The invention relates to the digital image processing technology, and provides a multi-exposure image fusion method with rapid and effective calculation. The method does not need complex image decomposition and reconstruction processes, the fusion is accomplished via a pixel weighting manner, more detailed information is displayed by the images, and the image quality is improved. According to the technical scheme of the high-dynamic-range image fusion method based on gradient and brightness information, the method comprises following steps: 1) calculating the local contrast weighting factor Li (x, y) of each inputted multi-exposure image; 2) converting an original image to a color space with the hue H, the saturation S, and the brightness I, extracting the brightness component I, and calculating the brightness weighting factor Hi (x, y); 3) estimating weight; 4) improving a weighted image by the adoption of a recursive filter and obtaining the final weighting function of each inputted image; and 5) performing weighted fusion of the multi-exposure images. The method is mainly applied to digital image processing.