A New Approach to Image Enhancement Based on the Use of Raw Moments for Subranges of Brightness

Abstract

The problem of improving the quality of complex low-contrast images in automatic mode with an acceptable level of computational costs is considered in this paper. The task of increasing the contrast for complex low-contrast images with a wide dynamic range and multi-modal distribution of brightness is considered. The purpose of this work is to improve the efficiency of increasing the overall contrast for complex images with a wide dynamic range and multi-modal distribution of brightness. A new approach to increase the contrast of complex low-contrast image by its adaptive non-linear contrast stretching is proposed based on the measuring of raw moments for subranges of image brightness. The proposed approach is based on measuring the ratios between the values of the raw moments for different subranges of brightness. A new technique of contrast enhancement for complex monochrome images based on measuring the mean values for subranges of image brightness is also proposed. The research of the various known and proposed techniques of image contrast enhancement in the automatic mode was carried out using the no-reference metrics of overall image contrast. The proposed technique provides an efficient redistribution of the contrast of objects in the image regardless of their size and enables to effectively increase the overall contrast of the image in automatic mode with an acceptable level of computational costs.