HOLE FILLING FOR DEPTH IMAGE BASED RENDERING

Bordering pixels delineating a texture hole region in an image are identified. Depth values of the bordering pixels are recorded. The depth values are automatically clustered into two depth value clusters with a depth value threshold separating the two depth value clusters. A subset of bordering background pixels is identified in the bordering pixels as those with depth values in one of the two depth value clusters that is declared as a background depth value cluster. The subset of bordering background pixels is used to predict texture hole pixel values in the texture hole region based on multiple candidate prediction directions. Quality indicator values are computed for the multiple candidate prediction directions and used to select a specific candidate prediction direction for filling in final texture hole pixel values in the texture hole region of the image.