Attrasoft
ImageFinderSeg searches for a cropped image segment
from a folder in three clicks.
Attrasoft. Inc.
P. O. Box
13051
Savannah,
GA, 31406
USA
Order: http://attrasoft.com
The deliverable is either a CD or a zip file downloaded
from a web address. To install the software from a CD:
·
Copy
CD:\IfSeg2011\ to a folder, say C:\IfSeg2011\;
·
Click
“ImageFinderSeg.exe” in the folder to run.
To install
the software from a downloaded zip file:
·
Unzip
IfSeg2011.zip to a folder, say C:\IfSeg2011\;
·
Click
“ImageFinderSeg.exe” in the folder to run.
The
software requires an updated Windows to run.
Attrasoft ImageFinderSeg searches for a
cropped image segment from a folder of images with the following restrictions:
·
No scale invariance: The cropped
images and their appearances in the original images must have the same pixel
size.
·
No rotation invariance: The cropped
images and their appearances in the original images must have the same
direction.
The Attrasoft program that you purchased is copyrighted by
Attrasoft, and your rights of ownership are subject to the limitations and
restrictions imposed by the copyright laws outlined below.
It is against the law to copy, reproduce, or transmit
(including, without limitation, electronic transmission over any network) any part
of the program except as permitted by the copyright act of the United States
(title 17, United States code). However, you are permitted by law to write the
contents of the program into the Machine memory of your computer so that the
program may be executed. You are also permitted by law to make a back-up copy
of the program subject to the following restrictions:
·
Each
back-up copy must be treated in the same way as the original copy purchased
from Attrasoft;
·
No
copy (original, or back-up) may be used while another copy, (original, or
back-up) is in use;
·
If
you ever sell or give away the original copy of the program, all back-up copies
must also be given to the same person, or destroyed.
In addition, this software is for the personal use only.
This is defined as follows:
·
You
cannot sell a service based on any computation results produced by this
software. You must purchase a separate annual license for commercial use from
Attrasoft.
·
You
cannot use the software to perform work for which you will get paid. You must
purchase a separate annual license for business use from Attrasoft.
This User’s Guide and
Reference Manual is copyrighted by Attrasoft.
© 2008 - 2011
Statement
of Copyright Restriction
3.6 Types of License, Software Limits, and
Support
3.7 Customized Software and Services
Attrasoft
ImageFinderSeg (Figure 1) searches for a cropped image
segment from a folder in three clicks:
·
Select a “Key image”;
·
Select a folder;
·
Search a folder for image segments that
match the key image.
Figure
1. ImageFinderSeg.
Figure
2. Toolbar.
These
three steps are implemented by three buttons in the toolbar (Figure 2). You can
operate the Attrasoft ImageFinderSeg
from the Toolbar (Figure 2) alone.
Figure
3. Three image Panels: Key, Folder,
and Results.
The ImageFinderSeg has three image panels (Figure 3):
·
Key
Panel;
·
Folder
Panel; and
·
Results
Panel.
Key
A key is a cropped image segment to
be searched. To obtain a key, you can cut out an image segment from an image by
using Windows Paint. Figure 4 shows an example of how to obtain a key
segment from an image by using Windows’s Paint.
Folder
A folder is a collection of
previously stored images in a folder. Use the F, >, and < buttons in
Figure 3 to see the images in the folder. The “F” button goes to the first
image; the “>” button goes to the next image; and the “<” goes to the
previous image. All sub-folders will be included.
Results
Results are images that matched the
“key” image segment. Use the F, >, and < buttons in Figure 3 to see
matched images. The “F” button goes to the first image; the “>” button goes
to the next image; and the “<” goes to the previous image.
Figure
4. Obtaining a cropped
key segment from an image by using Windows’s Paint.
To search for
an image segment in a folder in your computer (Figure 2):
1. Select a Key (click the “1” button
in the Toolbar, see Figure 2);
2. Select a folder (click the “2” button
in the Toolbar, see Figure 2);
3. Search (click the “3” button in the Toolbar, see
Figure 2).
Step 3, Search,
can take some time.
To see the
results:
1. Click the “F” button in Results
Panel (see Figure 3);
2. Click the “>” button in
Results Panel (see Figure 3).
Step 3, Search,
can take some time. The speed can be increased by using image signatures,
which is available via customization.
Attrasoft ImageFinderSeg searches for a
cropped image segment from a folder of images with the following restrictions:
·
No scale invariance: The cropped
images and their appearances in the original images must have the same pixel
size.
·
No rotation invariance: The cropped
images and their appearances in the original images must have the same
direction.
In the
following chapters, we assume you will install the software to:
C:\IfSeg2011\.
