses this model to correct the current parameters, leading to a better fit. A good overall match is obtained in a few iterations, even from poor starting estimates. We describe the technique in detail and show it matching to new face images.

Face Recognition Using Active Appearance Models

We present a new framework for interpreting face images and image sequences using an Active Appearance Model (AAM). The AAM contains a statistical, photo-realistic model of the shape and grey-level appearance of faces. This paper demonstrates the use of the AAMs efficient iterative matching scheme for image interpretation. We use the AAM as a basis for face recognition, obtain good results for difficult images. We show how the AAM framework allows identity information to be decoupled from other variation, allowing evidence of identity to be integrated over a sequence. The AAM approach makes optimal use of the evidence from either a single image or image sequence. Since we derive a complete description of a given image our method can be used as the basis for a range of face image interpretation tasks.

A Unified Framework for Atlas Matching Using Active Appearance Models

We propose to use statistical models of shape and texture as deformable anatomical atlases. By training on sets of labelled examples these can represent both the mean structure and appearance of anatomy in medical images, and the allowable modes of deformation. Given enough training examples such a model should be able synthesise any image of normal anatomy. By finding the parameters which minimise the difference between the synthesised model image and the target image we can locate all the modelled structure. This potentially time consuming step can be solved rapidly using the Active Appearance Model (AAM). In this paper we describe the models and the AAM algorithm and demonstrate the approach on structures in MR brain cross-sections.

Comparing Active Shape Models with Active Appearance Models

Statistical models of the shape and appearance of image structures can be matched to new images using both the Active Shape Model [7] algorithm and the Active Appearance Model algorithm [2]. The former searches along profiles about the current model point positions to update the current estimate of the shape of the object. The latter samples the image data under the current instance and uses the difference between model and sample to update the appearance model parameters. In this paper we compare and contrast the two algorithms, giving the results of experiments testing their performance on two data sets, one of faces, the other of structures in MR brain sections. We find that the ASM is faster and achieves more accurate feature point location than the AAM, but the AAM gives a better match to the texture.

A Comparative Evaluation of Active Appearance Model Algorithms

An Active Appearance Model (AAM) allows complex models of shape and appearance to be matched to new images rapidly. An AAM contains a statistical model of the shape and grey-level appearance of an object of interest The associated search algorithm exploits the locally linear relationship between model parameter displacements and the residual errors between model instance and image. This relationship can be learnt during a training phase. To match to an image we measure the current residuals and use the model to predict changes to the current parameters. The algorithm converges in a few iterations. In this paper we describe variations of the basic algorithm aimed at improving the speed and robustness of search. These include subsampling and using image residuals to drive the shape rather than full appearance model. We show examples of search and give the results of experiments comparing the performance of the different algorithms.

Statistical models of face images — improving specificity

Model based approaches to the interpretation of face images have proved very successful. We have previously described statistically based models of face shape and grey-level appearance and shown how they can be used to perform various coding and interpretation tasks. In the paper we describe improved methods of modelling which couple shape and greylevel information more directly than our existing methods, isolate the changes in appearance due to different sources of variability (person, expression, pose, lighting), and deal with non-linear shape variation. We show that the new methods are better suited to interpretation and tracking

Advances in active appearance models

This paper presents advances in the construction and use of Active Appearance Models (AAMs) for image interpretation. AAMs are photo-realistic generative models of object appearance that can be used to rapidly locate deformable objects in images. We extend the AAM method to include coloured texture and present an enhanced search algorithm with the ability to locate partially occluded objects. Previously, AAMs have been limited by the need for good manual initialisation. In this paper, we describe a hierarchical search algorithm that overcomes this drawback. The extended AAM method provides a complete, unified scheme for model based image interpretation. We demonstrate the application of the scheme to the task of locating faces in images.

Improving identification performance by integrating evidence from sequences

We present a quantitative evaluation of an algorithm for model-based face recognition. The algorithm actively learns how individual faces vary through video sequences, providing on-line suppression of confounding factors such as expression, lighting and pose. By actively decoupling sources of image variation, the algorithm provides a framework in which identity evidence can be integrated over a sequence. We demonstrate that face recognition can be considerably improved by the analysis of video sequences. The method presented is widely applicable in many multi-class interpretation problems.