Random Measurable Sets and Covariogram Realisability Problems

We provide a characterization of the realisable set covariograms, bringing a rigorous yet abstract solution to the $S\_2$ problem in materials science. Our method is based on the covariogram functional for random mesurable sets (RAMS) and on a result about the representation of positive operators in a locally compact space. RAMS are an alternative to the classical random closed sets in stochastic geometry and geostatistics, they provide a weaker framework allowing to manipulate more irregular functionals, such as the perimeter. We therefore use the illustration provided by the $S\_{2}$ problem to advocate the use of RAMS for solving theoretical problems of geometric nature. Along the way, we extend the theory of random measurable sets, and in particular the local approximation of the perimeter by local covariograms.Comment: 35p

Stochastic Modeling and Resolution-Free Rendering of Film Grain

The realistic synthesis and rendering of film grain is a crucial goal for many amateur and professional photographers and film-makers whose artistic works require the authentic feel of analog photography. The objective of this work is to propose an algorithm that reproduces the visual aspect of film grain texture on any digital image. Previous approaches to this problem either propose unrealistic models or simply blend scanned images of film grain with the digital image, in which case the result is inevitably limited by the quality and resolution of the initial scan. In this work, we introduce a stochastic model to approximate the physical reality of film grain, and propose a resolution-free rendering algorithm to simulate realistic film grain for any digital input image. By varying the parameters of this model, we can achieve a wide range of grain types. We demonstrate this by comparing our results with film grain examples from dedicated software, and show that our rendering results closely resemble these real film emulsions. In addition to realistic grain rendering, our resolution-free algorithm allows for any desired zoom factor, even down to the scale of the microscopic grains themselves

Scaling Painting Style Transfer

Neural style transfer is a deep learning technique that produces an unprecedentedly rich style transfer from a style image to a content image and is particularly impressive when it comes to transferring style from a painting to an image. It was originally achieved by solving an optimization problem to match the global style statistics of the style image while preserving the local geometric features of the content image. The two main drawbacks of this original approach is that it is computationally expensive and that the resolution of the output images is limited by high GPU memory requirements. Many solutions have been proposed to both accelerate neural style transfer and increase its resolution, but they all compromise the quality of the produced images. Indeed, transferring the style of a painting is a complex task involving features at different scales, from the color palette and compositional style to the fine brushstrokes and texture of the canvas. This paper provides a solution to solve the original global optimization for ultra-high resolution images, enabling multiscale style transfer at unprecedented image sizes. This is achieved by spatially localizing the computation of each forward and backward passes through the VGG network. Extensive qualitative and quantitative comparisons show that our method produces a style transfer of unmatched quality for such high resolution painting styles.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Gabor Noise by Example

International audienceProcedural noise is a fundamental tool in Computer Graphics. However, designing noise patterns is hard. In this paper, we present Gabor noise by example, a method to estimate the parameters of bandwidth-quantized Gabor noise, a procedural noise function that can generate noise with an arbitrary power spectrum, from exemplar Gaussian textures, a class of textures that is completely characterized by their power spectrum. More specifically, we introduce (i) bandwidth-quantized Gabor noise, a generalization of Gabor noise to arbitrary power spectra that enables robust parameter estimation and efficient procedural evaluation; (ii) a robust parameter estimation technique for quantized-bandwidth Gabor noise, that automatically decomposes the noisy power spectrum estimate of an exemplar into a sparse sum of Gaussians using non-negative basis pursuit denoising; and (iii) an efficient procedural evaluation scheme for bandwidth-quantized Gabor noise, that uses multi-grid evaluation and importance sampling of the kernel parameters. Gabor noise by example preserves the traditional advantages of procedural noise, including a compact representation and a fast on-the-fly evaluation, and is mathematically well-founded. See project page at : http://graphics.cs.kuleuven.be/publications/GLLD12GNBE

Maximum entropy methods for texture synthesis: theory and practice

Recent years have seen the rise of convolutional neural network techniques in exemplar-based image synthesis. These methods often rely on the minimization of some variational formulation on the image space for which the minimizers are assumed to be the solutions of the synthesis problem. In this paper we investigate, both theoretically and experimentally, another framework to deal with this problem using an alternate sampling/minimization scheme. First, we use results from information geometry to assess that our method yields a probability measure which has maximum entropy under some constraints in expectation. Then, we turn to the analysis of our method and we show, using recent results from the Markov chain literature, that its error can be explicitly bounded with constants which depend polynomially in the dimension even in the non-convex setting. This includes the case where the constraints are defined via a differentiable neural network. Finally, we present an extensive experimental study of the model, including a comparison with state-of-the-art methods and an extension to style transfer