If not, simply substitute this folder
with your folder.
The deliverable is either a CD or a zip file
downloaded from a web address. To install the software from a CD:
·
Copy
CD:\IfSeg2011\ to a folder, say C:\IfSeg2011\;
·
Click
“ImageFinderSeg.exe” in the folder to run.
To install
the software from a downloaded zip file:
·
Unzip
IfSeg2011.zip to a folder, say C:\IfSeg2011\;
·
Click
“ImageFinderSeg.exe” in the folder to run.
The
software requires an updated Windows to run.
Initially,
you will need three steps for an image search:
1. Select a Key (“1” button);
2. Select a folder (“2” button);
3. Search (“3” button).
a. Step 3, Search, can take some time.
To see the
results:
1. Click the Results “F” button
(Figure 3);
2. Click the Results “>” button
(Figure 3).
Starting
from the second search, you do not have to select the folder again because it
is already selected; each search has only two steps:
1. Select a Key (“1” button);
3. Search (“3” button);
1. Select a Key (“1” button);
3. Search (“3” button);
…
Step 1, selecting
a Key can be completed by dragging & dropping an image to the first text
box;
Step 2, select a folder, which can be completed by
dragging & dropping a folder to the second text box; Step 3, Search, can be
completed by the Search menu in Figure 5.
Figure
5. Search Menu.
There are several examples in the
software:
C:\IfSeg2011\
ex_object1\
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object2\
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object3\
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object4\
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object5\
Figure
6.
1:1 Matching.
The first example (see Figure 6) is to
match the key,
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\key.jpg,
against
the image,
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\CIMG4643_mid_shelf1.JPG.
The
example will take three clicks:
1.
Click
the “1” button in the Toolbar, and select C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\key.jpg
(see Figure 7.1).
You can also drag & drop C:\IfSeg2011\
ex_object1\key.jpg to the first text box.
Figure
7.1 Step 1, selecting a key. After selecting a key image, the image will be
displayed in the Key Panel.
2.
Click
the “2” button in the Toolbar and select the folder, C:\IfSeg2011\
ex_object1\.
You can also drag & drop the
folder, C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\, to the second text box;
see Figure 7.2.
Figure 7.2 Step 2, selecting a
folder. After selecting a folder, the first image will be displayed in the
Folder Panel (middle picture box). The list of image files will be displayed in
the text window. The “F”
button goes to the first image; the “>” button goes to the next image; and
the “<” goes to the previous image. All sub-folders will be included.
3. Before we make a search, you will
specify how to search via a “N by M” grid, i.e. how
many sub-images we will look at for the specified key image. The default value
is a 10 by 10 grid.
Figure
7.3 Search the N x M grid of sub-images. The default value is a 10 by 10 grid. For
example, setting them to 30 x 5 will result in searching 150 sub-images.
To
make a 1:1 search,
·
Enter
30 and 5 in Figure 7.3.
·
Click
the “Search/1:1 Matching (N x M)” menu item in Figure 5.
Figure
7.4 Search the selected folder. Images that matched the “key” will be displayed
in the Results Panel. Use the F, >, and < buttons to see matched images. The
“F” button goes to the first image; the “>” button goes to the next image;
and the “<” goes to the previous image.
Figure
7.5 The matched score and coordinates, (x, y, w, h),
are given in a text file: “.\data\c.txt”.
To see the
first matched image, click the “F” button in the Results Panel (see Figure 7.4).
To see the next matched image, click the “>” button in the
Results Panel. The key and the matched images are displayed
side-by-side.
Figure
8. To see the first matched image,
click the “F” button in the Results Panel (see Figure 7.4). To
see the next matched image, click the “>” button in the Results Panel.
The key and the matched images are displayed side-by-side.
Figure
9. Completing the example in
two clicks.
This
example can be completed in two clicks:
·
Click
the “Example/Product Image” menu item;
·
Click
the “Search/1:1 Matching (N x M)” menu item.
1.
Select a Key (“1” button)
A key is a cropped image segment you
are looking for from a folder. The key (for example, c:\abc\def\ghi.jpg) will
be entered into the ImageFinderSeg. You can create a
key from an image, see Figure 4.
This step selects a key by:
·
Clicking
the “1”
button in the Toolbar, or
·
Clicking
the “Key” button, or
·
Dragging
and dropping an image into the first textbox.
The selected key will be displayed in the
first picture box (Figure 7.1).
2. Select a Folder (“2” button)
This step selects an image folder
that has images you want to search through. This step is implemented by:
·
Clicking
the “2” button in the Toolbar, or
·
Clicking
the “Folder” button, or
·
Dragging
and dropping a folder into the second textbox.
