Content-based Propagation of User Markings for Interactive Segmentation of Patterned Images

TL;DR

This paper presents a semi-supervised, interactive image segmentation method that uses user markings and an unsupervised image graph to efficiently classify pixels, especially useful in microscopy imaging.

Contribution

It introduces a real-time, user-guided segmentation approach combining limited user input with unsupervised clustering in a graph-based framework.

Findings

Efficient segmentation with minimal user input.

Real-time feedback improves user interaction.

Applicable to microscopy images in various scientific fields.

Abstract

Efficient and easy segmentation of images and volumes is of great practical importance. Segmentation problems that motivate our approach originate from microscopy imaging commonly used in materials science, medicine, and biology. We formulate image segmentation as a probabilistic pixel classification problem, and we apply segmentation as a step towards characterising image content. Our method allows the user to define structures of interest by interactively marking a subset of pixels. Thanks to the real-time feedback, the user can place new markings strategically, depending on the current outcome. The final pixel classification may be obtained from a very modest user input. An important ingredient of our method is a graph that encodes image content. This graph is built in an unsupervised manner during initialisation and is based on clustering of image features. Since we combine a limited amount of user-labelled data with the clustering information obtained from the unlabelled parts of the image, our method fits in the general framework of semi-supervised learning. We demonstrate how this can be a very efficient approach to segmentation through pixel classification.