Gibson, Joel

In this dissertation we apply sparse constraints to improve optical flow and
trajectories. We apply sparsity in two ways. First, with 2-frame optical flow, we
enforce a sparse representation of flow patches using a learned overcomplete dictionary. Second, we apply a low rank constraint to trajectories via robust coupling. We begin with a review of optical flow fundamentals. We discuss the commonly used flow estimation strategies and the advantages and shortcomings of each. We introduce the concepts associated with sparsity including dictionaries and low rank matrices.

Natural matte extraction is a difficult and generally unsolved problem. Generating a matte from a nonuniform background traditionally requires a tediously hand drawn matte. This thesis studies recent methods requiring the user to place only modest scribbles identifying the foreground and the background. This research demonstrates a new GPU-based implementation of the recently introduced Fuzzy- Matte algorithm. Interactive matte extraction was achieved on a CUDA enabled G80 graphics processor. Experimental results demonstrate improved performance over the previous CPU based version. In depth analysis of experimental data from the GPU and the CPU implementations are provided. The design challenges of porting a variant of Dijkstra's shortest distance algorithm to a parallel processor are considered.