The images in the selected folder
will be displayed in the second picture box (Figure 7.2). Use the “F” button to
select the First image in the folder; use the “>” button to select the next
image; and use the “<” button to select the previous image.
3A.
1:1 Search
This step has two parameters: N, M
(Figure 7.3), which specifies an array of sub-images to search. The software
will search from an N by M grid for the key image. To search:
·
Click
the “Search/1:1 Matching (N x M)” menu item.
Step
3, Search, can take some time.
To see the results:
1. Click the Results “F” button;
2. Click the Results “>” button.
3B.
1:N Search (“3” button)
This step has two parameters: N, M
(Figure 7.3), which specifies an array of sub-images to search. The software
will search all images from a folder. For each image, the software will search
from an N by M grid for the key images. This step is implemented by clicking:
·
Click
the “Search/1:N Matching (N x M)” menu item; or
·
Click
the “3” button on the toolbar.
Step
3, Search, can take some time.
To see the results:
1. Click the Results “F” button;
2. Click the Results “>” button.
Comments:
·
The
key image will not be scaled.
·
The
key image will not be rotated.
There are
more examples in the software (See Figure 10):
C:\IfSeg2011\
ex_object1\
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object2\
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object3\
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object4\
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object5\
Figure
10. Start examples quickly.
The second
example makes a 1:N search. This example uses data
in C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object2\.
·
Click
the “Example/Car Image (1:N)” menu item to complete steps 1 and 2;
·
Click
the “3” button.
Figure 11.1 Click the
“Example/Car Image (1:N) ” menu item to start example 2.
The results
are given in Figure 11.2 and Figure 11.3.
Figure
11.2 shows a blue box over the image segment that has matched with the key.
Figure
11.3 shows the coordinates (x, y w, h) of the matched segments, where (x, y w,
h) = (Left, Top, Width, Height).
Figure 11.2 Example 2
results.
Figure 11.3 Example 2
results.
To start Example 3:
·
Click
the “Example/Night Image (1:N)” menu item;
·
Click
the “3 button.
Figure 12.1
Click “Example/Night Images” menu item to load Example 3.
The
results are given in Figure 12.1 and Figure 12.2.
Figure
12.2 shows a blue box over the image segment that has matched with the key.
Figure
12.3 shows the coordinates (x, y w, h) of the matched segments, where (x, y w,
h) = (Left, Top, Width, Height).
Figure
12.2. Example 3
results.
Figure
12.3. Example 3
results.
To start Example 4:
·
Click
the “Example/Movie Image (1:1)” menu item;
·
Click
the “Search/1:1 Matching (N x M)” menu item.
Figure 13.1
shows a blue box over the image segment that has matched with the key.
Figure 13.2
shows the coordinates (x, y w, h) of the matched segments, where (x, y w, h) =
(Left, Top, Width, Height).
Figure 13.1
Click “Example/Movie Images (1:1)” menu item to load Example 4. The result is
shown in blue box in the third image.
Figure 13.2
Example 4 results.
To deal
with larger images, say above 1000x1000, the ImageFinderSeg
uses a different set of parameters.
In order
for you to process large images, you should start by clicking the
“Example/Magazine Image (1:1)” menu item, which loads the parameters for larger
images.
To start
this Example 5:
·
Click
the “Example/Magazine Image (1:1)” menu item;
·
Click
the “Search/1:N Matching (N x M)” menu item.
Figure 14.1 Click the “Example/Magazine Image
(1:N) ” menu item to start example 5. There are two magazine images in this
example.
Figure 14.2 shows a blue box over
the image segment that has matched with the key.
Figure 14.3 shows a blue box over another
image segment that has matched with the key.
Figure 14.4 shows the coordinates
(x, y w, h) of the matched segments, where (x, y w, h) = (Left, Top, Width, Height).
Figure 14.2 The result is shown in blue box in the
third image.
Figure 14.3 Another result is shown in blue box in
the third image.
Figure 14.4.
Example 5 results.
In each
search, there are two parameters N x M (Figure 7.3), which specifies an array
of sub-images to search. The software will search via a
“N by M” grid from each unknown image for the specified key image. The key will
not be rotated or scaled.
The
results are stored in a text file. To see the results, click:
Search/1:N
results.
The
objective for the “Search” menu is to find a cropped segment at all cost. This
can take a long time if the N x M search grid is set to be very large. The
objective of the “Fast” menu is to find a cropped segment from an image within
1 second.
The “Fast”
menu provides a much faster search than the “Search” Menu, but this menu is
less accurate than the “Search” menu. It is a trade-off between accuracy and computation
time. Figure 15 shows the menu items under this menu.
