Patent ID: 7590344

Claim:
A computer-implemented process for improving images taken with flash, comprising using a computer to perform the process actions of: (a) acquiring a first image captured with flash and ambient light; (b) acquiring a second image, corresponding to the first image, captured with ambient light; (c) using the first image and the second image to create a third flash-only image; (d) estimating the ambient light color from the second image taken with ambient light only; (e) white-balancing the second image using the estimated ambient light color to obtain a white-balanced ambient light image; (f) white-balancing the third flash-only image to a known flash color to create a white-balanced flash-only image; (g) adding the white-balanced ambient light image and the white-balanced flash only image to obtain an image white-balanced for flash and ambient light; (h) obtaining additional white-balanced flash-only images; and (i) adding the additional white-balanced flash-only images to the white-balanced ambient light image to obtain multiple images white-balanced for flash and ambient light.