4-point transform images

Question

I need to transform bitmap images with their 4 corner points moved from one location to another.

Any code that can run on Windows, C#/VB.NET preferably, even help how to use scriptable programs like Paint.NET or Photoshop would be accepted. The Java Advanced Imaging API sounds hopeful.

I need it for a screenshot manipulation system, which allows you to get such effects:

_{(source: wholetomato.com)}

Answer 1

Check out the Perspective warping examples from ImageMagick. It is available for most mainstream platforms.

Answer 2

The keyword here is homography. Manolis Lourakis has written a GPL'ed homography implementation in C that is available here; however, this will not be able to be ported very easily because it relies on some external libraries such as LAPACK.

Answer 3

Disclaimer: I work at Atalasoft

If you are willing to go commercial, DotImage Photo can do this with the QuadrilateralWarpCommand. Sample C# Code

// Load an image.
AtalaImage image = new AtalaImage("test-image.jpg");

// Prepare the warp positions.
Point bottomLeft = new Point(100, image.Height - 80);
Point topLeft = new Point(130, 45);
Point topRight = new Point(image.Width - 60, 140);
Point bottomRight = new Point(image.Width - 20, image.Height);

// Warp the image.
QuadrilateralWarpCommand cmd = new QuadrilateralWarpCommand(bottomLeft,
   topLeft, topRight, bottomRight, InterpolationMode.BiLinear, Color.White);
AtalaImage result = cmd.Apply(image).Image;

http://www.atalasoft.com/products/dotimage

Answer 4

Easier than simulating a perspective distort using image manipulation, you could use OpenGL or DirectX (XNA) to actually perform the perspective display.

Render a simple quad with your image as the texture map. Setup your scene, render to a buffer, and you have your image.

Update It turns out that XNA is a ridiculous library (geared toward making games and nothing else, yawn). Managed DirectX requires a brain lobotomy. OpenGL is easy to use, but lacks image loading code. That leaves us with WPF:

alt text http://praeclarum.org/so/persp.png

The image could be improved by forcing WPF into anti-alias mode (why oh why Microsoft are you so short-sighted?), and by not using Aero glass which forces that 1 pixel black border on all screenshots (or by removing that 1 pixel border).

(Sorry for the length of this code, but WPF is a chatty API.)

public partial class Window1 : Window {
    const float ANGLE = 30;
    const float WIDTH = 8;
    public Window1() {
        InitializeComponent();

        var group = new Model3DGroup();
        group.Children.Add(Create3DImage(@"C:\Users\fak\Pictures\so2.png"));
        group.Children.Add(new AmbientLight(Colors.White));

        ModelVisual3D visual = new ModelVisual3D();
        visual.Content = group;
        viewport.Children.Add(visual);
    }

    private GeometryModel3D Create3DImage(string imgFilename) {
        var image = LoadImage(imgFilename);

        var mesh = new MeshGeometry3D();
        var height = (WIDTH * image.PixelHeight) / image.PixelWidth;
        var w2 = WIDTH / 2.0;
        var h2 = height / 2.0;
        mesh.Positions.Add(new Point3D(-w2, -h2, 0));
        mesh.Positions.Add(new Point3D(w2, -h2, 0));
        mesh.Positions.Add(new Point3D(w2, h2, 0));
        mesh.Positions.Add(new Point3D(-w2, h2, 0));
        mesh.TriangleIndices.Add(0);
        mesh.TriangleIndices.Add(1);
        mesh.TriangleIndices.Add(2);
        mesh.TriangleIndices.Add(0);
        mesh.TriangleIndices.Add(2);
        mesh.TriangleIndices.Add(3);
        mesh.TextureCoordinates.Add(new Point(0, 1)); // 0, 0
        mesh.TextureCoordinates.Add(new Point(1, 1));
        mesh.TextureCoordinates.Add(new Point(1, 0));
        mesh.TextureCoordinates.Add(new Point(0, 0));

        var mat = new DiffuseMaterial(new ImageBrush(image));
        mat.AmbientColor = Colors.White;

        var geometry = new GeometryModel3D();
        geometry.Geometry = mesh;
        geometry.Material = mat;
        geometry.BackMaterial = mat;

        geometry.Transform = new RotateTransform3D(
            new AxisAngleRotation3D(new Vector3D(0,1,0), ANGLE),
            new Point3D(0, 0, 0));

        return geometry;
    }

    public static BitmapSource LoadImage(string filename) {
        return BitmapDecoder.Create(new Uri(filename, UriKind.RelativeOrAbsolute),
            BitmapCreateOptions.None, BitmapCacheOption.Default).Frames[0];
    }
}

And the required XAML:

<Window x:Class="Persp.Window1" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
Title="Perspective Window" Height="480" Width="640">
<Grid>
    <Viewport3D x:Name="viewport">
        <Viewport3D.Resources>
        </Viewport3D.Resources>
        <Viewport3D.Camera>
            <PerspectiveCamera x:Name="cam"
                  FarPlaneDistance="100"
                  LookDirection="0,0,-1"
                  UpDirection="0,1,0"
                  NearPlaneDistance="1"
                  Position="0,0,10"
                  FieldOfView="60" />
        </Viewport3D.Camera>
    </Viewport3D>
</Grid>
</Window>