Apparatus and method for forming and displaying high dynamic range (HDR) images

A system for testing an imaging unit, the system comprising:

• a display device, which comprises:
• a housing;
• a plurality of image carriers supported by the housing;
• a plurality of rendered images formed from image data of a scene and each being affixed onto a respective one of the image carriers;
• and
• at least one light source for illuminating the rendered images on the image carriers;
• wherein when the rendered images are aligned with one another and illuminated by the light source, the rendered images are capable of forming a display image having a dynamic range higher than that of the individual rendered images;
• and
• an imaging unit placed facing the display image on the display device and spaced from the display image by a test distance L.

A method of forming a display image, the method comprising the steps of:

• obtaining a high dynamic range image of a real scene;
• processing image data of the high dynamic range image to render a device dependent image;
• affixing the rendered image onto a respective image carrier of a plurality of image carriers;
• aligning the rendered imagers on the plurality of image carriers;
• and
• illuminating the aligned rendered images to generate a display image having a dynamic range higher than that of the individual rendered images.

A method of characterizing a printing device, the method comprising the steps of:

• printing a same test target onto a respective one of a plurality of test carriers, the test target having a first color value;
• stacking the test carriers to overlap the test targets with one another;
• obtaining transmittance information of the overlapped test targets;
• obtaining printer control information based on the transmittance information.