International Conference on Control, Automation and Systems 2008

Oct. 14-17, 2008 in COEX, Seoul, Korea

Face Detection using Multi-modal Features

Hyobin Lee1, Seongwan Kim2, Sooyeon Kim3, and Sangyoun Lee4
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University , Seoul, Korea
(Tel : +82-2-2123-5768)
(E-mail: 1leehb00, 2knauer, 3sykim1221, 4syleee@yonsei.ac.kr)

Abstract: In this paper, propose efficient methods for reducing false detection rate in face detection procedure when
images apply face recognition and face entertainment from web or personal photo. Previous detection methods focused
on accurate face detection. So, false detection rate makes a problem when put to practical use. This problem can
overcome to use additional information when face detection. Proper information is color. But real color - RGB
information is not adequate for face detection. Because RGB information is sensitive to light variations. Thus need to
transfer coordination properly to use. Transferred channels are defined with genetic algorithm. After that make a model
of facial skin color to score face candidate is real face or not. Propose method can dramatic reduce false detection rate
when face detection procedure

Keywords: Selected keywords relevant to the subject.

1. INTRODUCTION
In this paper, propose efficient methods for reducing
false detection rate in face detection procedure when
images apply various applications from web or personal
photos. Recently it uses facial information widely like
security or entertainment. Security issues are used
recognition and surveillance method, entertainment used
modeling and warping. So, it is important to find
elaborate face for those applications are made good
progress.
Previous works are focused on accurate face
detection but also important low false detection in real
application area. Thus, it needs to reduce method to
false detection. This paper proposes one way to
overcome false detection with color information. Real
images have large light variation and complex
background cause confusing face detection. Those are
reason of false detection. Therefore RGB information
cannot use untouched, need to find optimal color space
transformations that lead to an effective skin color
representation.
Propose method system procedures are composed 4
steps. First step is real image acquisition and
preprocessing. Second step is finding face candidate. It
uses adaboost algorithm to find face candidate. Third
step is scoring each candidate similarity measure.
Before scoring, need to prepare skin color model that
has made from genetic algorithm with offline process.
Fourth step is determining face or not.
Fig. 1 Flowchart of system procedure
2. FACE CANDIDATE
Real images have many variations hard to detect face.
Those are light, pose, occlusion, multiple objects, and so
on. First have to do is preprocessing for comfortable
handling the image. One example is reducing the light
variation effect with zero mean unit variance histogram
normalization. And then, find face candidate from
acquired image. The properties of face candidate are
including all face and reducing non-face as much as
possible. First of all important thing of finding face
candidate method is including all face not reducing
non-face. For this reason, most of all face detection
methods have a large false detection rate. Consequently
need to reducing non-face from face candidate.
In this paper, choose adaboost method for find face
candidate. That method is to find optimal feature for
face detection made up haar-like features with adaboost
algorithm. For simple calculation, make an integral
image. After that Adjust find optimal feature and
coefficient with adaboost algorithm, and then make a
cascade for fast and accuracy [1]. Following Table 1 is
adaboost algorithm for classifier learning.
Table 1 The adaboost algorithm for classifier learning
I. Example images ( x1 , y1 )," , ( xn , yn ) where
yi = 0,1 for negative and positive examples
respectively
1 1
II. Initialize w1,i = , for yi = 0,1 , m, l
2m 2l
are number of each samples
III. For t = 1," , T

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 wt ,i 160 to 180 is skin color range of hue, 100 to 120 is
z Normalize wt ,i ← n
, threshold of skin color in saturation range. Like that,
∑w t, j each channel shows distribution of lacking condition
j =1 when face detect. That histogram shows some formal
wt is probability distribution model in high dimension according to number of color
z Each feature j , train a classifier h j . The channels. Thus can find decision boundary of face color
information with GMM, RM, SVM, and so on boundary
error measure is ε j = ∑ wi h j ( xi ) − yi classifiers. After that, we can find transformation
i
relation normal color space to new color space for face
z Choose the classifier h j , lowest error ε t detection. That new color space is optimized to face
z Update weights: wt +1,i = wt ,i βt1−ε i detection because new color space shows various face
features. That features are skin information of normal
ei = 0 if xi is classified correctly, condition, under light variation, race information, image
εt quality like a blurring effect or focus, and so on.
otherwise ei = 1 ,and βt =
1 − εt
IV. Final strong classifier is:
⎧ T
1 T
⎪1 ∑ α t ht ( x) ≥ ∑ α t 1
h( x ) = ⎨ t =1 2 t =1 , α t = log
⎪0 β t
⎩ otherwise

