OpenCV with Python By Example

What are integral images?

If we want to compute Haar features, we will have to compute the summations of many different rectangular regions within the image. If we want to effectively build the feature set, we need to compute these summations at multiple scales. This is a very expensive process! If we want to build a real time system, we cannot spend so many cycles in computing these sums. So we use something called integral images.

To compute the sum of any rectangle in the image, we don't need to go through all the elements in that rectangular area. Let's say AP indicates the sum of all the elements in the rectangle formed by the top left point ...