Abstract A method of face contour detection based on facial features and a fast method of face pose estimation are proposed. The contour detection method divides the face image into 9 regions according to the distribution of the facial features. In the selected regions, the crude face contours are detected and fitted by cubic polynomials. Finally, the complete face contour is achieved by connecting the contours in the selected regions. In order to estimate the facial 3D pose quickly and accurately, area model and approximate plane model are proposed according to the symmetry of the face. The experimental results indicate that the proposed contour detection method can achieve reasonable face contours even from face images with complex background and varying pose. Compared with other detection methods, the advantage of the proposed method is that the model is simpler and the computing is faster.
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2006, Vol. 19 
