Skin Segmentation

Module: Computer Vision | Difficulty: Beginner

Skin Color Models

YCbCr Space

Skin clusters in a compact region: and .

HSV Space

Gaussian Model

import cv2
import numpy as np

def detect_skin_ycbcr(img):
    ycbcr = cv2.cvtColor(img, cv2.COLOR_BGR2YCrCb)
    lower = np.array([0, 133, 77])
    upper = np.array([255, 173, 127])
    mask = cv2.inRange(ycbcr, lower, upper)
    return mask

def detect_skin_hsv(img):
    hsv = cv2.cvtColor(img, cv2.COLOR_BGR2HSV)
    lower = np.array([0, 58, 30])
    upper = np.array([50, 174, 255])
    mask = cv2.inRange(hsv, lower, upper)
    return mask

Key Takeaways

• Skin segmentation is fundamental for face/hand detection
• YCbCr and HSV spaces provide robust skin color modeling
• Illumination changes require adaptive thresholds