Book excerpt: This volume contains papers presented at the 5th International Conference on Image Analysis and Processing. It covers the most important topics of current interest in the field, presenting a large collection of recent results achieved by leading academic and industrial research groups from several countries. It contains invited lectures and research papers dealing with theoretical and applicative aspects of Image Processing. It is a valuable and updated reference source for the Image Processing community. It contains advanced architectural concepts and describes new frontiers for applicants.