Intrinsic Image Transfer for Illumination Manipulation

This paper presents a novel intrinsic image transfer (IIT) algorithm for illumination manipulation, which creates a local image translation between two illumination surfaces. This model is built on an optimization-based framework consisting of three photo-realistic losses defined on the sub-layers factorized by an intrinsic image decomposition. We illustrate that all losses can be reduced without the necessity of taking an intrinsic image decomposition under the well-known spatial-varying illumination illumination-invariant reflectance prior knowledge. Moreover, with a series of relaxations, all of them can be directly defined on images, giving a closed-form solution for image illumination manipulation. This new paradigm differs from the prevailing Retinex-based algorithms, as it provides an implicit way to deal with the per-pixel image illumination. We finally demonstrate its versatility and benefits to the illumination-related tasks such as illumination compensation, image enhancement, and high dynamic range (HDR) image compression, and show the high-quality results on natural image datasets

Adaptive smoothness constraint image multilevel fuzzy enhancement algorithm

For the problems of poor enhancement effect and long time consuming of the traditional algorithm, an adaptive smoothness constraint image multilevel fuzzy enhancement algorithm based on secondary color-to-grayscale conversion is proposed. By using fuzzy set theory and generalized fuzzy set theory, a new linear generalized fuzzy operator transformation is carried out to obtain a new linear generalized fuzzy operator. By using linear generalized membership transformation and inverse transformation, secondary color-to-grayscale conversion of adaptive smoothness constraint image is performed. Combined with generalized fuzzy operator, the region contrast fuzzy enhancement of adaptive smoothness constraint image is realized, and image multilevel fuzzy enhancement is realized. Experimental results show that the fuzzy degree of the image is reduced by the improved algorithm, and the clarity of the adaptive smoothness constraint image is improved effectively. The time consuming is short, and it has some advantages

A simplified HDR image processing pipeline for digital photography

High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging has revolutionized the digital imaging. It allows capture, storage, manipulation, and display of full dynamic range of the captured scene. As a result, it has spawned whole new possibilities for digital photography, from photorealistic to hyper-real. With all these advantages, the technique is expected to replace the conventional 8-bit Low Dynamic Range (LDR) imaging in the future. However, HDR results in an even more complex imaging pipeline including new techniques for capturing, encoding, and displaying images. The goal of this thesis is to bridge the gap between conventional imaging pipeline to the HDR’s in as simple a way as possible. We make three contributions. First we show that a simple extension of gamma encoding suffices as a representation to store HDR images. Second, gamma as a control for image contrast can be ‘optimally’ tuned on a per image basis. Lastly, we show a general tone curve, with detail preservation, suffices to tone map an image (there is only a limited need for the expensive spatially varying tone mappers). All three of our contributions are evaluated psychophysically. Together they support our general thesis that an HDR workflow, similar to that already used in photography, might be used. This said, we believe the adoption of HDR into photography is, perhaps, less difficult than it is sometimes posed to be

Video Enhancement and Dynamic Range Control of HDR Sequences for Automotive Applications

CMOS video cameras with high dynamic range (HDR) output are particularly suitable for driving assistance applications, where lighting conditions can strongly vary, going from direct sunlight to dark areas in tunnels. However, common visualization devices can only handle a low dynamic range, and thus a dynamic range reduction is needed. Many algorithms have been proposed in the literature to reduce the dynamic range of still pictures. Anyway, extending the available methods to video is not straightforward, due to the peculiar nature of video data. We propose an algorithm for both reducing the dynamic range of video sequences and enhancing its appearance, thus improving visual quality and reducing temporal artifacts. We also provide an optimized version of our algorithm for a viable hardware implementation on an FPGA. The feasibility of this implementation is demonstrated by means of a case study

