Low light image enhancement with dual-tree complex wavelet transform

In low light condition, low dynamic range of the captured image distorts the contrast and results in high noise levels. In this paper, we propose an effective contrast enhancement method based on dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DT-CWT) which operates on a wide range of imagery without noise amplification. In terms of enhancement, we employ a logarithmic function for global brightness enhancement based on the nonlinear response of human vision to luminance. Moreover, we enhance the local contrast by contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) in low-pass subbands to make image structure clearer. In terms of noise reduction, based on the direction selective property of DT-CWT, we perform content-based total variation (TV) diffusion which controls the smoothing degree according to noise and edges in high-pass subbands. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a good performance in low light image enhancment and outperforms state-of-the-art ones in terms of contrast enhancement and noise reduction.     

An image pixel based variational model for histogram equalization

In this paper, we develop an image pixel based histogram equalization model for image contrast enhancement. The approach is to propose a variational model containing an energy functional to adjust the pixel values of an input image directly so that the resulting histogram can be redistributed to be uniform. This idea is different from existing histogram equalization algorithms where a histogram based on the input image is constructed, a mapping is determined to output a uniform histogram and then the pixel values of the input image are adjusted based on the mapping. In the variational model, a mean brightness term is incorporated to preserve the brightness of the input image, and a geometry constraint can also be added to keep the geometry structure of the input image. Theoretically, the existence of the minimizer of the proposed model, and the convergence of the proposed algorithm are given. Experimental results are reported to demonstrate that the performance of the proposed model are competitive with the other testing histogram equalization methods for several testing images.     

基于分层最大熵的航拍图像增强

针对恶劣的天气条件使航拍图像的对比度低、细 节模糊的问题,提出了一种基于分层最大熵的图像 增强算法。首先将图像的直方图平均分割成4个子层;然后根据分割后子层的特征求取每个 子层 的自适应函数;最后根据该函数完成每个子层的规定化处理。实 验结果表明,经过本文算法处理后图像的对比度得到了提高,同时图像的细节和纹理信息也 得到了增强。     

基于场景复杂度计算的红外图像平台直方图均衡

直方图均衡类算法由于缺乏限制项,增强后的红外图像易出现灰度级合并和过增强,视觉效果不佳。为解决上述问题,提出基于场景复杂度限制型的平台直方图均衡算法。该算法首先提出对图像场景复杂度进行估计,并将Harris角点数量作为图像复杂度评价依据。然后建立类似sigmoid函数的图像复杂度评价函数,将场景复杂度标准化。最后综合考虑图像复杂度和防止原图均值漂移,依据平台直方图均衡原理获取全局变换函数,重建红外图像。实验结果表明：该方法可有效地依据不同场景实现红外图像增强,不出现过增强和噪声放大。客观评价指标表明,该方法在保持图像均值亮度和图像信息熵方面表现优异。     

Image contrast enhancement using geometric mean filter

Histogram equalization HE is one of the most popular methods for image contrast enhancement. However, the intensity of the input image plays an important role on its performance. In particular, HE fails to enhance images with a dominant color. Therefore, several techniques were proposed to tackle this problem. Some are built for brightness preservation, and others aim to maximize the preservation of structural information. In this paper, we propose an efficient HE enhancement technique that is not only addresses brightness preservation but also both edge and structural information preservation. The proposed technique investigates the geometric mean filter for smoothing the peaks in the histogram before applying the HE. To support our claims, a set of experiments were conducted. Remarkably, through qualitative and quantitative evaluations, results demonstrate that the performance of the proposed method, when compared with a set of other state-of-the-art methods including HE, CLAHE, Log-Power, BPDFHE and DWT–SVD, shows a significant improvement especially in terms of structural and edge preservation.     

Contrast enhancement by modified octagon histogram equalization

Histogram equalization is the common method used for contrast enhancement. The mean brightness of the image is adjusted to middle of the permitted range and hence is not suitable for consumer electronics products. A novel contrast enhancement method using modified octagon histogram equalization is developed to overcome the drawback of conventional technique for gray scale images. The proposed algorithm is applied for boat image, microstructure of steel and human head. The contrast enhanced out of the images mentioned is obtained, and the efficiency of the algorithm is evaluated. Simulation results shows that the proposed method can enhance the different types of images effectively. Besides, the proposed contrast enhancement method using modified octagon histogram equalization has comparable performance with black and white stretching and adaptive histogram equalization.     

Bi-histogram equalization using two plateau limits

Histogram equalization is an effective method for contrast enhancement on images, but it suffers from some problems such as the tendency to change the mean brightness, loss of information and the introduction of saturation levels which causes an unnatural appearance in the resulting image. Due to the aforementioned problems, a variety of histogram equalization methods have been developed in order to preserve the image brightness, thus avoiding saturation levels that cause loss of information. In this paper, the bi-histogram equalization using two plateau limits (BHE2PL) for histogram equalization is proposed. BHE2PL divides the global histogram into two sub-histograms; then, each sub-histogram is modified by two plateau limits in order to avoid over-enhancement of the image. Experimental results indicate that the BHE2PL method exhibits a better mean brightness preservation compared to methods found in the state of the art; in addition to also presenting a reasonable computation time.     

