10. One or more computer-readable storage device having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, that when executed by a computing system having a processor and memory, cause the computing system to perform a method comprising: receiving a search query; providing a plurality of image results, each of the plurality of image results having one or more associated shape-descriptors, including a first edgel-based representation thereof, wherein the first edgel-based representation comprises a first set of pixels that depicts one or more first boundary contours of each of the plurality of image results and is created by segmenting each of the plurality of image results into a plurality of image result segments and performing a multi-phase contour detection on each of the plurality of image result segments; receiving a visual query refinement, wherein the visual query refinement comprises one or more of an image and a collage; converting the visual query refinement into at least one shape-descriptor, including a second edgel-based representation, wherein the second edgel-based representation comprises a second set of pixels that depicts one or more second boundary contours of the visual query refinement and is created by segmenting the visual query refinement into a plurality visual query refinement segments and performing a multi-phase contour detection on each of the plurality of visual query refinement segments; and comparing the one or more shape-descriptors, including the first edgel-based representations of the plurality of images results with the at least one shape-descriptor, including the second edgel-based representation of the visual query refinement to identify at least one refinement-matching image of the plurality of image results.
10. One or more computer-readable storage device having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, that when executed by a computing system having a processor and memory, cause the computing system to perform a method comprising: receiving a search query; providing a plurality of image results, each of the plurality of image results having one or more associated shape-descriptors, including a first edgel-based representation thereof, wherein the first edgel-based representation comprises a first set of pixels that depicts one or more first boundary contours of each of the plurality of image results and is created by segmenting each of the plurality of image results into a plurality of image result segments and performing a multi-phase contour detection on each of the plurality of image result segments; receiving a visual query refinement, wherein the visual query refinement comprises one or more of an image and a collage; converting the visual query refinement into at least one shape-descriptor, including a second edgel-based representation, wherein the second edgel-based representation comprises a second set of pixels that depicts one or more second boundary contours of the visual query refinement and is created by segmenting the visual query refinement into a plurality visual query refinement segments and performing a multi-phase contour detection on each of the plurality of visual query refinement segments; and comparing the one or more shape-descriptors, including the first edgel-based representations of the plurality of images results with the at least one shape-descriptor, including the second edgel-based representation of the visual query refinement to identify at least one refinement-matching image of the plurality of image results. 14. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein converting the visual query refinement into the at least one shape-descriptor, including the second edgel-based representation comprises, at least in part, segmenting the visual query refinement into a plurality of segments, and performing a multi-phase contour detection on the plurality of segments.