Retinal HDR images: Intraocular glare and object size

Abstract— Starting from measured scene luminances, the retinal images of high‐dynamic‐range (HDR) test targets were calculated. These test displays contain 40 gray squares with a 50% average surround. In order to approximate a natural scene, the surround area was made up of half‐white and half‐black squares of different sizes. In this display, the spatial‐frequency distribution approximates a 1/f function of energy vs. spatial frequency. Images with 2.7 and 5.4 optical density ranges were compared. Although the target luminances are very different, after computing the retinal image according to the CIE scatter glare formula, it was found that the retinal ranges are very similar. Intraocular glare strongly restricts the range of the retinal image. Furthermore, uniform, equiluminant target patches are spatially transformed to different gradients with unequal retinal luminances. The usable dynamic range of the display correlates with the range on the retina. Observers report that appearances of white and black squares are constant and uniform, despite the fact that the retinal stimuli are variable and non‐uniform. Human vision uses complex spatial processing to calculate appearance from retinal arrays. Spatial image processing increases apparent contrast with increased white area in the surround. Post‐retinal spatial vision counteracts glare.     

Camera and visual veiling glare in HDR images

Abstract— High‐dynamic‐range (HDR) images are superior to conventional images. The experiments in this paper measure camera and human responses to calibrated HDR test targets. We calibrated a 4.3‐log‐unit test target, with minimal and maximal glare from a changeable surround. Glare is an uncontrolled spread of an image‐dependent fraction of scene luminance in cameras and in the eye. We use this standard test target to measure the range of luminances that can be captured on a camera's image plane. Further, we measure the appearance of these test luminance patches. We discuss why HDR is better than conventional imaging, despite the fact the reproduction of luminance is inaccurate.     

Art,science, and appearance in HDR

Abstract— High‐dynamic‐range (HDR) image capture and display has become an important engineering topic. The discipline of reproducing scenes with a high range of luminances has a five‐century history that includes painting, photography, electronic imaging, and image processing. HDR images are superior to conventional images. There are two fundamental scientific issues that control HDR image capture and reproduction. The first is the range of information that can be measured using different techniques. The second is the range of image information that can be utilized by humans. Optical veiling glare severely limits the range of luminance that can be captured and seen. It is the improved quantization of digital data and the preservation of the scene's spatial information that causes the improvement in quality in HDR reproductions.     

Sky Based Light Metering for High Dynamic Range Images

Image calibration requires both linearization of pixel values and scaling so that values in the image correspond to real‐world luminances. In this paper we focus on the latter and rather than rely on camera characterization, we calibrate images by analysing their content and metadata, obviating the need for expensive measuring devices or modeling of lens and camera combinations. Our analysis correlates sky pixel values to luminances that would be expected based on geographical metadata. Combined with high dynamic range (HDR) imaging, which gives us linear pixel data, our algorithm allows us to find absolute luminance values for each pixel—effectively turning digital cameras into absolute light meters. To validate our algorithm we have collected and annotated a calibrated set of HDR images and compared our estimation with several other approaches, showing that our approach is able to more accurately recover absolute luminance. We discuss various applications and demonstrate the utility of our method in the context of calibrated color appearance reproduction and lighting design.     

Real-time dynamic tone-mapping operator on GPU

This article presents the parallel implementation on a GPU of a real-time dynamic tone-mapping operator. The operator we describe in this article is generic and may be used by any application. However, the goal of our work is to integrate this operator into the graphic rendering process of a car driving simulator; thus, we studied its real-time implementation. The tone-mapping operator outputs a low dynamic range (LDR) image keeping as much as possible the contrast and luminance of the original input high dynamic range (HDR) image. It performs the mapping between the luminances of the original scene to the output device??s display values. We address the problem of mapping HDR images to standard displays. In this case, the tone mapping compresses the luminances ratio. Several tone-mapping operators can be found in the literature as well as some parallelizations. However, they use either static or adaptations of static operators. We have adapted the dynamic operator of Irawan and parallelized it on GPU. Algorithmic optimizations have been performed, and we have explored the different strategies of repartition of the computation among the CPU and the GPU. We have chosen to implement on the GPU the changes between the color spaces and the interpolation of the histogram which are the most time-consuming steps on the CPU (1?C2?s per image 1,002?×?666). All of these optimizations lead to an increase of the processing rate and the number of HDR-quality images displayed to LDR per second. This operator has been implemented on a RISC processor Pentium 4?at 3.6?GHz and a GPU Nvidia 8800?GTX (728MB, 518GFLOPS). The execution speed has been multiplied by a factor of 15 compared to the naive implementation of the algorithm. The display rate reaches 30 images per second, which fulfills our goal for real-time video rate of 25 images per second.     