Figure
15. “Fast” menu.
Example. We will match (see Figure 6) the
key,
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\key.jpg,
against
the image,
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\CIMG4643_mid_shelf1.JPG.
The
example will take three clicks:
1.
Click
the “1” button in the Toolbar, and select C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\key.jpg
(see Figure 7.1).
You can also drag & drop C:\IfSeg2011\
ex_object1\key.jpg to the first text box.
2.
Click
the “2” button in the Toolbar and select the folder, C:\IfSeg2011\
ex_object1\.
You can also drag & drop the
folder, C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\, to the second text box;
see Figure 7.2.
3. Search.
Click Fast/1:1 Matching and see the
result in Figure 16.1 and Figure 16.2.
Figure 16.1shows
a blue box over the image segment that has matched with the key.
Figure 16.2
shows the coordinates (x, y w, h) of the matched segments, where (x, y w, h) =
(Left, Top, Width, Height).
Figure 16.1 Fast match results. The
result is shown in blue box in the third image.
Figure 16.2 Fast match results.
The menu
items are given below:
Fast/1:1 Matching
Use “Fast/1:1 Matching” to make a
1:1 Matching.
Fast/1:N
Matching (Same size)
Use “Fast/1:N
Matching (Same size)” to make a 1:N Matching; it will search through all images
in a folder for the specified cropped image. This command is faster than
“Fast/1:N Matching (Different size)”, but it requires
all images in the search folder to have the same pixel size.
Fast/1:N
Matching (Different size)
Use “Fast/1:N
Matching (Different size)” to make a 1:N Matching; it will search through all
images in a folder for the specified cropped image. This command is slower than
“Fast/1:N Matching (Same size)”, but it does not requires all images in the search folder to
have the same pixel size.
The
objective of the “Unsupervised” menu is to find a cropped segment from an image
in 10 seconds.
The “Unsupervised”
menu works similar to the “Fast” menu; it provides a much faster search than
the “Search” Menu, but this menu is less accurate. It is a trade-off between
accuracy and computation time. “Unsupervised” Menu is more accurate than the
“Fast” Menu, but slower than the “Fast” Menu. Figure 17 shows the menu items under this
menu.
Figure
17. “Unsupervised”
menu.
Example. We will match (see Figure 6) the
key,
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\key.jpg,
against
the image,
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\CIMG4643_mid_shelf1.JPG.
The
example will take three clicks:
1.
Click
the “1” button in the Toolbar, and select C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\key.jpg
(see Figure 7.1).
You can also drag & drop C:\IfSeg2011\
ex_object1\key.jpg to the first text box.
2.
Click
the “2” button in the Toolbar and select the folder, C:\IfSeg2011\
ex_object1\.
You can also drag & drop the
folder, C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\, to the second text box;
see Figure 7.2.
3. Search.
Click Unsupervised/1:1 Matching and
see the result in Figure 18.1 and Figure 18.2.
Figure 18.1shows
a blue box over the image segment that has matched with the key.
Figure 18.2
shows the coordinates (x, y w, h) of the matched segments, where (x, y w, h) =
(Left, Top, Width, Height).
Figure 18.1 Unsupervised match
results. The result is shown in blue box in the third image.
Figure 18.2 Unsupervised match
results.
The menu
items are given below:
Unsupervised /1:1 Matching
Use “Unsupervised /1:1 Matching” to make a 1:1 Matching.
Unsupervised /1:N
Matching (Same size)
Use “Unsupervised /1:N Matching (Same size)” to make a 1:N Matching; it will
search through all images in a folder for the specified cropped image. This
command is faster than “Unsupervised /1:N Matching
(Different size)”, but it requires all images in the search folder to have the
same pixel size.
Unsupervised /1:N
Matching (Different size)
Use “Unsupervised /1:N Matching (Different size)” to make a 1:N Matching; it
will search through all images in a folder for the specified cropped image.
This command is slower than “Unsupervised/1:N Matching
(Same size)”, but it does not requires
all images in the search folder to have the same pixel size.
The
objective of the “Supervised” menu is to find a cropped segment from an image
in 10 seconds.
The
“Supervised” menu works similar to the “Fast” menu; it provides a much faster
search than the “Search” Menu, but this menu is less accurate. It is a
trade-off between accuracy and computation time. “Supervised” Menu is more
accurate than the “Unsupervised” Menu; but slower than the “Unsupervised” Menu.
Figure 19 shows the menu items under this menu.
Figure
19. “Supervised”
menu.
Example. We will match (see Figure 6) the
key,
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\key.jpg,
against
the image,
C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\CIMG4643_mid_shelf1.JPG.
