Sketch4Match – Content-based Image Retrieval System Using Sketches

The content based image retrieval (CBIR) is one of
the most popular, rising research areas of the digital image processing.
Most of the available image search tools, such as Google
Images and Yahoo! Image search, are based on textual annotation
of images. In these tools, images are manually annotated with
keywords and then retrieved using text-based search methods.
The performances of these systems are not satisfactory. The goal
of CBIR is to extract visual content of an image automatically,
like color, texture, or shape.
This paper aims to introduce the problems and challenges
concerned with the design and the creation of CBIR systems,
which is based on a free hand sketch (Sketch based image
retrieval – SBIR). With the help of the existing methods, describe
a possible solution how to design and implement a task spesific
descriptor, which can handle the informational gap between a
sketch and a colored image, making an opportunity for the
efficient search hereby. The used descriptor is constructed after
such special sequence of preprocessing steps that the transformed
full color image and the sketch can be compared. We have
studied EHD, HOG and SIFT. Experimental results on two
sample databases showed good results. Overall, the results show
that the sketch based system allows users an intuitive access to
search-tools.
The SBIR technology can be used in several applications such
as digital libraries, crime prevention, photo sharing sites. Such a
system has great value in apprehending suspects and indentifying
victims in forensics and law enforcement. A possible application
is matching a forensic sketch to a gallery of mug shot images.
The area of retrieve images based on the visual content of the
query picture intensified recently, which demands on the quite
wide methodology spectrum on the area of the image processing.