Temporal Glare: Real-Time Dynamic Simulation of the Scattering in the Human Eye

Glare is a consequence of light scattered within the human eye when looking at bright light sources. This effect can be exploited for tone mapping since adding glare to the depiction of high-dynamic range (HDR) imagery on a low-dynamic range (LDR) medium can dramatically increase perceived contrast. Even though most, if not all, subjects report perceiving glare as a bright pattern that fluctuates in time, up to now it has only been modeled as a static phenomenon. We argue that the temporal properties of glare are a strong means to increase perceived brightness and to produce realistic and attractive renderings of bright light sources. Based on the anatomy of the human eye, we propose a model that enables real-time simulation of dynamic glare on a GPU. This allows an improved depiction of HDR images on LDR media for interactive applications like games, feature films, or even by adding movement to initially static HDR images. By conducting psychophysical studies, we validate that our method improves perceived brightness and that dynamic glare-renderings are often perceived as more attractive depending on the chosen scene.     

一种基于细节层分离的单曝光HDR图像生成算法

针对利用单幅低动态范围（Low dynamic range,LDR）图像生成高动态范围（High dynamic range,HDR）图像细节信息不足的问题,本文提出了一种基于细节层分离的单曝光HDR图像生成算法.该算法基于人类视觉系统模型,首先分别提取出LDR图像的亮度分量和色度分量,对伽马校正后的亮度分量进行双边滤波,提取出亮度分量的基本层,再对基本层和亮度分量进行遍历运算,得到亮度分量的细节层;然后,构造反色调映射函数,分别对细节层和伽马校正后的亮度图像进行扩展,得到各自的反色调映图像;之后,将反色调映射后亮度分量与压缩后的细节层进行融合,得到新的亮度分量.最后,融合色度分量与新的亮度分量,并对融合后图像进行去噪,得到最终的HDR图像.实验表明该算法能挖掘出部分隐藏的图像细节信息,处理效果较好,运行效率高,具有较好的鲁棒性.     

高动态范围图像梯度压缩算法

高动态范围（HDR）图像是一种可以表示实际场景中亮度大范围变化的图像类型,图像中的像素值正比于场景中对应点的实际亮度值,因此,可以更好地表示场景中亮区和暗区的光学特性。为了在常规显示硬件上显示HDR图像,采用梯度压缩算法,在亮度图像梯度域上对大梯度进行衰减,压缩图像亮度的动态范围。实验结果表明,该算法能对HDR图像进行较高视觉质量的显示。     

IPS‐mode dynamic LCD‐TV realization with low black luminance and high contrast by adaptive dynamic image control technology

Abstract— In this paper, an active backlight control technology and a data‐processing algorithm has been developed to improve the image quality in IPS‐mode LCD TVs. The image‐blinking problem caused by repeatedly abrupt changes in the backlight luminance was solved by using algorithms [Fba (flexible‐boundary algorithm) and Cfa (cumulative feedback algorithm)] and an optimized number of backlight dimming steps based on human perception. In the IPS‐mode 42‐in. TFT‐LCD panel, the dynamic contrast ratio can be more than twice the typical level by means of a lower black luminance and a higher white luminance. Additionally, the power consumption and LCD temperature were lowered.     

