A novel multiresolution color image segmentation technique and its application to dermatoscopic image segmentation

In this paper, we describe a novel technique for color image segmentation This technique includes three components: a color space transformation; MRF-EM segmentation; and a multiresolution implementation termed "narrowband". The color space transformation, from RGB to LUV, contributes to a perceptually reasonable segmentation result. The MRF-EM algorithm permits unsupervised segmentation and enforces a region smoothness constraint. The narrow-band, multiresolution implementation confines fine resolution processing to a small fraction of the image, thereby achieving significant acceleration over traditional multiresolution schemes. Experimental results on dermatoscopic images demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed technique.