An automated, computerized method for processing an image, comprising the steps of: providing an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory; forming a set of selectively varied representations (18a, 18b,..., 18n) of the image file by forming multi-resolution representations of the image; and performing an image segregation operation on at least one preselected representation (18a, 18b,..., 18n) of the image of the image file as a function of an image segregation of another one of the set of selectively varied representations (18a, 18b,..., 18n) of the image, to generate intrinsic images corresponding to the image, by utilizing a spatio-spectral operator/constraint/solver model, which includes generating spatio-spectral operators, spatio-spectral operators being a mathematical representation of spatio-spectral information, spatio-spectral information being information on spectral relationships among contiguous pixels, in terms of color bands, and the spatial extent of the pixel spectral relationships, introducing constraints between spatio-spectral operators, each constraint defining the spatio-spectral operators used by the constraint and a constraining relationship imposed upon these used spatio-spectral operators, expressing the constraints in a matrix equation Ax=b, wherein A is a matrix of values determined by the definition of the spectral operators and the constraining relationships for the spectral operators, b is a matrix of values observed in the image or in a selectively varied representation (18a, 18b,..., 18n) of the image, and x is a matrix of values to be solved for for generating the intrinsic images, and solving for the matrix x, wherein one constraint constrains a weighted average of material color at a local area of a relatively finer scale representation to equal the material color of a corresponding local area of a relatively coarser scale representation. providing an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory; forming a set of selectively varied representations (18a, 18b,..., 18n) of the image file by forming multi-resolution representations of the image; and performing an image segregation operation on at least one preselected representation (18a, 18b,..., 18n) of the image of the image file as a function of an image segregation of another one of the set of selectively varied representations (18a, 18b,..., 18n) of the image, to generate intrinsic images corresponding to the image, by utilizing a spatio-spectral operator/constraint/solver model, which includes generating spatio-spectral operators, spatio-spectral operators being a mathematical representation of spatio-spectral information, spatio-spectral information being information on spectral relationships among contiguous pixels, in terms of color bands, and the spatial extent of the pixel spectral relationships, introducing constraints between spatio-spectral operators, each constraint defining the spatio-spectral operators used by the constraint and a constraining relationship imposed upon these used spatio-spectral operators, expressing the constraints in a matrix equation Ax=b, wherein A is a matrix of values determined by the definition of the spectral operators and the constraining relationships for the spectral operators, b is a matrix of values observed in the image or in a selectively varied representation (18a, 18b,..., 18n) of the image, and x is a matrix of values to be solved for for generating the intrinsic images, and solving for the matrix x, wherein one constraint constrains a weighted average of material color at a local area of a relatively finer scale representation to equal the material color of a corresponding local area of a relatively coarser scale representation.