A new method is presented to prevent distortion around human faces for seam carving based image retargeting. For the pictures with many faces, a seam is preferable to go while avoiding faces, however the interspaces between faces are sometimes narrow. To solve the problem, a flexible seam which is not 8-connected but loosely connected is introduced. Since the flexible seam can bend acute angles, they pass through complicated interspaces. A combination method of seam carving and face detection is also presented. Face regions are detected before seam carving, and given larger energy to be guarded.
Ikuko Tsubaki, Kazuo Sasaki, "Flexible shape of seam for image retargeting with face detection" in Proc. IS&T Int’l. Symp. on Electronic Imaging: Image Processing: Algorithms and Systems XVI, 2018, pp 387-1 - 387-4, https://doi.org/10.2352/ISSN.2470-1173.2018.13.IPAS-387