Python: cv2.adaptiveThreshold(src, maxValue, adaptiveMethod, thresholdType, blockSize, C[, dst]) → dst

Parameters:

src – Source 8-bit single-channel image.
dst – Destination image of the same size and the same type as src .
maxValue – Non-zero value assigned to the pixels for which the condition is satisfied. See the details below.
adaptiveMethod – Adaptive thresholding algorithm to use, ADAPTIVE_THRESH_MEAN_C or ADAPTIVE_THRESH_GAUSSIAN_C . See the details below.
thresholdType – Thresholding type that must be either THRESH_BINARY or THRESH_BINARY_INV .
blockSize – Size of a pixel neighborhood that is used to calculate a threshold value for the pixel: 3, 5, 7, and so on.
C – Constant subtracted from the mean or weighted mean (see the details below). Normally, it is positive but may be zero or negative as well.

Taken from here: and it also explains the method in a lot more detail.

The main issue is that the result of adaptiveThreshold has gaps in the external edge, so you can't use it as input to findContours.

I think that using GaussianBlur makes things worst, because it blurs the edge between the hand and the background.

You may use the following stages:

• Convert frame to Grayscale.
• Apply adaptiveThreshold with large kernel size (I used size 51).
  Using a large kernel size, keeps a thick edge line without gaps (except from a small gap at the fingernail).
• Find contours.
  Find the contour with the maximum area.
• Draw the contour (fill with solid value of 255) on a zeros image.
  There is a problem: the inner part of the hand is not filled due to the weird shape of the contour.
• For complete the filling:
  Find the center of the contour, and fill it using floodFill.

Here is a Python code sample:

import numpy as np
import cv2

frame = cv2.imread("hand.jpg")  # Read image from file (for testing).

gray = cv2.cvtColor(frame, cv2.COLOR_BGR2GRAY)  # Use BGR to Gray conversion (not RGBA, because image is read from file)

# Apply adaptiveThreshold with large filter size.
thres_gray = cv2.adaptiveThreshold(gray, 255, cv2.ADAPTIVE_THRESH_GAUSSIAN_C, cv2.THRESH_BINARY_INV, 51, 2)

# Find contours (external contours)
cnts, hier = cv2.findContours(thres_gray, cv2.RETR_EXTERNAL, cv2.CHAIN_APPROX_NONE)

# Find contour with the maximum area
c = max(cnts, key=cv2.contourArea)

res = np.zeros_like(gray)  # Create new zeros images for storing the result.

# Fill the contour with white color - draw the filled contour on res image.
cv2.drawContours(res, [c], -1, 255, -1)

# Compute the center of the contour
# https://www.pyimagesearch.com/2016/02/01/opencv-center-of-contour/
M = cv2.moments(c)
cX = int(M["m10"] / M["m00"])
cY = int(M["m01"] / M["m00"])

# Use floodFill for filling the center of the contour
cv2.floodFill(res, None, (cX, cY), 255)

# Show images for testing
cv2.imshow('thres_gray', thres_gray)
cv2.imshow('res', res)
cv2.waitKey()
cv2.destroyAllWindows()

Results:

thres_gray:

res before floodFill:

res after floodFill:

JAVA implementation:

package myproject;

import org.opencv.core.Core;
import org.opencv.core.Mat;
import org.opencv.core.CvType;
import org.opencv.core.Scalar;
import org.opencv.core.Point;
import org.opencv.core.MatOfPoint;
import org.opencv.imgproc.Imgproc;
import org.opencv.imgproc.Moments;
import org.opencv.imgcodecs.Imgcodecs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;

class Sample {
    

static { System.loadLibrary(Core.NATIVE_LIBRARY_NAME); }


  
public static void main(String[] args) {
    Mat frame = Imgcodecs.imread("hand.jpg");
    
    Mat gray = new Mat();
    Mat thres_gray = new Mat();
    
    Imgproc.cvtColor(frame, gray, Imgproc.COLOR_BGR2GRAY);
    
    //Apply adaptiveThreshold with large filter size.
    Imgproc.adaptiveThreshold(gray, thres_gray, 255, Imgproc.ADAPTIVE_THRESH_GAUSSIAN_C, Imgproc.THRESH_BINARY_INV, 51, 2);    
      
    List<MatOfPoint> contours = new ArrayList<>();
    Mat hierarchy = new Mat();
    
    //Find contours
    Imgproc.findContours(thres_gray, contours, hierarchy, Imgproc.RETR_EXTERNAL, Imgproc.CHAIN_APPROX_NONE);

    //Find contour with the maximum area
    //https://stackoverflow.com/questions/38759925/how-to-find-largest-contour-in-java-opencv
    double maxVal = 0;
    int maxValIdx = 0;
    for (int contourIdx = 0; contourIdx < contours.size(); contourIdx++)
    {
        double contourArea = Imgproc.contourArea(contours.get(contourIdx));
        if (maxVal < contourArea)
        {
            maxVal = contourArea;
            maxValIdx = contourIdx;
        }
    }
       
    Mat res = Mat.zeros(gray.size(), CvType.CV_8UC1);    //Create new zeros images for storing the result.
    
    Imgproc.drawContours(res, contours, maxValIdx, new Scalar(255), -1);
    
    //Compute the center of the contour
    //https://www.pyimagesearch.com/2016/02/01/opencv-center-of-contour/
    Moments M = Imgproc.moments(contours.get(maxValIdx));
    int cX = (int)(M.get_m10() / M.get_m00());
    int cY = (int)(M.get_m01() / M.get_m00());    

    //Use floodFill for filling the center of the contour.    
    Mat mask = Mat.zeros(res.rows() + 2, res.cols() + 2, CvType.CV_8UC1);
    Imgproc.floodFill(res, mask, new Point(cX, cY), new Scalar(255));
       
    Imgcodecs.imwrite("res.png", res);
}

}