Reversible data hiding with automatic contrast enhancement using two-sided histogram expansion

Recently, reversible data hiding (RDH) has emerged into a new class of data hiding methods that enables exact retrieving of both embedded data and cover medium. In the present study, a novel automatic RDH method with contrast enhancement is proposed, in which the data is embedded through two-sided histogram expansion. Two-sided histogram shifting doubles the number of bits embedded at each iteration. Moreover, it preserves the mean brightness of the cover image and prevents it from over enhancement with less calculation. Experimental results on two sets of images show that the proposed method enhances the image contrast at an appropriate level without using a mean brightness controller during data embedding and provides higher information security compared to the existing RDH approaches.     

Contrast enhancement using feature-preserving bi-histogram equalization

A new contrast enhancement algorithm is proposed, which is based on the fact that, for conventional histogram equalization, a uniform input histogram produces an equalized output histogram. Hence before applying histogram equalization, we modify the input histogram in such a way that it is close to a uniform histogram as well as the original one. Thus, the proposed method can improve the contrast while preserving original image features. The main steps of the new algorithm are adaptive gamma transform, exposure-based histogram splitting, and histogram addition. The object of gamma transform is to restrain histogram spikes to avoid over-enhancement and noise artifacts effect. Histogram splitting is for preserving mean brightness, and histogram addition is used to control histogram pits. Extensive experiments are conducted on 300 test images. The results are evaluated subjectively as well as by DE, PSNR EBCM, GMSD, and MCSD metrics, on which, except for the PSNR, the proposed algorithm has some improvements of 2.89, 9.83, 28.32, and 26.38% over the second best ESIHE algorithm, respectively. That is to say, the overall image quality is better.     

自适应双边滤波与方向梯度的红外图像增强

为克服现有的红外图像增强方法存在欠增强、过增强以及对比度不高等缺陷,提出了自适应双边滤波与方向梯度的红外图像增强方法。对双边滤波进行改进,加权系数自适应于平滑区域和细节区域,以作为Retinex的中心环绕函数,将红外图像分解为基础层和细节层;用改进的平台直方图均衡化对基础层图像进行增强;提出一种方向梯度算子,用其提取细节层图像的梯度图,进而对细节层图像进行非线性的自适应边缘增强。实验结果表明,相对于部分现有的方法,本文方法能更有效地提升红外图像的亮度和对比度,增强图像的视觉效果更佳。     

基于最大熵模型的双直方图均衡算法

为改进亮度保持双直方图均衡算法的不足,提出基于最大熵模型的动态范围优化方法,扩展了双直方图均衡算法的应用范围,使之不仅适用于正常亮度图像,对低照度及高亮图像也能取得较好的效果.算法首先选用大津法确定直方图数据分割点;然后对初始直方图进行预处理;根据所提出的最大熵模型确定最佳的动态范围分割点;最后进行双直方图均衡得到增强图像.本文选取多个图像数据库进行测试,并与BBHE（Brightness preserving Bi-Histogram Equalization）、BPCLBHE（Brightness Preserving and Contrast Limited Bi-Histogram Equalization）、ESIHE（Exposure based Sub Image Histogram Equalization）和DRSHE（Dynamic Range Separate Histogram Equalization）进行比较,同时将信息熵、对比度和NIQE（Natural Image Quality Evaluator）作为客观评价指标.实验结果证明,本文算法对各类图像均具有较好的主观视觉效果和客观评价指标,在保留细节的同时兼顾了对比度的增强.     

A Histogram Modification Framework and Its Application for Image Contrast Enhancement

A general framework based on histogram equalization for image contrast enhancement is presented. In this framework, contrast enhancement is posed as an optimization problem that minimizes a cost function. Histogram equalization is an effective technique for contrast enhancement. However, a conventional histogram equalization (HE) usually results in excessive contrast enhancement, which in turn gives the processed image an unnatural look and creates visual artifacts. By introducing specifically designed penalty terms, the level of contrast enhancement can be adjusted; noise robustness, white/black stretching and mean-brightness preservation may easily be incorporated into the optimization. Analytic solutions for some of the important criteria are presented. Finally, a low-complexity algorithm for contrast enhancement is presented, and its performance is demonstrated against a recently proposed method.      

