Replacement of a person or object in an image

Apparatus, comprising:

• a memory storing computer-readable instructions;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory, to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions, to:
• determine, via a computing system, traversing content in a set of images based on a comparison between a background model of the set of images to image data representing the set of images;
• use a target content model to determine target content in the traversing content;
• and
• generate a composite image by replacing the target content with different content, wherein generating the composite image includes:
• segmenting the target content from the set of images based on a model of the set of images as a mixture of at least two image layers, wherein one of the least two image layers includes components of a foreground corresponding to the target content and the other of the at least two image layers includes components of a background corresponding to content of the set of images other than the target content;
• determining an initialization map that identifies a first region of the set of images corresponding to the foreground and a second region of the set of images corresponding to the background;
• deriving from the initialization map an alpha matte specifying respective contributions of the at least two image layers to the foreground and to the background;
• and
• perform a weighted blending of the different content into the set of images in accordance with the alpha matte.

At least one computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions when executed cause a processor of a computer to:

• determine traversing content in a set of images based on a comparison between a background model of the set of images to image data representing the set of images;
• use a target content model to determine target content in the traversing content and
• generate a composite image by replacing the target content with different content, wherein generating the composite image includes:
• deriving from an initialization map an alpha matte specifying respective contributions of at least two image layers to a foreground and to a background;
• and
• perform a weighted blending of the different content into the set of images in accordance with the alpha matte.