Integrating Data Science and Earth Science

This open access book presents the results of three years collaboration between earth scientists and data scientists, in developing and applying data science methods for scientific discovery. The book will be highly beneficial for other researchers at senior and graduate level, interested in applying visual data exploration, computational approaches and scientifc workflows

Modèles d'image aléatoires et synthèse de texture

This thesis is a study of stochastic image models with applications to texture synthesis. Most of the stochastic texture models under investigation are germ-grain models. In the first part of the thesis, texture synthesis algorithms relying on the shot noise model are developed. In the discrete framework, two different random processes, namely the asymptotic discrete spot noise and the random phase noise, are theoretically and experimentally studied. A fast texture synthesis algorithm relying on these random processes is then elaborated. Numerous results demonstrate that the algorithm is able to reproduce a class of real-world textures which we call micro-textures. In the continuous framework, the Gaussian convergence of shot noise models is further studied and new bounds for the rate of this convergence are established. Finally, a new algorithm for procedural texture synthesis from example relying on the recent Gabor noise model is presented. This new algorithm permits to automatically compute procedural models for real-world micro-textures. The second part of the thesis is devoted to the introduction and study of the transparent dead leaves (TDL) process, a new germ-grain model obtained by superimposing semi-transparent objects. The main result of this part shows that, when varying the transparency of the objects, the TDL process provides a family of models varying from the dead leaves model to a Gaussian random field. In the third part of the thesis, general results on random fields with bounded variation are established with an emphasis on the computation of the mean total variation of random fields. As particular cases of interest, these general results permit the computation of the mean perimeter of random sets and of the mean total variation of classical germ-grain models.Cette thèse est une étude de modèles d'image aléatoires avec des applications en synthèse de texture. La plupart des modèles de champs aléatoires étudiés sont des modèles germes-grains. Dans la première partie de la thèse, des algorithmes de synthèse de texture basés sur le modèle shot noise sont développés. Dans le cadre discret, deux processus aléatoires, à savoir le shot noise discret asymptotique et le bruit à phase aléatoire, sont étudiés. On élabore ensuite un algorithme rapide de synthèse de texture basé sur ces processus. De nombreuses expériences démontrent que cet algorithme permet de reproduire une certaine classe de textures naturelles que l'on nomme micro-textures. Dans le cadre continu, la convergence gaussienne des modèles shot noise est étudiée d'avantage et de nouvelles bornes pour la vitesse de cette convergence sont établies. Enfin, on présente un nouvel algorithme de synthèse de texture procédurale par l'exemple basé sur le récent modèle Gabor noise. Cet algorithme permet de calculer automatiquement un modèle procédural représentant des micro-textures naturelles. La deuxième partie de la thèse est consacrée à l'étude du processus feuilles mortes transparentes (FMT), un nouveau modèle germes-grains obtenu en superposant des objets semi-transparents. Le résultat principal de cette partie montre que, lorsque la transparence des objets varie, le processus FMT fournit une famille de modèles variant du modèle feuilles mortes à un champ gaussien. Dans la troisième partie de la thèse, les champs aléatoires à variation bornés sont étudiés et on établit des résultats généraux sur le calcul de la variation totale moyenne de ces champs. En particulier, ces résultats généraux permettent de calculer le périmètre moyen des ensembles aléatoires et de calculer explicitement la variation totale moyenne des modèles germes-grains classiques

COMPUTATION OF THE PERIMETER OF MEASURABLE SETS VIA THEIR COVARIOGRAM. APPLICATIONS TO RANDOM SETS

The covariogram of a measurable set A ⊂ Rd is the function gA which to each y ∈ Rd associates the Lebesgue measure of A ∩ (y + A). This paper proves two formulas. The first equates the directional derivatives at the origin of gA to the directional variations of A. The second equates the average directional derivative at the origin of gA to the perimeter of A. These formulas, previously known with restrictions, are proved for any measurable set. As a by-product, it is proved that the covariogram of a set A is Lipschitz if and only if A has finite perimeter, the Lipschitz constant being half the maximal directional variation. The two formulas have counterparts for mean covariogram of random sets. They also permit to compute the expected perimeter per unit volume of any stationary random closed set. As an illustration, the expected perimeter per unit volume of stationary Boolean models having any grain distribution is computed

An Algorithm for Gaussian Texture Inpainting

International audienc