Image metamorphosis using snakes and free-form deformations

This paper presents new solutions to the following three problems in image morphing: feature specification, warp generation, and transition control. To reduce the burden of feature specification, we first adopt a computer vision technique called snakes. We next propose the use of multilevel free-form deformations (MFFD) to achieve C 2 -continuous and one-to-one warps among feature point pairs. The resulting technique, based on B-spline approximation, is simpler and faster than previous warp generation methods. Finally, we simplify the MFFD method to construct C 2 -continuous surfaces for deriving transition functions to control geometry and color blending.