Low-bit depth-high-dynamic range image generation by blending differently exposed images

Recently, high-dynamic range (HDR) imaging has taken the centre stage because of the drawbacks of low-dynamic range imaging, namely detail losses in under- and over-exposed areas. In this study, the authors propose an algorithm for HDR image generation of a low-bit depth from two differently exposed images. For compatibility with conventional devices, HDR image generations of a large bit depth and bit depth compression are skipped. By using posterior probability-based labelling, luminance adjusting and adaptive blending, the authors directly blend two input images into one while preserving the global intensity order as well as enhancing its dynamic range. From the experiments on various test images, results confirm that the proposed method generates more natural HDR images than other state-of-the-art algorithms regardless of image properties.