OpenCV with Python By Example

Binary Robust Independent Elementary Features (BRIEF)

Even though we have FAST to quickly detect the keypoints, we still have to use SIFT or SURF to compute the descriptors. We need a way to quickly compute the descriptors as well. This is where BRIEF comes into the picture. BRIEF is a method for extracting feature descriptors. It cannot detect the keypoints by itself, so we need to use it in conjunction with a keypoint detector. The good thing about BRIEF is that it's compact and fast.

Consider the following image:

BRIEF takes the list of input keypoints and outputs an updated list. So if you run BRIEF on this image, you will see something like this: ...