Abstract: An apparatus and method to generate intrinsic images without barrier filters and dichroic mirrors is provided. The method involves acquisition of an image of a focused field of view and a diffused image of the same field of view. The diffused image is obtained by placing a translucent material in the path between a camera and the field of view. The translucent material permits transmission of the illumination energy while diffusing the spatial details of the field of view, thus producing a featureless image of illumination intensities. The focused and diffused images are then processed pixel-by-pixel by to generate intrinsic images free of irrelevant illumination.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of obtaining and isolating sample spectra from a wide wavelength illumination source without the use of filters. The method obtains the combined sample and illumination spectra of a sample and removes the illumination spectrum from the combined spectrum. This is accomplished by obtaining both the combined sample/illumination spectrum and the illumination spectrum separately at the same time and under the same environmental and instrument conditions. The illumination spectrum is then subtracted, wavelength by wavelength from the combined sample/illumination spectrum, leaving the pure sample spectrum which may a single spectrum or combination of two or more spectra from different types and/or compounds in the sample.