Patent ID: 8625890

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for stylizing geographic features in a photographic image, comprising: (a) identifying a plurality of pixel regions in the photographic image; for each pixel region in the plurality of pixel regions: (b) identifying a plurality of attributes of image content within the pixel region of the photographic image using the image content, the identifying (b) comprising determining altitude values for respective pixels in the pixel region of the photographic image; (c) normalizing the altitude values for respective pixels in the pixel region against an altitude value representing an altitude of the ground in a geographic region illustrated in the photographic image; (d) determining a geographic content type of the pixel region using a classifier trained to recognize the geographic content type based on the plurality of attributes, the determining (d) comprising determining whether the geographic content type is a man-made structure based, at least in part, on the normalized altitude values for respective pixels, wherein a likelihood of the geographic content type being determined to be a man-made structure increases as the normalized altitude value increases; and (e) altering at least one of the plurality of pixel regions of the photographic image based on the respective determined geographic content type to stylize a geographic feature illustrated in the photographic image.