High Dynamic Range Image Coding via Adaptive Tone Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current encoding and decoding processes are inefficient for high dynamic range image data, leading to a loss of artistic intent and details when converting between dynamic ranges, and are not compatible with standard dynamic range data.
Innovation Solution
A data adaptive tuning process that preprocesses high dynamic range image data into a lower dynamic range, compatible with standard dynamic range, by converting to YUV color space, generating a smoothed luminance signal, performing adaptive monotonic nonlinear mapping, and encoding with metadata to preserve image fidelity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If high dynamic range image data is converted to lower dynamic range using simple rescaling, then compatibility with standard dynamic range encoding processes is achieved, but loss of artistic intent and image details occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies tone mapping as a preliminary action before encoding, transforming the high dynamic range image data into a lower dynamic range representation that preserves artistic intent. This preprocessing step prepares the data in advance for standard encoding processes while maintaining the essential visual characteristics and artistic details that would otherwise be lost through simple rescaling.
2Manufacturing precision
If dedicated encoding and decoding processes are developed for high dynamic range image data, then image fidelity and artistic intent are preserved, but cost efficiency and compatibility with standard processes deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces tone mapping as an intermediary process between high dynamic range image data and standard dynamic range encoding. This mediator transforms the HDR data into a format suitable for conventional encoders while preserving the essential visual information, thereby avoiding the need for completely dedicated HDR encoding and decoding processes and reducing overall system complexity.
3Productivity
If high dynamic range image data is processed through conventional encoding approaches, then encoding efficiency is improved, but quality degradation occurs due to loss of artistic details
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies tone mapping as a preliminary action before conventional encoding, ensuring that artistic details and visual characteristics are preserved in the transformed data. This allows standard efficient encoders to process the data without quality degradation, as the essential visual information has already been appropriately mapped to the target dynamic range.
Data Source
AI summary
A disclosed configuration includes a system (or a computer implemented method or a non-transitory computer readable medium) for automatically preprocessing higher dynamic range image data into lower dynamic range image data through a data adaptive tuning process. By automatically preprocessing the higher dynamic range image data into the lower dynamic range image data through the data adaptive tuning process, an existing encoding process for encoding the standard dynamic range image data can be applied to the lower dynamic range image data while preserving metadata sufficient to recover image fidelity even in the high dynamic range. In one aspect, the system (or a computer implemented method or a non-transitory computer readable medium) provides for backwards compatibility between high dynamic range video services and existing standard dynamic range services. In one aspect, regrading is applied in a domain that is perceptually more uniform than the domain it is initially presented.