Patent ID: 8488015

Claim:
A digital camera, comprising: a lens for exposing an image of a scene onto an image sensor; wherein the image sensor captures both (a) initial sensor image data of the scene as a preview image; and (b) and final sensor image data of the scene; an algorithm that processes the initial sensor image data of the preview image from the image sensor to determine when, based solely on the initial image sensor image data of the preview image, tone scaling is to be performed before capture of the final sensor image data of the scene on the image sensor; an exposure control system that adjusts an exposure level of a final image on the image sensor; and a processor for: (a) using one of a plurality of scene types which is known to enhance tone scaling, which used scene type is based on processing of the initial sensor image data, (b) providing the used scene type to the exposure control system prior to capturing the final sensor image data to cause the exposure control system to adjust the exposure level of the final image on the image sensor, wherein the exposure control system sets the exposure level of the final image differently for different scene types, and (c) providing a pedestal image with texture information removed and a texture image; (d) performing tone scale mapping on the pedestal image and recombining the tone scale pedestal image with the texture image to produce the final image data in response to the used scene type; wherein the scene types include high contrast scene, low contrast scene, (blue) sky scene, night scene, color saturated scene, and text scene.