Spatial–temporal joint probability images for video segmentation

Abstract

Effective annotation and content-based search for videos in a digital library require a preprocessing step of detecting, locating and classifying scene transitions, i.e., temporal video segmentation. This paper proposes a novel approach—spatial–temporal joint probability image (ST-JPI) analysis for temporal video segmentation. A joint probability image (JPI) is derived from the joint probabilities of intensity values of corresponding points in two images. The ST-JPT, which is a series of JPIs derived from consecutive video frames, presents the evolution of the intensity joint probabilities in a video. The evolution in a ST-JPI during various transitions falls into one of several well-defined linear patterns. Based on the patterns in a ST-JPI, our algorithm detects and classifies video transitions effectively. Our study shows that temporal video segmentation based on ST-JPIs is distinguished from previous methods in the following way: (1) It is effective and relatively robust not only for video cuts but also for gradual transitions; (2) It classifies transitions on the basis of predefined evolution patterns of ST-JPIs during transitions; (3) It is efficient, scalable and suitable for real-time video segmentation. Theoretical analysis and experimental results of our method are presented to illustrate its efficacy and efficiency.