SEAM CARVING Meaning and
Definition
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Seam carving is an image resizing technique that involves the removal or insertion of seams in an image. Originally developed for content-aware image resizing, it has since found application in other areas such as image retargeting and object removal.
The process of seam carving starts by finding the least noticeable path or seam in an image. This is usually done using dynamic programming or graph algorithms. The seam is a connected path of pixels that extends from the top to the bottom (or from left to right) of the image. It typically traverses through regions of low visual importance, such as uniform backgrounds or areas with similar colors.
By removing or inserting these seams, the image's dimensions can be adjusted without affecting its key visual elements. For resizing, seams with the lowest energy or visual importance are iteratively removed, causing the image to compress along the least noticeable regions. Conversely, to enlarge an image, new seams are strategically inserted into less important areas, redistributing the image's content without distortion.
Seam carving has gained popularity due to its ability to retain the essential content of an image while modifying its size or aspect ratio, in contrast to traditional resizing techniques that often result in distortion or cropping. Its effectiveness lies in its capacity to preserve important regions and reduce visual impact in the resized image.
Etymology of SEAM CARVING
The word "seam carving" combines two terms: "seam" and "carving".
1. Seam: In the context of image processing, a seam refers to a connected path or line that traverses an image and is used to identify pixels for removal or insertion. The term "seam" originates from the field of computer graphics, where it is used to describe a stitching line between different patches. The concept of seams was later adapted and extended into image retargeting algorithms, which led to the development of seam carving.
2. Carving: Carving is a process of removing or cutting away material from a larger object to create a desired shape or form. This term is commonly used in sculpting or woodwork. In the case of "seam carving", it refers to the technique of selectively removing seams (connected paths) from an image to resize or reshape it while preserving the important content and proportions.
