Pixel- and region-based image fusion with complex wavelets

  • Authors:

  • John J. Lewis;Robert J. O'Callaghan;Stavri G. Nikolov;David R. Bull;Nishan Canagarajah

  • Affiliations:

  • The Centre for Communications Research, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UB, UK;The Centre for Communications Research, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UB, UK;The Centre for Communications Research, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UB, UK;The Centre for Communications Research, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UB, UK;The Centre for Communications Research, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UB, UK

  • Venue:
  • Information Fusion
  • Year:
  • 2007

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

A number of pixel-based image fusion algorithms (using averaging, contrast pyramids, the discrete wavelet transform and the dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DT-CWT) to perform fusion) are reviewed and compared with a novel region-based image fusion method which facilitates increased flexibility with the definition of a variety of fusion rules. A DT-CWT is used to segment the features of the input images, either jointly or separately, to produce a region map. Characteristics of each region are calculated and a region-based approach is used to fuse the images, region-by-region, in the wavelet domain. This method gives results comparable to the pixel-based fusion methods as shown using a number of metrics. Despite an increase in complexity, region-based methods have a number of advantages over pixel-based methods. These include: the ability to use more intelligent semantic fusion rules; and for regions with certain properties to be attenuated or accentuated.