A texture descriptor for browsing and similarity retrieval

Image texture is useful in image browsing, search and retrieval. A texture descriptor based on a multiresolution decomposition using Gabor wavelets is proposed. The descriptor consists of two parts: a perceptual browsing component (PBC) and a similarity retrieval component (SRC). The extraction methods of both PBC and SRC are based on a multiresolution decomposition using Gabor wavelets. PBC provides a quantitative characterization of the texture's structuredness and directionality for browsing application, and the SRC characterizes the distribution of texture energy in different subbands, and supports similarity retrieval. This representation is quite robust to illumination variations and compares favorably with other texture descriptors for similarity retrieval. Experimental results are provided. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.