Model-based face reconstruction using SIFT flow registration and spherical harmonics

In this paper, we propose a robust method for face reconstruction using a single color image. A 3D morphable model is used to reconstruct a smooth 3D face shape. To find the correspondence between model vertices and image pixels, landmarks are updated using SIFT flow which is illumination and rotation invariant. To reconstruct more detailed information, depth values are refined using a shape from shading method which approximates lighting condition by spherical harmonics. We test the proposed method on a set of real world images and compare reconstructed results with depth maps captured by a depth camera. The average error is around 3.3 mm.