Digital image enhancement with reference images

A digital image processing method for detecting and correcting visual imperfections using a reference image, comprising:

• capturing, on a hand-held or otherwise portable or spatial or temporal performance-based image capture device, an original main image and one or more reference images having a temporal or spatial overlap or proximity with the original image, or combinations thereof;
• assessing on the device that the original main image includes one or more defects or otherwise sub-optimal characteristics;
• analyzing on the device information, image data or meta data, or combinations thereof, of the one or more reference images relating to the one or more defects or otherwise sub-optimal characteristics of the original main image;
• correcting on the device the one or more defects or other sub-optimal characteristics in the original main image based on the information, image data or meta data, or combinations thereof, of the one or more reference images to create a modified image comprising an enhanced versions of the original main image;
• and
• rendering the modified image at a digital rendering device, display or printer, or combinations thereof, as output from the image capture device;
• whereby the correcting of the one or more defects of other sub-optimal characteristics of the original main image based on the one or more reference images produces at the device the modified image from the original main image in real-time with spatial economy and performance efficiency, and
• aligning the reference and original main images globally to account for movement of the camera in the interval between the captures of the reference and original main images;
• matching the foreground regions of the reference and original main images to account for localized movement of a subject or other region that defines at least a portion of the foreground region;
• and
• calculating luminance histograms of reference and flash images and determining at least a portion of the foreground region based on differences between the reference and flash images;
• and the method further comprising detecting a region containing a face within the original main image, and modifying the face region based on the one or more reference images.

A hand-held or otherwise portable or spatial or temporal performance-based image capture device, comprising:

• one or more lenses, an aperture and a photodetector for capturing an original main image and one or more reference images having a temporal or spatial overlap or proximity with the original image, or combinations thereof;
• a processor;
• one or more non-transitory processor-readable media having embedded therein code for programming the processor to perform a digital image processing method that comprises:
• assessing on the device that the original main image includes one or more defects or otherwise sub-optimal characteristics;
• analyzing on the device information, image data or meta data, or combinations thereof, of the one or more reference images relating to the one or more defects or otherwise sub-optimal characteristics of the original main image;
• correcting on the device the one or more defects or other sub-optimal characteristics in the original main image based on the information, image data or meta data, or combinations thereof, of the one or more reference images to create a modified image comprising an enhanced versions of the original main image;
• and
• rendering the modified image at a digital rendering device, display or printer, or combinations thereof, as output from the image capture device;
• whereby the correcting of the one or more defects of other sub-optimal characteristics of the original main image based on the one or more reference images produces at the device the modified image from the original main image in real-time with spatial economy and performance efficiency, and
• aligning the reference and original main images globally to account for movement of the camera in the interval between the captures of the reference and original main images;
• matching the foreground regions of the reference and original main images to account for localized movement of a subject or other region that defines at least a portion of the foreground region;
• and
• calculating luminance histograms of reference and flash images and determining at least a portion of the foreground region based on differences between the reference and flash images;
• wherein the method further comprising detecting a region containing a face within the original main image, and modifying the face region based on the one or more reference images.

One or more non-transitory processor-readable media having embedded therein code for programming the processor to perform a digital image processing method involving a captured original main image and one or more reference images having a temporal or spatial overlap or proximity with the original image, or combinations thereof, wherein the method comprises:

• assessing on the device that the original main image includes one or more defects or otherwise sub-optimal characteristics;
• analyzing on the device information, image data or meta data, or combinations thereof, of the one or more reference images relating to the one or more defects or otherwise sub-optimal characteristics of the original main image;
• correcting on the device the one or more defects or other sub-optimal characteristics in the original main image based on the information, image data or meta data, or combinations thereof, of the one or more reference images to create a modified image comprising an enhanced versions of the original main image;
• and
• rendering the modified image at a digital rendering device, display or printer, or combinations thereof, as output from the image capture device;
• wherein the correcting of the one or more defects of other sub-optimal characteristics of the original main image based on the one or more reference images produces at the device the modified image from the original main image in real-time with spatial economy and performance efficiency,
• aligning the reference and original main images globally to account for movement of the camera in the interval between the captures of the reference and original main images;
• matching the foreground regions of the reference and original main images to account for localized movement of a subject or other region that defines at least a portion of the foreground region;
• and
• calculating luminance histograms of reference and flash images and determining at least a portion of the foreground region based on differences between the reference and flash images;
• detecting a region containing a face within the original main image, and
• modifying the face region based on the one or more reference images.

One or more non-transitory processor-readable media having embedded therein code for programming the processor to perform a digital image processing method involving a captured original main image and one or more reference images having a temporal or spatial overlap or proximity with the original image, or combinations thereof, wherein the method comprises:

• assessing that the original main image includes one or more defects or otherwise sub-optimal characteristics;
• analyzing information, image data or meta data, or combinations thereof, of the one or more reference images relating to the one or more defects or otherwise sub-optimal characteristics of the original main image;
• correcting the one or more defects or other sub-optimal characteristics in the original main image based on the information, image data or meta data, or combinations thereof, of the one or more reference images to create a modified image comprising an enhanced versions of the original main image;
• and
• wherein the correcting of the one or more defects of other sub-optimal characteristics of the original main image based on the one or more reference images produces at the device the modified image from the original main image in real-time with spatial economy and performance efficiency, and
• aligning the reference and original main images globally to account for movement of the camera in the interval between the captures of the reference and original main images;
• matching the foreground regions of the reference and original main images to account for localized movement of a subject or other region that defines at least a portion of the foreground region;
• and
• calculating luminance histograms of reference and flash images and determining at least a portion of the foreground region based on differences between the reference and flash images;
• detecting a region containing a face within the original main image, and
• modifying the face region based on the one or more reference images.