Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to devices and methods for performing spatially-varying brightness correction of a flash image. The spatially-varying brightness correction utilizes a set of images that includes one or more images captured under flash illumination and one or more images captured without flash illumination, which are used to decompose one of the flash images or an image generated therefrom into a flash contribution image and an ambient contribution image. The flash contribution image and the ambient contribution image are recombined to generate a corrected flash image, and information about the flash module and/or scene is used to adjust the relative contributions of these images during recombination.

Abstract: Devices, methods, and program storage devices for creating and/or displaying backwards-compatible High Dynamic Range (HDR) images are disclosed, comprising: obtaining two or more exposures of a scene; creating a gain map based on at least one of the two or more exposures, wherein the gain map comprises a plurality of pixels each corresponding to a portion of the scene, and wherein values of the pixels in the gain map comprise indications of a brightness level of the corresponding portions of the scene; combining the two or more exposures to form a first image; tone mapping the first image based on a Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) format to generate a first SDR image of the scene; and storing the first SDR image and created gain map in a first enhanced image file. The first enhanced image file may be, e.g., a HEIF, HEIC, PNG, GIF, JPEG, or other suitable file format.

Abstract: Media user interfaces are described, including user interfaces for accessing media controls or settings (e.g., accessing controls and/or settings to capture photos and/or videos to capture videos).

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for managing image capture and processing in a multi-camera imaging system. In such a system, a pair of cameras each may output a sequence of frames representing captured image data. The cameras' output may be synchronized to each other to cause synchronism in the image capture operations of the cameras. The system may assess image quality of frames output from the cameras and, based on the image quality, designate a pair of the frames to serve as a “reference frame pair.” Thus, one frame from the first camera and a paired frame from the second camera will be designated as the reference frame pair. The system may adjust each reference frame in the pair using other frames from their respective cameras. The reference frames also may be processed by other operations within the system, such as image fusion.

Abstract: A light source module includes an array of illumination elements and an optional projecting lens. The light source module is configured to receive or generate a control signal for adjusting different ones of the illumination elements to control a light field emitted from the light source module. In some embodiments, the light source module is also configured to adjust the projecting lens responsive to objects in an illuminated scene and a field of view of an imaging device. A controller for a light source module may determine a light field pattern based on various parameters including a field of view of an imaging device, an illumination sensitivity model of the imaging device, depth, ambient illumination and reflectivity of objects, configured illumination priorities including ambient preservation, background illumination and direct/indirect lighting balance, and so forth.

Abstract: A light source module includes an array of illumination elements and an optional projecting lens. The light source module is configured to receive or generate a control signal for adjusting different ones of the illumination elements to control a light field emitted from the light source module. In some embodiments, the light source module is also configured to adjust the projecting lens responsive to objects in an illuminated scene and a field of view of an imaging device. A controller for a light source module may determine a light field pattern based on various parameters including a field of view of an imaging device, an illumination sensitivity model of the imaging device, depth, ambient illumination and reflectivity of objects, configured illumination priorities including ambient preservation, background illumination and direct/indirect lighting balance, and so forth.

Abstract: Devices, methods, and program storage devices for creating and/or displaying backwards-compatible High Dynamic Range (HDR) images are disclosed, comprising: obtaining two or more exposures of a scene; creating a gain map based on at least one of the two or more exposures, wherein the gain map comprises a plurality of pixels each corresponding to a portion of the scene, and wherein values of the pixels in the gain map comprise indications of a brightness level of the corresponding portions of the scene; combining the two or more exposures to form a first image; tone mapping the first image based on a Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) format to generate a first SDR image of the scene; and storing the first SDR image and created gain map in a first enhanced image file. The first enhanced image file may be, e.g., a HEIF, HEIC, PNG, GIF, JPEG, or other suitable file format.

Abstract: Media user interfaces are described, including user interfaces for accessing media controls or settings (e.g., accessing controls and/or settings to capture photos and/or videos to capture videos).

