Automatic illuminant estimation that incorporates apparatus setting and intrinsic color casting information

摘要

An image apparatus (10) for providing an estimated final illuminant of a scene (12) and subsequently providing an adjusted image (218) of a scene (12) includes a capturing system (226) and a control system (232). The capturing system (226) captures information for an input image (416) of the scene (12) while at an apparatus setting. The input image (416) is defined by a plurality of input colors. The control system (226) can compare at least one of the input colors to an illuminant database (245) that includes an illuminant gamut of observable colors for a plurality of possible illuminants, and can evaluate the apparatus setting to select one of the possible illuminants to be the estimated final illuminant. Examples of possible apparatus settings include an aperture size and an exposure time. With this design, the present invention is better able to distinguish between some possible outdoor illuminants and some possible indoor illuminants with improved accuracy. Additionally, the control system (226) can evaluate a consistency matching error for the plurality of possible illuminants to determine if the scene (12) has intrinsic color casting.

主权项

1. An image apparatus for providing an estimated final illuminant of a scene, the image apparatus comprising:
a capturing system that captures an input image of the scene, the input image including a plurality of input colors; and a control system that compares at least one of the input colors to an illuminant database that includes an illuminant gamut of observable colors for a plurality of possible illuminants, evaluates if the scene has intrinsic color casting, and, if the scene is determined to have intrinsic color casting, generates a color distribution of the input image to determine a color casting of the input image.