HDR image encoding and decoding methods and devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10182247-B2
Application number	US-201715616528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2017
Priority date	Feb 21, 2013
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

To allow graders to make optimally looking content of HDR scenes for various rendering displays, we invented an image encoder ( 202 ) comprising:
an input ( 240 ) for a high dynamic range input image (M_HDR); an image grading unit ( 201 ) arranged to allow a human color grader to specify a color mapping from a representation (HDR_REP) of the high dynamic range input image defined according to a predefined accuracy, to a low dynamic range image (Im_LDR) by means of a human-determined color mapping algorithm, and arranged to output data specifying the color mapping (Fi(MP_DH)); and an automatic grading unit ( 203 ) arranged to derive a second low dynamic range image (GT_IDR) by applying an automatic color mapping algorithm to one of the high dynamic range input image (M_HDR) or the low dynamic range image (Im_LDR). We also describe and interesting new saturation processing strategy useful in the newly emerging high dynamic range image handling technology.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image encoder comprising:
an input comprising hardware configured to receive a high dynamic range input image;
a user grading input comprising hardware configured to allow a human color grader to specify a color mapping from a representation of the high dynamic range input image, to a first low dynamic range image by a human-determined color mapping algorithm, and configured to output data specifying the color mapping; and
a grader comprising hardware configured to derive a second low dynamic range image by applying an automatic color mapping algorithm to the high dynamic range input image, with a color mapping algorithm fulfilling a condition that a HDR reconstructed image falling within a second predefined accuracy from the high dynamic range input image can be calculated by applying a second color mapping algorithm which is the inverse of the automatic color mapping algorithm to the second low dynamic range image.

2. The image encoder of claim 1 , wherein the representation of the high dynamic range input image is one of the high dynamic range input image and the second low dynamic range image.

3. The image encoder as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the user grading input and the grader are configured to apply a monotonous mapping function on a luminance-correlate of pixels in their respective input image, in at least a geometrical region of the respective input image corresponding to a same geometrical region of the high dynamic range input image.

4. The image encoder of claim 3 , wherein the grader is configured to determine the monotonous mapping function from luminance-correlates of pixels of the high dynamic range input image to luminance-correlates of pixels of the second low dynamic range image according to a criterion which determines respective ranges of luminance-correlates of pixels of the high dynamic range input image allocated to respective single values of a luminance-correlate of pixels of the second low dynamic range image, the respective ranges forming a set of luminance-correlate ranges covering the total range of possible luminance-correlate values for the high dynamic range input image.

5. The image encoder of claim 1 , comprising a data formatter comprising hardware configured to output into an image signal the second low dynamic range image and at least one of, or both of, data describing the color mapping between the high dynamic range input image and the second low dynamic range image, and data describing the color mapping between the first low dynamic range image and the second low dynamic range image.

6. An image decoder comprising
an image signal input comprising hardware configured to receive an image signal comprising a low dynamic range image, and data describing a first color mapping enabling reconstruction of a reconstruction of a high dynamic range image on the basis of the low dynamic range image, and data describing a second color mapping allowing calculation of a further low dynamic range image on the basis of the low dynamic range image,
an image deriver comprising hardware configured to derive at least the low dynamic range image on the basis of the data describing the second color mapping and the pixel colors encoded in the low dynamic range image.

7. The image decoder of claim 6 , comprising a system configurer comprising hardware configured to determine whether the decoder is connected to at least one of a high dynamic range display and a low dynamic range display, and configured to configure the image deriver to determine at least the reconstruction in case of a connection to the high dynamic range display, and arranged to configure the image deriver to determine at least the further low dynamic range image in case of a connection to the low dynamic range display.

8. The image decoder of claim 6 , comprising:
an output port including at least one of a wired connection and a wireless connection, to any connectable display; and
a signal formatter comprising hardware configured to transmit at least one of the reconstruction of the high dynamic range image and the low dynamic range image to any connected display.

9. The image decoder of claim 6 , wherein the image deriver is configured to determine a further image based on the reconstruction of the high dynamic range image and the low dynamic range image, or the second low dynamic range image and data describing the first color mapping and data describing the second color mapping.

10. The image decoder of claim 6 , wherein the image signal input is connected to a reading unit configured to read the image signal from a memory.

11. The image decoder of claim 6 , wherein the image signal input is connectable via a network connection to a source of the image signal.

12. A method of image encoding comprising:
accessing a high dynamic range input image;
receiving via a user input, an indication of a color mapping from a representation of the high dynamic range input image defined according to a predefined accuracy, to a low dynamic range image, as a human-determined color mapping algorithm, and outputting data specifying the human-determined color mapping; and
deriving by image processing software and/or hardware, a second low dynamic range image by applying an color mapping algorithm to one of the high dynamic range input image or the low dynamic range image.

13. A method of image decoding comprising:
receiving via an input, an image signal comprising a second low dynamic range image, and data describing a first color mapping enabling reconstruction of a reconstruction of a high dynamic range on the basis of the second low dynamic range image, and data describing a second color mapping allowing calculation of a low dynamic range image on the basis of the second low dynamic range image, and
deriving by image processing software and/or an image processor, at least the low dynamic range image on the basis of the data describing the second color mapping and the pixel colors encoded in the second low dynamic range image, and optionally also the reconstruction on the basis of the data describing the first color mapping and the pixel colors encoded in the second low dynamic range image.

14. A storage-medium that is not a transitory propagating wave or signal, encoded with an image signal comprising a second low dynamic range image, and data describing a first color mapping enabling reconstruction of a reconstruction of a high dynamic range on the basis of the second low dynamic range image, and data describing a second color mapping allowing calculation of a low dynamic range image on the basis of the second low dynamic range image.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Mertens Mark Jozef Willem

Classifications

• H04N1/6058 Primary

  Reduction of colour to a range of reproducible colours, e.g. to ink- reproducible colour gamut · CPC title

• H04N1/64

  Systems for the transmission or the storage of the colour picture signal; Details therefor, e.g. coding or decoding means therefor {(H04N19/00 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H04N19/186

  the unit being a colour or a chrominance component · CPC title

• G06T2207/20208

  High dynamic range [HDR] image processing · CPC title

• G06T2207/10024

  Color image · CPC title