Content based image retrieval using gradient color fields

This paper presents a content based system retrieval that uses gradient color fields as features. These features take into account both contour curvature and colors found in adjacent regions. This approach is dual from color region based methods. It allows a simple description of images using a coarse understandable sketch, which preserves rich information with a small amount of storage. This representation allows different type of queries such as: statistical or structural, global or partial and contour based. These features have been tested, using different modes on a very large image database from broadcast television. Results obtained from our system is presented and discussed