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for managing image capture and processing in a multi-camera imaging system. In such a system, a pair of cameras each may output a sequence of frames representing captured image data. The cameras' output may be synchronized to each other to cause synchronism in the image capture operations of the cameras. The system may assess image quality of frames output from the cameras and, based on the image quality, designate a pair of the frames to serve as a “reference frame pair.” Thus, one frame from the first camera and a paired frame from the second camera will be designated as the reference frame pair. The system may adjust each reference frame in the pair using other frames from their respective cameras. The reference frames also may be processed by other operations within the system, such as image fusion.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for managing image capture and processing in a multi-camera imaging system. In such a system, a pair of cameras each may output a sequence of frames representing captured image data. The cameras' output may be synchronized to each other to cause synchronism in the image capture operations of the cameras. The system may assess image quality of frames output from the cameras and, based on the image quality, designate a pair of the frames to serve as a “reference frame pair.” Thus, one frame from the first camera and a paired frame from the second camera will be designated as the reference frame pair. The system may adjust each reference frame in the pair using other frames from their respective cameras. The reference frames also may be processed by other operations within the system, such as image fusion.

Abstract: Techniques are described for automated analysis and filtering of image data. Image data is analyzed to identify regions of interest (ROIs) within the image content. The image data also may have depth estimates applied to content therein. One or more of the ROIs may be designated to possess a base depth, representing a depth of image content against which depths of other content may be compared. Moreover, the depth of the image content within a spatial area of an ROI may be set to be a consistent value, regardless of depth estimates that may have been assigned from other sources. Thereafter, other elements of image content may be assigned content adjustment values in gradients based on their relative depth in image content as compared to the base depth and, optionally, based on their spatial distance from the designated ROI. Image content may be adjusted based on the content adjustment values.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for capturing stereoscopic images using one or more high color density or “full color” image sensors and one or more low color density or “sparse color” image sensors. Low color density image sensors, may include substantially fewer color pixels than the sensor's total number of pixels, as well as fewer color pixels than the total number of color pixels on the full color image sensor. More particularly, the mostly-monochrome image captured by the low color density image sensor may be used to reduce noise and increase the spatial resolution of an imaging system's output image. In addition, the color pixels present in the low color density image sensor may be used to identify and fill in color pixel values, e.g., for regions occluded in the image captured using the full color image sensor. Optical Image Stabilization and/or split photodiodes may be employed on one or more sensors.

Abstract: Techniques to capture and fuse short- and long-exposure images of a scene from a stabilized image capture device are disclosed. More particularly, the disclosed techniques use not only individual pixel differences between co-captured short- and long-exposure images, but also the spatial structure of occluded regions in the long-exposure images (e.g., areas of the long-exposure image(s) exhibiting blur due to scene object motion). A novel device used to represent this feature of the long-exposure image is a “spatial difference map.” Spatial difference maps may be used to identify pixels in the short- and long-exposure images for fusion and, in one embodiment, may be used to identify pixels from the short-exposure image(s) to filter post-fusion so as to reduce visual discontinuities in the output image.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer readable media to improve the operation of electronic display systems. Techniques for inverse tone mapping operations for selected standard dynamic range (SDR) images are described. The converted images may be presented on high dynamic range (HDR) displays so as to increase a user's viewing experience (through an expanded dynamic range) while preserving the artistic content of the displayed information. Techniques disclosed herein selectively transform SDR images to HDR images by determining if the SDR images were created from HDR images (e.g., through the fusion of multiple SDR images) and if their quality is such as to permit the conversion without introducing unwanted visual artifacts. The proposed techniques apply a sigmoidal inverse tone mapping function configured to provide a perceptual-based tone mapping. Values for the function's tuning parameters may be set based on what may be determined about the original HDR-to-SDR mapping operation.

