SUMMARY
A new multi‐scale image segmentation algorithm based on support vector machine (SVM) approximation criteria has been discussed in this paper. Most current multi‐scale image segmentation algorithms are based on the restricted empirical risk minimization, and the approximation of multi‐scale image segmentation was poor. As the SVM theory was one based on the structural risk minimization, the best approximation results could be reached. So, it was combined with multi‐scale image segmentation algorithms, and one‐image multi‐resolution analysis approximation algorithms based on the SVM theory were presented in this paper, which could obtain more accurate multi‐scale image segmentation. By numerical results, the algorithm was further verified that more accurate image segmentation results were unfolded. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.