Assessment of drivers' visual perception of information displayed in LED traffic signs at road construction sites

This study investigated drivers' visual perception of information displayed in LED traffic signs under different levels of environmental luminance. Concerning the information displayed, the environmental luminance comprised four luminance contrasts, two arrow types, and three environmental luminances, which were used to identify the visibility of traffic signs at the reading distance. Regarding visible distance, visibility involved reading starting and end points, extent of glare, comfortable distance, and glare distance. According to the study results obtained by using a highly reliable glare assessment method and studying the LED traffic signs, the lower the luminance contrast of traffic signs was the higher glare the participants perceived. A luminance contrast of 6200:2066 cd/m² provided the farthest comfortable and glare distances, enabling drivers to notice the signs comparatively earlier and have sufficient time to react accordingly. Overall, arrow type “<<<” outperformed “←” because the former was easier for drivers to read and created less glare. Regarding environmental luminance, traffic signs displayed in high and medium luminance environments (i.e., extremely sunny and cloudy days, respectively) each featured their own advantage, whereas those displayed in low luminance environments (nights) have to be further improved.     

High‐performance local‐dimming algorithm based on image characteristic and logarithmic function

With the emergence of high‐dynamic range (HDR) image and video, displaying an HDR image or video on a standard dynamic range displays with natural visual effect, clear details on local areas, and high‐contrast ratio has become an important issue. To achieve HDR, local‐dimming technique has been commonly practiced. In this paper, we investigate the problem of local dimming for LED‐backlight LC display to provide algorithm support for developing HDR displays. A novel local‐dimming algorithm is proposed to improve the contrast ratio, enhance the visual quality, and reduce the power consumption of the LCDs. The proposed algorithm mainly consists of two parts. The first part is a backlight luminance extraction method based on dynamic threshold and the maximum grayscale of an image block to improve the contrast ratio and reduce the power consumption. In the second one, a pixel compensation method based on logarithmic function is used to improve the visual quality and contrast ratio. At the same time, in order to better smooth the backlight diffusion at the edges of the backlight luminance signal to enhance the accuracy of the pixel compensation, we draw on the idea of BMA and improve it to establish the backlight diffusion model with different low‐pass‐filter templates for different types of blocks. Simulation and measured results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the competing ones in contrast ratio, visual quality, and power‐saving ratio.     

Evaluation of Tone‐Mapping Operators for HDR Video Under Different Ambient Luminance Levels

Since high dynamic range (HDR) displays are not yet widely available, there is still a need to perform a dynamic range reduction of HDR content to reproduce it properly on standard dynamic range (SDR) displays. The most common techniques for performing this reduction are termed tone‐mapping operators (TMOs). Although mobile devices are becoming widespread, methods for displaying HDR content on these SDR screens are still very much in their infancy. While several studies have been conducted to evaluate TMOs, few have been done with a goal of testing small screen displays (SSDs), common on mobile devices. This paper presents an evaluation of six state‐of‐the‐art HDR video TMOs. The experiments considered three different levels of ambient luminance under which 180 participants were asked to rank the TMOs for seven tone‐mapped HDR video sequences. A comparison was conducted between tone‐mapped HDR video footage shown on an SSD and on a large screen SDR display using an HDR display as reference. The results show that there are differences between the performance of the TMOs under different ambient lighting levels and the TMOs that perform well on traditional large screen displays also perform well on SSDs at the same given luminance level.     

A visibility matching tone reproduction operator for high dynamicrange scenes

We present a tone reproduction operator that preserves visibility in high dynamic range scenes. Our method introduces a new histogram adjustment technique, based on the population of local adaptation luminances in a scene. To match subjective viewing experience, the method incorporates models for human contrast sensitivity, glare, spatial acuity, and color sensitivity. We compare our results to previous work and present examples of our techniques applied to lighting simulation and electronic photography     

A YC‐separation‐type projector: High dynamic range with double modulation

Abstract— An experimental projector that features double modulation to obtain high‐resolution (4096 × 2160 pixels) and high‐dynamic‐range images has been developed. Although a conventional projector contains three modulators for red, green, and blue and outputs light after combining the modulated light from these three sources, our projector has an additional modulator for luminance that modulates the combined RGB modulated light. It can display high‐resolution color images by combining three low‐resolution panels for chrominance modulation and one high‐resolution panel for luminance modulation. In addition, the dynamic range is dramatically improved because the double‐modulation scheme minimizes black levels in projected images. The projector demonstrates an extremely high dynamic range of 1.1 million to 1 and 10‐bit tone reproduction.     

