[Image-SIG] Newbie question on color detection and tracking

[adam naples]

a) yes, a lot,
b) I don't think PIL is the way to go, use openCV, you can use it  
with python.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/opencvlibrary/

c) computer vision is hard, but it sounds like you're talking about a  
very basic optitrack (maybe? I have no idea). I've not used them but  
remember to think about what will happen if the user occludes the  
color or t-shirt. Another  reason this is hard is that the  shadows  
and illumination will change a lot from frame to frame, so a  
background substitution will be hard even if the person is in a grey  
room with no furniture or wall decorations, they'll still cast  
shadows. My suggestion, that may make your life a lot easier is to  
install open cv and run the python lucas-kanade demo. it will capture  
frames from a camera, and you click the feature that you want it to  
track, if the conditions are good, it tracks it, and can do a pretty  
good job; even with multiple features.


http://www.naturalpoint.com/optitrack/
hope this helps
-a

On Aug 13, 2007, at 10:08 PM, Jonathan Shao wrote:

> I'm a relative newbie when it comes to image processing, so please  
> bear with me...
>
> What I want to do is to set up a static camera such that it can  
> track the motion of a person wearing a particular color marker  
> walking around in an interior room (no windows). The "color marker"  
> can be something like a t-shirt with a unique color distinctly  
> different from the background, and I think I'll need to take  
> periodic snap-shots of the room to simulate real-time tracking as  
> closely as possible. In effect, it's a simplified scenario for  
> person tracking.
>
> For now, I'm just trying to get the color detection part of my  
> project working. I think I should be to just do a simple background  
> subtraction between a snapshot by the camera and a reference image  
> of the background, and that should be able to give me good color  
> detection. The issues I'm concerned with:
>
> a) Do I need to worry about different hues/illuminations of the  
> same color?
>
> b) Is this a realistic method to implement with the PIL, or would I  
> have to deal with issues of speed while trying to track the marker?
>
> -- 
> "Perhaps we all give the best of our hearts uncritically, to those  
> who hardly think about us in return."
> ~ T.H.White
> _______________________________________________
> Image-SIG maillist  -  Image-SIG at python.org
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/image-sig

The information contained in this message may be privileged and  
confidential. If you are NOT the intended recipient, please notify  
the sender immediately with a copy to hipaa.security at yale.edu and  
destroy this message.

Please be aware that email communication can be intercepted in  
transmission or misdirected. Your use of email to communicate  
protected health information to us indicates that you acknowledge and  
accept the possible risks associated with such communication. Please  
consider communicating any sensitive information by telephone, fax or  
mail. If you do not wish to have your information sent by email,  
please contact the sender immediately.



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.python.org/pipermail/image-sig/attachments/20070815/60183990/attachment.html