High Dynamic Range Image Tone Mapping Based on Layer Decomposition and Image Fusion

Common displays have limited dynamic range and therefore cannot support direct reproduction of high dynamic range (HDR) images. Generally, this gap can be effectively solved by image tone mapping. One of the typical tone mapping methods is known as layer decomposition based algorithms. They decompose an HDR image into base and detail layers, and reduce the dynamic range by employing gamma functions on the base layer. However, simple gamma curves are not sufficient to produce good local contrasts. This paper proposes a layer decomposition based method by utilizing image fusion techniques to enhance local contrasts. Our method constructs virtual images to stretch dark, normal and bright regions of the base layer respectively and fuses them together for contrast enhancement. Experimental results validate that the proposed method produces enhanced local contrasts and more natural colors in the tone-mapped images.