Application of wavelet-based image fusion in image enhancement

To resolve problems of poor contrast and sharpness in degraded images, a novel efficient enhancement algorithm based on image fusion is presented in this paper. The proposed algorithm consists of two essentials: the first, the techniques of histogram equalization and sharpening were respectively applied to the same degraded image so that two source images, which individually preserved the enhancement effect of either of these techniques, could be obtained; the second, details and approximations of these source images were respectively fused via different fusion rules in the wavelet domain. The experiment results indicate that the proposed algorithm integrates the merits of histogram equalization and sharpening effectively and achieves a considerable efficiency in the enhancement of degraded images exhibiting both blurred details and low contrast.