Three-dimensional video segmentation using a variational method

Spatio-temporal segmentation of streaming video is performed using a novel 3D extension of a 2D Mumford-Shah region-merging segmentation algorithm. By treating the video segmentation problem as a pure 3D segmentation problem, the algorithm can provide both intra-frame segmentation and interframe region correspondences in a single, unified framework. The Mumford-Shah functional formulation leads to improved segmentation results compared to existing approaches, and its theoretical foundations allow a simple graph-based implementation and elegant solutions to some important subproblems.