Perception-based high dynamic range compression in gradient domain

Wen-Fu Lee, Tsung-Yi Lin, Mei-Lan Chu, Tai-Hsiang Huang, Homer H. Chen

Abstract: It is often required to map the radiances of a real scene to a smaller dynamic range so that the image can be properly displayed. However, most such algorithms suffer from the halo artifact or require manual parameter tweaking that is often a tedious process for the user. We propose an automatic algorithm for high dynamic range compression based on the properties of human visual system. The algorithm is performed in the gradient domain to avoid the halo artifact. It automates the parameter adjustment process while preserving the image details. Performance comparison is provided to illustrate the advantages of the proposed algorithm.