Method and system for factoring an illumination image
View Patent ↗In a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an automated, computerized method is provided for processing an image. According to a feature of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of providing an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory, generating an illumination image from the image; and factoring the illumination image to generate a diffuse illumination image and a harsh shadow illumination image.
1. An automated, computerized method for processing an image, comprising the steps of:
providing an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory;
generating an illumination image and a material image from the image, both the illumination image and the material image being expressed as a separate, multi-band representation, independent of the other of the material or illumination image, wherein each band corresponds to a segment of the electro-magnetic spectrum; and
factoring the illumination image to generate a diffuse illumination image and a harsh shadow illumination image.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of factoring the illumination image to generate a diffuse illumination image and a harsh shadow illumination image is carried out by performing an edge preserving blurring operation.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the edge preserving blurring operation is a blurring filter.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of factoring the illumination image to generate a diffuse illumination image and a harsh shadow illumination image is carried out by performing a retinex operation.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of factoring the illumination image to generate a diffuse illumination image and a harsh shadow illumination image is carried out by performing an edge masking and reintegration technique.
6. A computer system which comprises:
a CPU; and
a memory storing an image file containing an image;
the CPU arranged and configured to execute a routine to generate an illumination image and a material image from the image and factor the illumination image to generate a diffuse illumination image and a harsh shadow illumination image, both the illumination image and the material image being expressed as a separate, multi-band representation, independent of the other of the material or illumination image, wherein each band corresponds to a segment of the electro-magnetic spectrum.
7. A computer program product, disposed on a non-transitory tangible computer readable media, the product including computer executable process steps operable to control a computer to: provide an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory, generate an illumination image and a material image from the image and factor the illumination image to generate a diffuse illumination image and a harsh shadow illumination image, both the illumination image and the material image being expressed as a separate, multi-band representation, independent of the other of the material or illumination image, wherein each band corresponds to a segment of the electro-magnetic spectrum.
8. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the process step to factor the illumination image to generate a diffuse illumination image and a harsh shadow illumination image is carried out by performing an edge preserving blurring operation.
9. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the edge preserving blurring operation is a blurring filter.
10. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the process step to factor the illumination image to generate a diffuse illumination image and a harsh shadow illumination image is carried out by performing a retinex operation.
11. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the process step to factor the illumination image to generate a diffuse illumination image and a harsh shadow illumination image is carried out by performing an edge masking and reintegration technique.
12. An automated, computerized method for processing an image, comprising the steps of:
providing an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory;
generating an illumination image and a material image from the image, both the illumination image and the material image being expressed as a separate, multi-band representation, independent of the other of the material or illumination image, wherein each band corresponds to a segment of the electro-magnetic spectrum;
factoring the illumination image to generate a harsh shadow illumination image; and
manipulating the image and the harsh shadow illumination image to generate a diffuse-looking result image.
13. A computer system which comprises:
a CPU; and
a memory storing an image file containing an image;
the CPU arranged and configured to execute a routine to generate an illumination image and a material image from the image, factor the illumination image to generate a harsh shadow illumination image, and manipulate the image and the harsh shadow illumination image to generate a diffuse-looking result image, both the illumination image and the material image being expressed as a separate, multi-band representation, independent of the other of the material or illumination image, wherein each band corresponds to a segment of the electro-magnetic spectrum.
14. A computer program product, disposed on a non-transitory tangible computer readable media, the product including computer executable process steps operable to control a computer to: provide an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory, generate an illumination image and a material image from the image and factor the illumination image to generate a harsh shadow illumination image, and manipulate the image and the harsh shadow illumination image to generate a diffuse-looking result image, both the illumination image and the material image being expressed as a separate, multi-band representation, independent of the other of the material or illumination image, wherein each band corresponds to a segment of the electro-magnetic spectrum.