Firefly detection using a plurality of buffers

A machine-readable non-transitory medium having stored thereon machine-executable instructions for determining whether a pixel of a computer-rendered image is a firefly, the instructions comprising:

• dividing a plurality of samples originating from the pixel, into a first subset of samples and a second subset of samples;
• first identifying whether the pixel is an outlier based on statistical variance data of the first subset of samples;
• second identifying whether the pixel is an outlier based on statistical variance data of the second subset of samples;
• determining that the pixel is not a firefly in response to both the pixel being first identified as an outlier based on the statistical variance data of the first subset of samples, and the pixel being second identified as an outlier based on the statistical variance data of the second subset of samples;
• and
• determining that the pixel is a firefly in response to either (i) the pixel being not first identified as an outlier based on the statistical variance data of the first subset of samples and being second identified as an outlier based on the statistical variance data of the second subset of samples, or (ii) the pixel not being second identified as an outlier based on the statistical variance data of the second subset of samples and being first identified as an outlier based on the statistical variance data of the first subset of samples.

A system for determining whether a pixel of a computer-rendered image is a firefly, the system comprising one or more controllers configured to:

• divide a plurality of samples originating from the pixel, into a first subset of samples and a second subset of samples;
• first identify whether the pixel is an outlier based on statistical variance data of the first subset of samples;
• second identify whether the pixel is an outlier based on statistical variance data of the second subset of samples;
• determine that the pixel is not a firefly in response to both the pixel being first identified as an outlier based on the statistical variance data of the first subset of samples, and the pixel being second identified as an outlier based on the statistical variance data of the second subset of samples;
• and
• determine that the pixel is a firefly in response to either (i) the pixel being not first identified as an outlier based on the statistical variance data of the first subset of samples and being second identified as an outlier based on the statistical variance data of the second subset of samples, or (ii) the pixel not being second identified as an outlier based on the statistical variance data of the second subset of samples and being first identified as an outlier based on the statistical variance data of the first subset of samples.