The
example will take three clicks:
1.
Click
the “1” button in the Toolbar, and select C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\key.jpg
(see Figure 7.1).
You can also drag & drop C:\IfSeg2011\
ex_object1\key.jpg to the first text box.
2.
Click
the “2” button in the Toolbar and select the folder, C:\IfSeg2011\
ex_object1\.
You can also drag & drop the
folder, C:\IfSeg2011\ ex_object1\, to the second text box;
see Figure 7.2.
3. Search.
Click Supervised /1:1 Matching and
see the result in Figure 20.1 and Figure 20.2.
Figure 20.1shows
a blue box over the image segment that has matched with the key.
Figure 20.2
shows the coordinates (x, y w, h) of the matched segments, where (x, y w, h) =
(Left, Top, Width, Height).
Figure 20.1 Supervised match
results. The result is shown in blue box in the third image.
Figure 20.2 Supervised match
results.
The menu
items are given below:
Supervised /1:1 Matching
Use “Supervised /1:1 Matching” to make a 1:1 Matching.
Supervised /1:N
Matching (Same size)
Use “Supervised /1:N
Matching (Same size)” to make a 1:N Matching; it will search through all images
in a folder for the specified cropped image. This command is faster than
“Supervised /1:N Matching (Different size)”, but it
requires all images in the search folder to have the same pixel size.
Supervised /1:N
Matching (Different size)
Use “Supervised /1:N
Matching (Different size)” to make a 1:N Matching; it will search through all
images in a folder for the specified cropped image. This command is slower than
“Supervised/1:N Matching (Same size)”, but it does
not requires all images in the search
folder to have the same pixel size.
ImageFinderSeg
has three different types of licenses:
·
Personal License;
·
Business License;
·
Commercial License.
This package is for personal use only, which
has the following limitations:
·
You cannot sell a service based on any
computation results produced by this software. You must purchase a separate
annual license for commercial use from Attrasoft.
·
You cannot use the software to
perform work for which you will get paid for. You must purchase a separate
annual license for business use from Attrasoft.
For
a business annual subscription or a commercial annual subscription, please
contact Attrasoft at gina@attrasoft.com. Operation of the software requires only three
clicks and two parameter settings. If customer support is required, there will
be an additional fee for customer support.
The
computation speed can be enhanced by using image signatures; this is available
in a customized version.
Customization
is available for additional requirements.
You
might consider the ImageFinder itself instead of the ImageFinderSeg;
however, the ImageFinder has three thousand parameters
to adjust, which is much harder to use than the ImageFinderSeg.
Attrasoft will also customize the software
for:
·
Variation
of images such as scale, rotation, flipping, translation, lighting
condition(s),
·
Different
data acquisition devices (ex., camera vs. scanner),
·
Catalog
images vs. Operation images, etc,
·
Searching
for an object in an image,
·
Different
Interface,
·
Document
image search,
·
Fine-tuning
internal parameters or programming,
·
Emphasizing
speed, i.e. searching a huge amount of images very fast,
·
Licensing
the technology,
·
Etc.
In
addition, Attrasoft offers services such as:
·
Image
Search Online Hosting Service
·
Faster
Image Search
·
Video
Search: Download Demo (http://attrasoft.com)
·
Video
Index
·
ID
Image Duplication Verification
·
Trademark
Identification
·
Etc.
Q: What are ImageFinderSeg’s
running requirements?
A: Updated
Microsoft Windows (XP, Vista).
Q: What is an image?
A: An
image is a file with the extension *.jpg, *gif…
Q: How to download an image?
A: Go to
a web site;
Right
click an image;
Click
‘Save Picture As’ …
Save to
C:\temp\; now the image is saved in c:\temp. Double click it to see it.
Q: Can you search Video?
A: The
difference between video search and image search is that a video has a lot more
images. Attrasoft VideoFinder deals with Videos.
Q: How to handle multiple images?
A: You
can only search one image at a time; however, you can search multiple times.
Just load all of your images to a single folder in your computer first, say
c:\temp\, and then search one image at a time from that folder. Customization can also address speed.
Q. What is Customized software?
A. Customized
software can be built for special requirements such as:
·
Variation
of images such as scale, rotation, flipping, lighting condition(s),
·
Different
data acquisition devices (camera vs. scanner),
·
Catalog
images vs. operation images, etc,
·
Searching
for an object in an image,
·
A
different web interface,
·
A
document image search,
·
Fine-tuning
internal parameters or programming,
·
Emphasizing
speed, i.e. it can search a huge amount of images very fast,
·
Licensing
the technology.
Contact: gina@attrasoft.com