3. SKIN COLOR MODEL

3.1 Color space foundation
New color space makes from RGB information.
Purpose new color space with luminance and
chrominance channel (L, C1, C2, … Cn) [2]. Simple
linear relation of new and RGB space is following
equation 1 matrix. And constraints of coefficient are
following equation 2.
Fig. 2 The color histogram of blurring condition in H-S
channel
⎡ L ⎤ ⎡ a11 a12 a13 ⎤
⎢ ⎥ ⎢ a23 ⎥⎥ ⎡ R ⎤
⎢ C1 ⎥ ⎢ a21 a22 3.3 Scoring face similarity
⎢C 2 ⎥ = ⎢ a31 a32 a33 ⎥ ⎢⎢G ⎥⎥ . (1) Acquisition image transfers to new color space made
⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
⎢ # ⎥ ⎢ # # # ⎥ ⎣⎢ B ⎦⎥ from above section. Each channel includes images
⎢⎣ Cn ⎥⎦ ⎢⎣ an1 an 2 an 3 ⎥⎦ conditional properties like light, blurring, focus, and so
on. Thus determining face similarity with comparing
acquired image color model to pre-learned reference
aij , i = {1, 2,..., n}, j = {1, 2,3} model helps improving performance of face detection.
⎧ 0 < aij < 1 i = 1, 2,...n, j = 1, 2
⎪ −1 < a < 1 (2)
4. EXPERIMENTAL RESULT
⎪ ij otherwise
⎨ Figure 3 is color transformation result that is
a +
⎪ i1 i 2 a + ai3 = 1 i = 1, j = 1, 2,3
⎪⎩ ai1 + ai 2 + ai 3 = 0 otherwise described in section 3. First figure is original image.
There are fusion objects that are left and right fences,
red shirt, and short pants. Those have color similar with
3.2 Color model of face skin. Second figure is luminance transformation result.
The goal of color model is scoring face similarity to We can see, left fence is separated in this figure. Third
face candidate. Thus color model need to make an and fourth figures are chrominance transformation
elaborate. So, color transform coefficient makes optimal results. The pants and red shirt are eliminated from first
with genetic algorithm. It adjusts to transfer matrix chrominance channel that we can show in third figure.
element with constraints. Most of all transfer matrix The right fence is also eliminated form second
elements make to generic algorithm variables. After that, chrominance channel.
find optimal solution with proper fitness function. Final Figure 4 is experimental result adjust propose method
color model include images condition distribution. to personal photo image. There are 5 standing persons in
Figure 2 is one example histogram of blurring condition a row. Background includes trees with most of their
distribution. X axis shows distribution of saturation. Y leaves fallen, several sign posts, and etc. Top one is
axis shows distribution of hue value. 0 to about 20 and only using template base face detection method, down

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one is processed with proposed color information
method. Top one shows 5 correct face detection and 3
fail detection results. The fail detection shows limit of
using only method for face detection. Thus, like down
figure result, hybrid method can conspicuous improve
reducing false detections.

Fig. 3 Color transformation result, first is original image and

confusion area, second is luminance information, third figure
is first chrominance channel, fourth is second chrominance
channel

Fig. 4 Experimental result top is only using face detection

method down is adjusting color information

5. CONCLUSION
False detection leads to some problems in face
detection application area. So, in this paper propose
reducing improving method using color information.
Propose the finding optimal color space for
representation for face detection. And also propose

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facial color model show distribution of lacking
condition when face detect. Propose method overcome
problem of false detection and can accurate face
detection.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This work was supported by the Samsung Electronics

REFERENCES
[1] Viola, P. and Jones, M., “Rapid object detection
using a boosted cascade of simple features”,
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, 2001,
Vol. 1, pp. 511-518.
[2] Shih, P. and Chengjun Liu, “Extracting efficient
color features for face recognition using
evolutionary computation”, Computational
Intelligence and Multimedia Applications, 2005.
pp. 285 – 290, Aug. 2005
[3] Hsien-Che Lee, Introduction to Color Imaging
Science, Cambridge Univ., UK, 2005.

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