Image restoration using multiresolution texture synthesis and image inpainting

We present a new method for the restoration of digitized photographs. Restoration refers to removal of image defects such as scratches and blotches as well as to removal of disturbing objects as, for instance, subtitles, logos, wires, and microphones. Our method combines techniques from texture synthesis and image inpainting, bridging the gap between these two approaches that have recently attracted strong research interest. Combining image inpainting and texture synthesis in a multiresolution approach gives us the best of both worlds and enables us to overcome the limitations of each of those individual approaches. The restored images obtained with our method look plausible in general and surprisingly good in some cases. This is demonstrated for a variety of input images that exhibit different kinds of defects.