Patent ID: 8682097

Claim:
A digital image processing method for detecting and correcting visual imperfections using a reference image, comprising: capturing, on a hand-held or otherwise portable or spatial or temporal performance-based image capture device, an original main image and one or more reference images having a temporal or spatial overlap or proximity with the original image, or combinations thereof; assessing on the device that the original main image includes one or more defects or otherwise sub-optimal characteristics; analyzing on the device information, image data or meta data, or combinations thereof, of the one or more reference images relating to the one or more defects or otherwise sub-optimal characteristics of the original main image; correcting on the device the one or more defects or other sub-optimal characteristics in the original main image based on the information, image data or meta data, or combinations thereof, of the one or more reference images to create a modified image comprising an enhanced versions of the original main image; and rendering the modified image at a digital rendering device, display or printer, or combinations thereof, as output from the image capture device; whereby the correcting of the one or more defects of other sub-optimal characteristics of the original main image based on the one or more reference images produces at the device the modified image from the original main image in real-time with spatial economy and performance efficiency; aligning the reference and original main images globally to account for movement of the camera in the interval between the captures of the reference and original main images; matching the foreground regions of the reference and original main images to account for localized movement of a subject or other region that defines at least a portion of the foreground region; and calculating luminance histograms of reference and flash images and determining at least a portion of the foreground region based on differences between the reference and flash images; wherein the method further comprising detecting a region containing a face within the original main image, and modifying the face region based on the one or more reference images.