Method and apparatus for enhancing flash and ambient images
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for generating an enhanced output image, comprising the steps of:
- acquiring an ambient image of a scene illuminated by ambient light;
acquiring a flash image of the scene illuminated with a flash unit;
determining a gradient flash image from the flash image;
determining a gradient ambient image from the ambient image;
combining the gradient flash image and the gradient ambient image to produce a combined gradient image;
constructing an enhanced output image from the combined gradient image;
in which the flash image is due to a flash radiance Φ
scaled by a flash power P, and the ambient image is due to an ambient radiance α
scaled by an exposure time E, and wherein flash gradients in the gradient flash image are ∇
Φ and
ambient gradients in the gradient ambient image are ∇
α
;
andin which a coherence map for the gradient flash image and the gradient ambient image is
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Abstract
A method and system generate an enhanced output image. A first image is acquired of a scene illuminated by a first illumination condition. A second image is acquired of the scene illuminated by a second illumination condition. First and second gradient images are determined from the first and second images. Orientations of gradients in the first and second gradient images are compared to produce a combined gradient image, and an enhanced output image is constructed from the combined gradient image.
43 Citations
15 Claims
-
1. A method for generating an enhanced output image, comprising the steps of:
-
acquiring an ambient image of a scene illuminated by ambient light; acquiring a flash image of the scene illuminated with a flash unit; determining a gradient flash image from the flash image; determining a gradient ambient image from the ambient image; combining the gradient flash image and the gradient ambient image to produce a combined gradient image; constructing an enhanced output image from the combined gradient image;
in which the flash image is due to a flash radiance Φ
scaled by a flash power P, and the ambient image is due to an ambient radiance α
scaled by an exposure time E, and wherein flash gradients in the gradient flash image are ∇
Φ and
ambient gradients in the gradient ambient image are ∇
α
;
andin which a coherence map for the gradient flash image and the gradient ambient image is - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
where the vector ∇
{tilde over (Φ
)} is along the vector ∇
Φ and
k is a scalar value.
-
-
4. The method of claim 1, in which the combined gradient image is
∇- Φ
*=wS∇
α
+1(1−
wS)(M∇
Φ
′
+(1−
M)∇
α
,wherein wS are weights.
- Φ
-
5. The method of claim 4, in which the weights wS, are a function of normalized pixel intensities.
-
6. The method of claim 1, in which a symbol →
- denotes projecting, and the combined gradient image is
∇
α
*=wS∇
α
′
+(1−
wS)(∇
α
′
→
∇
Φ
),wherein wS are weights.
- denotes projecting, and the combined gradient image is
-
7. The method of claim 1, in which the constructing further comprises:
integrating gradients in the combined gradient image.
-
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
-
generating a residual image according to ∇
η
A=(1−
wS)[∇
α
′
−
(∇
α
′
−
∇
Φ
)],where wS are weights, and ∇
η
A represents noise in the ambient image.
-
-
9. The method of claim 1, in which a symbol →
- denotes projecting, and further comprising;
adding the gradient flash image and the gradient ambient image to produce an additive gradient image ∇
H, and the combined gradient image is
∇
Φ
*=wue∇
H+(1−
wue)(∇
H→
∇
α
),where wS are weights.
- denotes projecting, and further comprising;
-
10. The method of claim 1, in which the combined gradient field is
∇- Φ
′
=M ∇
Φ
/β
+(1−
M)∇
α
,where β
is a linear scaling term.
- Φ
-
11. The method of claim 1, in which the flash image is acquired while the scene is also illuminated by the ambient light, and further comprising:
subtracting the ambient image from flash image before determining the gradient flash image.
-
12. A system for generating an enhanced output image, comprising:
-
a camera configured to acquire a first image of a scene illuminated by a first illumination condition and a second image of the scene illuminated by a second illumination condition; means for determining a first gradient image from the first image; means for determining a second gradient image from the second image; means for comparing the first gradient image and the second gradient image to produce a combined gradient image; means for constructing an enhanced output image from the combined gradient image; wherein the first illumination condition is produced by a flash unit, and the second illumination condition is ambient lighting; in which the first image is due to a flash radiance Φ
scaled by a flash power P, and the second image is due to an ambient radiance α
scaled by an exposure time E, and wherein flash gradients in the first gradient image are ∇
Φ and
ambient gradients in the second gradient image are ∇
α
;
andin which a coherence map for the first gradient image and the second gradient image is
-
-
13. A method for generating an enhanced output image, comprising the steps of:
-
acquiring a first image of a scene illuminated by a first illumination condition; acquiring a second image of the scene illuminated by a second illumination condition; determining a first gradient image from the first image; determining a second gradient image from the second image; comparing an orientation of gradients in the first gradient image and the second gradient image to produce a combined gradient image; constructing an enhanced output image from the combined gradient image; in which the first illumination condition is produced by a flash unit and the second illumination condition is produced by ambient lighting; in which the first image is due to a flash radiance Φ
scaled by a flash power P, and the second image is due to an ambient radiance α
scaled by an exposure time E, and wherein flash gradients in the first gradient image are ∇
Φ and
ambient gradients in the second gradient image are ∇
α
;
andwherein a coherence map for the first gradient image and the second gradient image is - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
-
Specification