Identifying a multiple plane plenoptic function from a swiped image

Michael Lawson, Mike Brookes, Pier Luigi Dragotti

Abstract: Blur in images, caused by camera motion with an open shutter, is usually thought of as a problem. The algorithm described in this paper shows instead that it is possible to use the blur caused by the integration of light rays at different locations along a moving camera trajectory to extract information about the light rays that are present within the scene. Retrieving the light rays present within a scene from different viewpoints is equivalent to retrieving the plenoptic function of the scene. In this paper, we focus on a specific case in which the blurred image of a scene, containing fronto-parallel planes with uniform unknown textures, is analysed to recreate the plenoptic function. The image is captured by a digital single lens camera with shutter open, moving in a straight line between two points, resulting in a swiped image. We estimate the EPI from this blurred image, and the EPI can be used to generate unblurred images for a given camera location.