Abstract: Techniques to capture and fuse short- and long-exposure images of a scene from a stabilized image capture device are disclosed. More particularly, the disclosed techniques use not only individual pixel differences between co-captured short- and long-exposure images, but also the spatial structure of occluded regions in the long-exposure images (e.g., areas of the long-exposure image(s) exhibiting blur due to scene object motion). A novel device used to represent this feature of the long-exposure image is a “spatial difference map.” Spatial difference maps may be used to identify pixels in the short-and long-exposure images for fusion and, in one embodiment, may be used to identify pixels from the short-exposure image(s) to filter post-fusion so as to reduce visual discontinuities in the output image.

Abstract: Foreign lighting effects, such as lens flare, are very common in natural images. In a two-camera-system, the two images may be fused together to generate one image of a better quality. However, there are frequently different foreign light patterns in the two images that form the image pair, e.g., due to the difference in lens design, sensor and position, etc. Directly fusing such pairs of images will result in non-photorealistic images, with composed foreign light patterns from both images from the image pair. This disclosure describes a general foreign light mitigation scheme to detect all kinds of foreign light region mismatches. The detected foreign light mismatch regions may be deemphasized or excluded in the fusion step, in order to create a fused image that keeps a natural-looking foreign light pattern that is close to what was seen by the user of an image capture device during an image capture preview mode.

Abstract: Techniques to capture and fuse short- and long-exposure images of a scene from a stabilized image capture device are disclosed. More particularly, the disclosed techniques use not only individual pixel differences between co-captured short- and long-exposure images, but also the spatial structure of occluded regions in the long-exposure images (e.g., areas of the long-exposure image(s) exhibiting blur due to scene object motion). A novel device used to represent this feature of the long-exposure image is a “spatial difference map.” Spatial difference maps may be used to identify pixels in the short-and long-exposure images for fusion and, in one embodiment, may be used to identify pixels from the short-exposure image(s) to filter post-fusion so as to reduce visual discontinuities in the output image.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer readable media to improve the operation of electronic display systems are disclosed. Techniques for inverse tone mapping operations for selected standard dynamic range (SDR) images are described. The converted images may be presented on high dynamic range (HDR) displays so as to increase a user's viewing experience (through an expanded dynamic range) while preserving the artistic content of the displayed information. Techniques disclosed herein selectively transform SDR images to HDR images by determining if the SDR images were created from HDR images (e.g., through the fusion of multiple SDR images) and if their quality is such as to permit the conversion without introducing unwanted visual artifacts. The proposed techniques apply a sigmoidal inverse tone mapping function configured to provide a perceptual-based tone mapping. Values for the function's tuning parameters may be set based on what may be determined about the original HDR-to-SDR mapping operation.

Abstract: Techniques to capture and fuse short- and long-exposure images of a scene from a stabilized image capture device are disclosed. More particularly, the disclosed techniques use not only individual pixel differences between co-captured short- and long-exposure images, but also the spatial structure of occluded regions in the long-exposure images (e.g., areas of the long-exposure image(s) exhibiting blur due to scene object motion). A novel device used to represent this feature of the long-exposure image is a “spatial difference map.” Spatial difference maps may be used to identify pixels in the short- and long-exposure images for fusion and, in one embodiment, may be used to identify pixels from the short-exposure image(s) to filter post-fusion so as to reduce visual discontinuities in the output image.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for capturing stereoscopic images using one or more high color density or “full color” image sensors and one or more low color density or “sparse color” image sensors. Low color density image sensors, may include substantially fewer color pixels than the sensor's total number of pixels, as well as fewer color pixels than the total number of color pixels on the full color image sensor. More particularly, the mostly-monochrome image captured by the low color density image sensor may be used to reduce noise and increase the spatial resolution of an imaging system's output image. In addition, the color pixels present in the low color density image sensor may be used to identify and fill in color pixel values, e.g., for regions occluded in the image captured using the full color image sensor. Optical Image Stabilization and/or split photodiodes may be employed on one or more sensors.