README.md

😃😍🔥🔥 Segmentation-Based Parametric Painting 🔥🔥😍😃

This repository contains a semantic-based painting optimization algorithm which aims to transform a given input image into a painting. The algorithm takes advantage of modern computer vision techniques, segmentation networks, and a differentiable renderer to generate results.

Project Website

What It Does

The algorithm aims to efficiently optimize a collection of stroke parameters to create a painting from a given image input. The method starts with an image and optimizes a parameter vector of strokes. When rendered on a canvas, it recreates the input image in the form of a painting. The approach is designed to efficiently manage any input size or aspect ratio. It divides the canvas into semantic areas using a segmentation network. This provides a higher control over the painting compared to previous optimization and neural methods.

• Layered Painting & Patch-Based Approach:

  • Implements a coarse-to-fine progression.
  • Uses a layered approach, starting with a rough first coarse painting pass and progressively refines.
  • Uses patches of 128x128 size and batch-optimizes all stroke parameters in each patch.

• Semantic Segmentation:

  • Provides precision over the granularity of each semantic zone in the artwork.
  • Ensures strokes remain within the designated semantic segment, improving the painting's accuracy.

• Visual Working Memory:

  • Uses a dynamic attention maps system to focus on areas that need more attention.
  • Yields an organic feel to the painting.

• Stroke Initialization, Renderer, and Blending:

  • Uses the stroke parameter representation and differentiable renderer.
  • Strokes are parameterized by a 13-dimensional tuple encoding various properties like start, middle, end points, radii, transparency, and RGB color.
  • Strokes are composited into patches with soft blending.

• Optimization & Loss Functions:

  • Optimizes all stroke parameters in batch for efficiency.
  • Uses both pixel loss and perceptual loss to ensure accurate recreation of the input image.

How To Use

1. Requirements:

• Python 3.6 or later
• Install the required packages from requirements.txt using the following command (if using Ubuntu):

pip install -r requirements.txt

• For Mac OS with new M chip (takes 1.55 times longer than using an Nvidia A6000 GPU):

pip install -r requirements_os.txt

• If using Mac OS replace in utils files and painter.py file the following:

device = torch.device("cuda" if torch.cuda.is_available() else "cpu")

By:

# device = torch.device("cuda:0" if torch.cuda.is_available() else "cpu") # 
device = "mps" if torch.backends.mps.is_available() else "cpu"
# Set default tensor type to float32
torch.set_default_dtype(torch.float32)

You will likely need to add some .float() at some parts in the code

• Download the renderer and perceptual network here and store them in a folder under the main directory. *Update: also provided in folder model_checkpoints.

2. Command:

python main.py [options]

3. Arguments:

• --exp_name: Experiment name (default: 'exp_122_no_masks_uniform')
• --global_loss: Global loss strategy (default: False)
• --texturize: Use texturize feature (default: True) ... and many more. (For a full list of arguments and their defaults, refer to the main.py file)

To paint with a painterly style set style to "painterly". To get a realistic style, set it to "realistic". Currently supports 4 styles: realistic, painterly, abstract, and expressionist.

• --style

4. Example:

python main.py --image_path /path/to/image.jpg --save_dir /path/to/save_directory --style painterly

Method Overview

The method uses various techniques and algorithms to produce a painting from an input image. Key components include:

• Semantic Segmentation: Dividing the canvas into areas of interest.
• Layered Painting: A coarse-to-fine progression.
• Visual Working Memory: A dynamic attention maps system that focus on areas that need more attention.
• Optimization & Loss Functions: Ensuring the painting closely resembles the input image.

Implementation Details:

• Optimizer: Adam with a learning rate of 0.0002.
• All painting layers are optimized for 300 iterations.
• Canvas Background: Black.
• Segmentation Network: Uses the DETR model with a CNN (ResNet) backbone followed by an encoder-decoder Transformer.

More Results:

References

• [Huang, et al. 2019. Learning to Paint]
• [Liu et al. 2021. Paint Transformer]
• [Zou et al. 2020. Stylized Neural Painting]
• [DETR: Carion, et al. 2020. End-to-End Object Detection with Transformers]

Citation

@misc{deguevara2023segmentationbased,
      title={Segmentation-Based Parametric Painting}, 
      author={Manuel Ladron de Guevara and Matthew Fisher and Aaron Hertzmann},
      year={2023},
      eprint={2311.14271},
      archivePrefix={arXiv},
      primaryClass={cs.CV},
      }

Feedback

For any queries or feedback related to the algorithm, please open an issue on GitHub or contact the authors directly.