Automatic digital image enhancement

In a computer system including a processor coupled to a bus, and a memory unit coupled to the bus for storig information, a computer-implemented method for enhancing image quality of an original digital image having initial image quality issues comprising the steps of:

• a) locating human faces within said original digital image having initial image quality issues, said original digital image captured during a picture capture stage by a digital camera;
• b) analyzing said digital image, said analysis including analysis of said human faces located in step a) and including analysis of said digital image as a whole;
• c) utilizing said analysis of said faces located in step a) and using said analysis of said image as a whole to determine a tone mapping function for enhancing the image quality of said original digital image, said tone mapping function utilizing optimal ranges-combined in a system energy formulation wherein said tone mapping function combines both psychological factors and signal factors;
• and
• d) applying said tone mapping function determined in step c) to said digital image so as to produce an enhanced digital image different from said original digital image, wherein a mapped deviation of the human face region of the enhanced digital image is greater than the deviation of the human face region of the original digital image.

A computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for enhancing image quality of an original digital image having initial image quality issues comprising the steps of:

• a) locating human faces within said original digital image having initial image quality issues, said original digital image captured during a picture capture stage by a digital camera;
• b) analyzing said digital image, said analysis including analysis of said human faces located in step a) and including analysis of said digital image as a whole;
• c) utilizing said analysis of said faces located in step a) and using said analysis of said image as a whole to determine a tone mapping function for enhancing the image quality of said original digital image, said tone mapping function utilizing optimal ranges combined in a system energy formulation wherein said tone mapping function combines both psychological factors and signal factors;
• and
• d) applying said tone mapping function determined in step c) to said digital image so as to produce an enhanced digital image different from said original digital image, wherein a mapped deviation of the human face region of the enhanced digital image is greater than the deviation of the human face region of the original digital image.