Evaluation of feature based image stitching algorithm using OpenCV: Comparison of feature based image stitching speed under different conditions

Abstract

Image stitching is an attractive method to merging multiple images. It can produce a wide-angle panoramic photograph while maintaining the quality of the source images. The process is simply performed by overlapping part of the images which contain common scene. Today, panoramic image stitching is widely used in applications such as 360-degree cameras and virtual reality photography. If the stitching technology ensure fast processing speed and accurate performance, it is expected to produce diverse image contents in real time. Moreover, the panoramic images can be mapped to various projective layouts, e.g. spherical and stereographic projection. The mapping of the panoramic image along the suitable projective layout makes it possible to express more stereoscopic space, that is, the space in the photo can give the impression that it looks as if it is in front. It can be utilized when creating 3D reconstruction space with high-resolution panoramic images. This paper describes the concept of feature based image stitching and presents the implementation results. It also provides the results of stitching with more than 10 images and suggests the time-efficient way for stitching multiple images. The time-efficient stitching method can be applied to various applications so that panoramic images can be easily accessed in everyday life.