Patent ID: 6687400
Filing Date: 2004-02-03
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A computer-implemented process for generating a composite image from a set of digital images of a static scene, which exhibits an improved uniformity in both exposure and tone in comparison to the set of images, said process comprising using a computer to perform the following steps:creating the set of digital images each of which is captured at a different exposure level; generating the composite image by setting each pixel in the composite image to a pixel brightness level that influences the exposure and tone of the pixel based on the distribution of the pixel brightness levels of the pixels of each image in the set of images, said generating comprising, generating a n-dimensional histogram from the brightness values associated with each pixel of each image in the set of images, wherein n is equal to the number of images in the set of images, fitting a curve to the histogram data, for each data point of the histogram, projecting the histogram data point onto a point of the curve which is nearest to the data point, identifying a new pixel brightness value associated with the point of the curve coinciding with the projected histogram data point, and associating the identified new pixel brightness value with the pixel corresponding to the projected data point, and generating the composite image by using the new pixel brightness value associated with each pixel of one of the images of the set of images as a substitute for an original brightness value of the pixel.