Non-Iterative Tone Mapping With High Efficiency and Robustness

This paper proposes an efficient approach for tone mapping, which provides a high perceptual image quality for diverse scenes. Most existing methods, optimizing images for the perceptual model, use an iterative process and this process is time consuming. To solve this problem, we proposed a new layer-based non-iterative approach to finding an optimal detail layer for generating a tone-mapped image. The proposed method consists of the following three steps. First, an image is decomposed into a base layer and a detail layer to separate the illumination and detail components. Next, the base layer is globally compressed by applying the statistical naturalness model based on the statistics of the luminance and contrast in the natural scenes. The detail layer is locally optimized based on the structure fidelity measure, representing the degree of local structural detail preservation. Finally, the proposed method constructs the final tone-mapped image by combining the resultant layers. The performance evaluation reveals that the proposed method outperforms the benchmarking methods for almost all the benchmarking test images. Specifically, the proposed method improves an average tone mapping quality index-II (TMQI-II), a feature similarity index for tone-mapped images (FSITM), and a high-dynamic range-visible difference predictor (HDR-VDP)-2.2 by up to 0.651 (223.4%), 0.088 (11.5%), and 10.371 (25.2%), respectively, compared with the benchmarking methods, whereas it improves the processing speed by over 2611 times. Furthermore, the proposed method decreases the standard deviations of TMQI-II, FSITM, and HDR-VDP-2.2, and processing time by up to 81.4%, 18.9%, 12.6%, and 99.9%, respectively, when compared with the benchmarking methods.11Ysciescopu

Retinex-Based Low Contrast Image Enhancement Using Adaptive Tone-Mapping

Department of Electrical EngineeringIn this paper, we enhance low contrast images using the human visual system based Retinex theory and adaptive tone-mapping. We try to reduce halo artifact and color inconsistency, but also preserve naturalness of images. In the proposed algorithm, we process only the Y channel of the Yuv color space rather than RGB color space to maintain color-constancy. We first apply an adaptive bilateral filtering on the Y channel image to alleviate halo artifact during enhancement. Then we partition the intensity range of probability distribution of filtered Y channel image into low, middle, and high contrast regions according to a cost function. We improve the contrast of filtered Y channel image by using A-law based tone mapping by stretching the low contrast regions and compressing the high contrast regions adaptively. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm enhances the visibility of input low contrast images efficiently.ope

Tone mapping for high dynamic range images

Tone mapping is an essential step for the reproduction of "nice looking" images. It provides the mapping between the luminances of the original scene to the output device's display values. When the dynamic range of the captured scene is smaller or larger than that of the display device, tone mapping expands or compresses the luminance ratios. We address the problem of tone mapping high dynamic range (HDR) images to standard displays (CRT, LCD) and to HDR displays. With standard displays, the dynamic range of the captured HDR scene must be compressed significantly, which can induce a loss of contrast resulting in a loss of detail visibility. Local tone mapping operators can be used in addition to the global compression to increase the local contrast and thus improve detail visibility, but this tends to create artifacts. We developed a local tone mapping method that solves the problems generally encountered by local tone mapping algorithms. Namely, it does not create halo artifacts, nor graying-out of low contrast areas, and provides good color rendition. We then investigated specifically the rendition of color and confirmed that local tone mapping algorithms must be applied to the luminance channel only. We showed that the correlation between luminance and chrominance plays a role in the appearance of the final image but a perfect decorrelation is not necessary. Recently developed HDR monitors enable the display of HDR images with hardly any compression of their dynamic range. The arrival of these displays on the market create the need for new tone mapping algorithms. In particular, legacy images that were mapped to SDR displays must be re-rendered to HDR displays, taking best advantage of the increase in dynamic range. This operation can be seen as the reverse of the tone mapping to SDR. We propose a piecewise linear tone scale function that enhances the brightness of specular highlights so that the sensation of naturalness is improved. Our tone scale algorithm is based on the segmentation of the image into its diffuse and specular components as well as on the range of display luminance that is allocated to the specular component and the diffuse component, respectively. We performed a psychovisual experiment to validate the benefit of our tone scale. The results showed that, with HDR displays, allocating more luminance range to the specular component than what was allocated in the image rendered to SDR displays provides more natural looking images