基于细节再现的高动态范围图像分层映射算法

针对当前映射算法中亮度的映射函数非适性而引起对比度过度压缩的问题,以及映射时亮度变化改变图像细节可见性的问题,提出了一种基于细节再现的高动态范围(HDR)图像分层映射算法。该算法采用视觉响应曲线作为基础层的映射函数,根据图像局部适应性亮度动态地映射亮度;同时,在Stevens效应的思想基础上依据映射前后亮度变化获得补偿系数,拉伸或压缩细节层。测试结果表明：该映射算法所得图像能正确再现更多的可见细节。     

Image quality evaluation for OLED-based smart-phone displays at various lighting conditions

The image quality of three organic light-emitting diode (OLED) based smart-phone displays was assessed at three levels of ambient lighting conditions corresponding to the darkroom, indoor and outdoor environment, respectively. Seven perceptual attributes, i.e., naturalness, colorfulness, brightness, contrast, sharpness, preference, and overall image quality (IQ), were evaluated in both standard dynamic range (SDR) and high dynamic range (HDR) mode via psychophysical experiments by rank order method, while readability was assessed only in SDR mode and gradation was investigated only in HDR mode. The experimental results demonstrate that, besides the color gamut, the tone reproduction curve is also an important factor affecting the colorfulness of mobile display in the two modes. Higher peak luminance would not mean better performance on brightness and contrast for HDR images, which is opposite to SDR mode. Further analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicates that the ranking results of all perceptual attributes are not significantly affected by the ambient lighting levels in both SDR and HDR modes.     

一种亮度可控与细节保持的高动态范围图像色调映射方法

高动态范围(High dynamic range, HDR)图像通常需压缩其动态范围,以便于进行存储、传输、重现. 本文提出一种具有亮度可控与细节保持特性的HDR图像的全局色调映射方法.该方法对HDR图像 照度直方图进行裁剪与补偿,令色调映射后的低动态范围(Low dynamic range, LDR)图像仍能够保持原有的细节特性, 同时利用概率模型估算出输出LDR图像的亮度与标准差,进而调整直方图亮度区域的分配, 使得输出LDR图像的亮度接近用户设置的亮度,最后以分段直方图均衡的方法进行HDR色调映射处理. 仿真结果表明,该方法能对HDR图像动态范围进行合理的压缩映射,输出的LDR图像的亮度可由用户控制或自适应选择, 同时能保持图像的细节信息,令图像的主观视觉感受对比和谐.     

Reversible data hiding for high dynamic range images using edge information

Multimedia Tools and Applications - In this work, a reversible data hiding (RDH) algorithm is proposed for high dynamic range (HDR) images containing an additional luminance channel. Since...     

顾及欠曝光亮度映射的HDR图像生成方法

针对重曝光过程中欠曝光像素点对周围像素点产生干扰,导致高动态范围(High dynamic range,HDR)图像产生伪影的现象,提出顾及欠曝光的亮度映射HDR图像生成方法。具体步骤为:(1)欠曝光分类。利用L2正则化逻辑非线性回归算法训练出欠曝光像素点的分类器。(2)对图像进行重曝光。非欠曝光区域使用线性拟合得到的亮度映射函数重新曝光,欠曝光区域利用长曝光区域进行补偿。(3)生成HDR图像。利用重曝光后图像的饱和度,对比度,曝光度和亮度信息生成权重图,再加权融合生成HDR图像。实验表明,该方法有效抑制合成图像的伪影,与已有方法相比,在清晰度、颜色协调性、边缘保持以及运行时间上都有较大提高。