Lucas and Kanade: align images with small gradient-guided steps

What changed

Spatial image gradients guide iterative local least-squares registration, reducing candidate searches and permitting translation, affine and brightness-adjustment extensions.

Scientific scope

Spatial image gradients guide iterative local least-squares registration, reducing candidate searches and permitting translation, affine and brightness-adjustment extensions. The local iterative registration assumes a stated image relation, sufficiently small updates and informative gradients. A singular/poorly conditioned local matrix, large motion or changing appearance can defeat it. The algorithm is not guaranteed global registration of arbitrary image pairs. Pyramids, robust losses and later tracking variants are separate.

Evidence

Source-linked, scoped account of the original work. The published scope states the scientific assumptions and remaining verification limits. WRS has not independently certified the full proof, experimental result or system benchmark.

Contributors

• Bruce D. Lucas; Takeo Kanade · SCIENCE: Complete original scientificbyline;noeffortsplit inferred.
• Cited registration and stereo predecessors · SCIENCE: Priorsearch/SSDA/coarsefine/cameracalibration contributions;notbyline coauthors.
• DARPA; AirForceAvionicsLaboratory · INFRASTRUCTURE: Source-listed funding/contractmonitoring;notbyline science.

• Bruce D. Lucas and Takeo Kanade: An Iterative Image Registration Technique with an Application to Stereo Vision (IJCAI 1981)

Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-16.1. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.

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