Estimating text color and segmentation of images

In some embodiments, the invention includes receiving a digital image including text and background. The method includes vector quantizing the digital image such that the digital image is divided into certain colours, and creating a text colour histogram from a portion of the text and a first portion of the background. The method also includes creating at least one background colour histogram from a second portion of the background, and creating a difference colour histogram from a difference between the text colour histogram and the at least one background colour histogram, and wherein an estimated colour of the text is derived from the difference colour histogram. In other embodiments, the invention includes receiving a text object including bounding boxes of multiple frames of a video signal. The method further includes estimating a colour of text of the bounding boxes and aligning blocks representing the bounding boxes through a best displacement search in which only pixels having a colour within a threshold of an estimated colour are considered. Some embodiments of the invention also include receiving digital images in text bounding boxes and in preparation for a segmentation process, adjusting sizes of the digital images to a fixed height.