A method of generating a descriptor (12, 48) of at least part of an image, including: a) receiving image data (26, 90) representing the at least part of the image, wherein the image data includes data indicative of a plurality of colour channels of the at least part of the image; b) processing the image data to identify at least one texture characteristic of the at least part of the image, wherein the processing the image data includes: generating colour channel image data for each of the plurality of colour channels, and processing the colour channel image data to identify at least one texture characteristic of the at least part of the image for each of the plurality of colour channels, thereby generating, for each of the plurality of colour channels, texture data indicative of a texture of the at least part of the image; wherein generating the texture data comprises applying filters (30, 39, 41, 78, 80, 82, 86) including a set of first direction filters including: a first direction filter for identifying a texture characteristic of a first direction, and at least one further first direction filter for identifying a texture characteristic of the first direction on at least one different scale and optionally with at least one different symmetry; c) processing the texture data for each one of the plurality of colour channels with the colour channel image data for the corresponding one of the plurality of colour channels, including weighting the texture data with data indicative of an intensity of the at least part of the image, thereby generating weighted texture data for each of the plurality of colour channels, the weighted texture data being texture intensity data indicative of an intensity of at least one texture characteristic; and d) generating the descriptor of the at least part of the image using the weighted texture data. a) receiving image data (26, 90) representing the at least part of the image, wherein the image data includes data indicative of a plurality of colour channels of the at least part of the image; b) processing the image data to identify at least one texture characteristic of the at least part of the image, wherein the processing the image data includes: generating colour channel image data for each of the plurality of colour channels, and processing the colour channel image data to identify at least one texture characteristic of the at least part of the image for each of the plurality of colour channels, thereby generating, for each of the plurality of colour channels, texture data indicative of a texture of the at least part of the image; wherein generating the texture data comprises applying filters (30, 39, 41, 78, 80, 82, 86) including a set of first direction filters including: a first direction filter for identifying a texture characteristic of a first direction, and at least one further first direction filter for identifying a texture characteristic of the first direction on at least one different scale and optionally with at least one different symmetry; generating colour channel image data for each of the plurality of colour channels, and processing the colour channel image data to identify at least one texture characteristic of the at least part of the image for each of the plurality of colour channels, thereby generating, for each of the plurality of colour channels, texture data indicative of a texture of the at least part of the image; wherein generating the texture data comprises applying filters (30, 39, 41, 78, 80, 82, 86) including a set of first direction filters including: a first direction filter for identifying a texture characteristic of a first direction, and at least one further first direction filter for identifying a texture characteristic of the first direction on at least one different scale and optionally with at least one different symmetry; a first direction filter for identifying a texture characteristic of a first direction, and at least one further first direction filter for identifying a texture characteristic of the first direction on at least one different scale and optionally with at least one different symmetry; c) processing the texture data for each one of the plurality of colour channels with the colour channel image data for the corresponding one of the plurality of colour channels, including weighting the texture data with data indicative of an intensity of the at least part of the image, thereby generating weighted texture data for each of the plurality of colour channels, the weighted texture data being texture intensity data indicative of an intensity of at least one texture characteristic; and d) generating the descriptor of the at least part of the image using the weighted texture data.