Simon Widdowson

Occlusion costing for multimedia object layout in a constrained window

In this paper, we propose a novel method for applying image analysis techniques, such as saliency map generation and face detection, to the creation of compelling image layouts. The layouts are designed to maximize the use of available real estate by permitting images to partially occlude one another or extend beyond the boundaries of the window, while retaining the majority of visual interest within the photo and deliberately avoiding objectionable visual incongruities. Optimal layouts are chosen from a candidate set through the calculation of a cost function called the occlusion cost. The basic form of the occlusion cost is applied to candidate layout sets where the sizes of the images are fixed with respect to the window. The area-compensated form of the occlusion cost permits a more general solution by relaxing the fixed-size constraint, and allowing each image to scale with respect to both the frame and the other images. Finally, a number of results for laying out one or two images within a frame are presented.