Abstract Automatic facial age classification and estimation is an interesting and challenging problem, and has many real world applications. The performances of the classification methods may differ depending on the selected training samples. Also using large amount of training samples makes the classification systems more complex and time consuming. In this paper, a novel and a simple age classification method using morph-based age models is presented. The age models representing the common characteristics of age groups are produced using image morphing method. Then age related facial features are extracted with Local Binary Patterns. In the classification phase, ensemble of distance metrics is used to determine the closeness of the test sample to age groups. Then, the results of these metrics are combined with Borda Count voting method to improve the classification performance. Experimental results using the Face and Gesture Recognition Research Network (FGNET) and Park Aging Mind Laboratory (PAL) aging databases show that the proposed method achieves better age classification accuracy when compared to some of the previous methods.

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[24] Txia J. and Huang C., “Age Estimation using AAM and Local Facial Features,” in Proceedings of IEEE 5th International Conference on Intelligent Information Hiding and Multimedia Signal Processing, Kyoto, pp. 885-888, 2009. Asuman Günay Yılmaz received her BSc., MSc. and Ph.D. Degrees from Department of Computer Engineering, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey in 2000, 2003 and 2015 respectively. Currently, she is a Lecturer in Trabzon Vocational School, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. Her research interests include biometric security and machine learning. Vasif Nabiyev received BSc. and MSc. degrees in the Faculty of Computer Engineering and Automation from St. Petersburg Electro Technical University in 1985, and a Ph.D. degree in the Department of Computer Science from Moscow Technical University in 1990. Currently he is a Professor in Department of Computer Engineering, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. His research interests are artificial intelligence, biometry, security, image processing, operational research, combinatorial algorithms. He is author of textbooks titled “Artificial Intelligence: Problems, Methods and Algorithms”, “Algorithms: From Theory to Applications”.