Up-sampling binary images for segmentation

One or more tangible device-readable media with device-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing system, direct the computing system to perform steps comprising:

• accessing an image;
• and
• if a size parameter associated with the image is not less than a predefined threshold:
• down-scaling the image to create a modified image from the image, the modified image having a lower image resolution than the image;
• segmenting the modified image to create an initial binary solution comprising a binary parameter associated with each of a plurality of image elements in the modified image, the binary parameter assigning an image element to a background or a foreground portion;
• up-scaling and smoothing the initial binary solution to form an interim solution, the interim solution having a higher resolution than the initial binary solution and comprising a non-binary parameter associated with each of a plurality of image elements in the interim solution;
• and
• generating a final binary segmentation solution based on a threshold value of the non-binary parameter, the final binary segmentation solution having a higher resolution than the initial binary solution and comprising data assigning a plurality of image elements in the accessed image to either a background or a foreground portion.

A computer-implemented method of segmenting an image into a foreground portion and a background portion comprising:

• accessing the image;
• down-scaling the image to create a modified version of the image having a lower image resolution than the image;
• segmenting the modified version of the image to generate an initial binary segmentation, the initial binary segmentation comprising data labeling a plurality of image elements in the modified version of the image as part of a background portion or a foreground portion;
• generating an interim solution having a higher resolution than the initial binary segmentation by, for each of a plurality of image elements in the interim solution, computing a non-binary value by convolving an interpolation kernel centered on the image element with the initial binary segmentation;
• based on a threshold, generating a final binary segmentation solution having substantially the same resolution as the interim solution and comprising data labeling a plurality of image elements in said image as part of a background portion or a foreground portion;
• and
• displaying at least one background or foreground portion of said image.