Dynamic image mosaic via SIFT and dynamic programming

Image mosaic is a useful preprocessing step for background subtraction in videos recorded by a moving camera. To avoid the ghosting effect and mosaic failure due to huge exposure difference and big parallax between adjacent images, this paper proposes an effective mosaic algorithm named Combined SIFT and Dynamic Programming (CSDP). Based on SIFT matching and dynamic programming, CSDP uses an improved optimal seam searching criterion that provides "protection mechanisms" for moving objects with an edge-enhanced weighting intensity difference operator and ultimately solves the ghosting and incomplete effect induced by moving objects. The proposed method was compared to three widely used mosaic softwares (i.e., AutoStitch, Microsoft ICE, and Panorama Maker) and Mills' approach in multiple scenes. Experimental results show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.