Lip contour segmentation and tracking compliant with lip-reading application constraints
Abstract
We propose to use both active contours and parametric models for lip contour extraction and tracking. In the first image, jumping snakes are used to detect outer and inner contour key points. These points initialize a lip parametric model composed of several cubic curves that are appropriate to the mouth deformations. According to a combined luminance and chrominance gradient, the initial model is optimized and precisely locked onto the lip contours. On subsequent images, the segmentation is based on the mouth bounding box and key point tracking. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations show the effectiveness of the algorithm for lip-reading applications.