Using Convolutional Neural Network Filters to Measure Left-Right Mirror Symmetry in Images.

We propose a method for measuring symmetry in images by using filter responses from Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). The aim of the method is to model human perception of left/right symmetry as closely as possible. Using the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) approach has two main advantages: First, CNN filter responses closely match the responses of neurons in the human visual system; they take information on color, edges and texture into account simultaneously. Second, we can measure higher-order symmetry, which relies not only on color, edges and texture, but also on the shapes and objects that are depicted in images. We validated our algorithm on a dataset of 300 music album covers, which were rated according to their symmetry by 20 human observers, and compared results with those from a previously proposed method. With our method, human perception of symmetry can be predicted with high accuracy. Moreover, we demonstrate that the inclusion of features from higher CNN layers, which encode more abstract image content, increases the performance further. In conclusion, we introduce a model of left/right symmetry that closely models human perception of symmetry in CD album covers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]