Error analysis of photometric stereo with colour lights

Martin Klaudiny, Adrian Hilton

Abstract: Highlights•Comprehensive error analysis of photometric stereo with colour lights is presented.•An analytic formulation is introduced for the error in albedo-scaled normals.•Uncertainty of pixel colour, light directions and light-sensor-material interaction.•Empirical sensitivity analysis on synthetic data validates theoretical findings.•Design recommendations for the optimal capture setup are provided.