图像通信中一种低照度彩色图像增强算法

针对低照度彩色图像细节模糊、亮度不高等问题,提出一种新的彩色图像增强算法。首先引入新传递函数改进传统同态滤波,然后,在RGB色彩空间上,分别对R、G、B分量用改进的同态滤波和对比度受限自适应直方图均衡（CLAHE）进行增强。接着,转换到HSV色彩空间,用非线性函数对亮度进行光照补偿,对饱和度进行1.5倍拉伸。最后恢复图像色彩信息。实验结果表明,新算法在保持图像细节的同时能够增强图像对比度,使图像清晰度更高。     

基于亮度均值的动态直方图均衡算法

基于子行驱动下的图像显示因低灰阶数据的丢失造成图像对比度的下降,直方图均衡算法是一种常用的提高图像对比度的增强方法,但由于均衡化后的亮度饱和效应,增强后的图像不适于应用于电子显示设备.因此提出一种基于灰度级频数,亮度均值为强调因子的动态直方图均衡算法,在提高图像对比度的同时,保持均衡前后图像的亮度稳定性.     

基于Piecewise直方图均衡化的图像增强方法

提出了一种基于Piecewise直方图均衡化的图像增强方法,有机地结合了亮度拉伸和传统直方图均衡化的优点。通过定义直方图中相邻灰度级的距离,引入了一个基于直方图均值和标准偏差的Piecewise线性变换,探讨了图像过亮时Piecewise直方图均衡化参数的选取。实验表明,该方法的处理结果能有效避免现有的直方图均衡化方法中的"吞噬"问题和亮度饱和问题。在增强图像时不仅能保留细节,而且具有更加自然的视觉效果。     

Dark satellite image enhancement using knee transfer function and gamma correction based on DWT–SVD

In this paper, an improved and simple approach for enhancement of dark and low contrast satellite image based on knee function and gamma correction using discrete wavelet transform with singular value decomposition (DWT–SVD) has been proposed for quality enhancement of feature. In addition, this method can also process the high resolution dark or very low contrast images, and offers best enhanced result using tuning parameter of Gamma. The technique decomposes the input image into four frequency subbands by using DWT and estimates the singular value matrix of the low–low subband image, and then compute the knee transfer function using gamma correction for further improvement of the LL component. Afterward, processed LL band image undergoes IDWT together with the unprocessed LH, HL, and HH subbands to generate an appropriate enhanced image. Although, various histogram equalization approaches has been proposed in the literature, they tend to degrade the overall image quality by exhibiting saturation artifacts in both low- and high-intensity regions. The proposed algorithm overcomes this problem using knee function and gamma correction. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm enhances the overall contrast and visibility of local details better than the existing techniques.     

一种基于映射阈值的图像增强方法

针对灰度变换中映射范围难以确定的问题,提出了一种利用映射阈值进行图像增强的新方法.在直方图灰度的映射变换过程中,自动搜索目标区和背景区峰值间的最低点,并将其作为阈值进行关于图像灰度范围的映射,以调整图像的灰度覆盖范围,从而实现图像的亮度和对比度增强.实验分析表明,该方法能够调整图像增强后的灰度动态范围,取得比常规直方图灰度变换更好的增强效果.新方法解决了映射变换中的灰度范围确定问题,是一种有效的图像增强方法.     

保持图像亮度的局部直方图均衡算法

现有的局部直方图均衡算法用于图像的对比度增强时,输出图像的亮度与输入图像无关.由于图像增强的很多实际应用需要保持原始图像的亮度,为此提出一种新的局部直方图均衡算法.以子块部分重叠的局部直方图均衡算法 (POSHE)为基础,改进其对子块图像的均衡方式:根据亮度均值对子块图像进行递归分解,得到一系列不同灰度范围的子图像,然后对每一个子图像在其相应的灰度范围内进行直方图均衡,最后合并这些子图像的均衡结果.实验结果表明,这种局部直方图均衡新算法既能充分增强图像局部细节,又能保持输入图像的亮度,且亮度的保持程度可由用户进行控制.本文算法使所增强的图像具有更加自然的视觉效果,能更好地满足消费类电子工业对图像对比度增强的应用要求.     

基于多尺度Retinex和暗通道的自适应图像去雾算法

针对暗通道先验算法处理大片天空区域存在复原图像的可视化效果较差和图像细节信息不丰富等问题,提出一种基于多尺度Retinex和暗通道的自适应图像去雾算法。采用Canny算子对亮度分量进行边缘检测并利用多尺度Retinex算法消除亮度分量,采用交叉双边滤波优化暗通道的先验理论获得粗略估计的透射率,采用四叉树子空间搜索法选取全局大气光值。为了消除图像中复原图像整体较暗以及无法显示细节信息的现象,使用二维伽马函数校正亮度值,最终得到复原后的去雾图像。实验结果表明,所提算法可以有效恢复有雾图像的细节信息,去雾较为彻底,整体平滑,色彩明亮度较好,图像清晰自然。     

基于静电场中弹簧振子模型的对比度增强

基于灰度值的局部特性,提出了一种新的图像对比度增强算法。在图像平面与灰度值构成的三维空间内,运用弹簧振子模型对其进行建模,并确定模型的各个参数。对该算法进行对比验证,验证结果表明,该算法明显优于全局直方图均衡(GHE)算法,达到了很好的对比度增强效果。对增强效果给出了评价指标。