Specularity in an image refers to the occurrence of a mirror-like specular reflection of light from a material surface depicted in the image. Materials such as glass, metal, human skin and most painted material surfaces are quite glossy and may exhibit prominent specularities when depicted in an image. In the execution of a computer processing technique for the analysis of the image, the occurrence of specularities can interfere with a correct and accurate performance of the executed technique. For example, in an image segregation technique, to segregate intrinsic material and illumination aspects of an image, there is an assumption that the materials depicted in the image are lambertian. However, materials exhibiting specular reflections do not satisfy the lambertian assumption, causing a segregation operation to fail. Accordingly, there is a need for the development of methods for the detection and removal of specular reflections that may appear in a recorded image.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds