Classifying and comparing regular textures for retrieval using texel geometry

Regular textures can be modelled as consisting of periodic patterns where a fundamental unit, or texel, occurs repeatedly. This paper explores the use of a representation of texel geometry for classification and comparison of regular texture images. Texels are automatically extracted from images and the distribution of texel shape and orientation is modelled. The application of this model to image retrieval and browsing is discussed using examples from a database of art and textile images.