Using photographer identity to classify images

Abstract

A method of identifying at least one particular person of interest in a collection of digital images taken over time, includes providing the collection of digital images with each digital image containing one or more persons; storing in a digital database an appearance model having a set of features associated with the particular person of interest and a prior probability of the person of interest appearing in images by a particular photographer; and comparing the appearance model with features extracted from the digital images in the collection of digital images and using the prior probability and the appearance model to determine if the particular person of interest is in one or more digital images in the collection of digital images.

1 . A method of identifying at least one particular person of interest in a collection of digital images taken over time, comprising: 
 providing the collection of digital images with each digital image containing one or more persons;    storing in a digital database an appearance model having a set of features associated with the particular person of interest and a prior probability of the person of interest appearing in images by a particular photographer; and    comparing the appearance model with features extracted from the digital images in the collection of digital images and using the prior probability and the appearance model to determine if the particular person of interest is in one or more digital images in the collection of digital images.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the particular person of interest is the photographer and further including providing image capture information relating to the camera settings used by the particular photographer to change the prior probability of the particular photographer being in the collection of digital images.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the image capture information further includes the mode of the camera self-timer.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the prior probability is increased when the person of interest is the photographer and the mode of the camera self-timer is on.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the prior probability is decreased when the person of interest is the photographer and the mode of the camera self-timer is off.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the prior probability is increased when the person of interest is other than the particular photographer.  
   
   
       7 . A method of classifying an image, comprising: 
 providing a collection of digital images taken by a particular photographer;    storing in a digital database an appearance model having a set of features associated with an object of interest;    providing a photographer content profile associated with the photographer describing the probability that the image represents the object of interest; and    using the appearance model and the photographer content profile to classify the digital image in the collection.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7  further including providing image capture information relating to the camera settings used by the particular photographer.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the photographer content profile includes information related to the distribution of digital image orientation of digital images taken by the photographer.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein image content in the digital image of interest and the photographer content profile is used to determine the orientation of the digital image of interest.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the photographer content profile includes information related to the distribution of digital images being captured indoors or outdoors when taken by the photographer.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein image content in the digital image of interest and the photographer content profile is used to determine the whether the digital image of interest is an indoor or an outdoor image.