Patent ID: 7269297

Claim:
A method of processing a plurality of source images to provide a composite image suitable for rendering as a rendered composite image, comprising the steps of: receiving the plurality of source images; encoding the plurality of source images to thereby provide the composite image; wherein the encoding includes mapping of source image values at pixel locations in the source images to colorant control values at respective pixel locations in a spectrally-multiplexed image plane, wherein the colorant control values specify an amount of each one of a plurality of M colorants to be deposited at corresponding locations in the rendered composite image; wherein the mapping of the pixel values from the plurality of source images is determined according to a plurality of spatial luminance distributions each of which representing the desired response of the rendered composite image to illumination thereof by a respective one of a plurality of N narrow band illuminants; wherein the mapping of the pixel values from the plurality of source images is calculated to cause a selected one of the source images to be recovered when the rendered composite image is subject to illumination by at least a selected one of the N narrow band illuminants; and wherein the encoding includes illuminant-neutral gray component replacement (GCR) that employs determination of the common density of the colorants used in rendering the composite image when the rendered composite image is subjected to one or more of the N narrow band illuminants, and wherein the neutrality of the replacement colorant is illuminant dependant, whereby the replacement colorant is non-neutral under white light and neutral under the selected one of the N narrow band illuminants.