Feedback image enhancement process

Claim 2

A feedback image enhancement process including the steps of: a producing an original image relating to a scene; b. deriving from the original image a first compressed image the values of which are a fixed function of the corresponding values of the original image; c. forming a first filtered image by low-pass spatially filtering the first compressed image; d. deriving from the first filtered image a first mask image the values of which are a fixed function of the corresponding values of the first filtered image; e. deriving from the original image and the first mask image a second compressed image the values of which are a fixed function of the product of the corresponding values of the original image and the first mask image; f. forming a second filtered image by low-pass spatially filtering the first and second compressed images, the values of the second filtered image being a weighted average of the corresponding values of the low-pass spatially filtered first and second compressed images; g. deriving from the second filtered image a second mask image the values of which are a fixed function of the corresponding values of the second filtered image; and h. deriving from the original image and the second mask image an enhanced image the values of which are a fixed function of the product of the corresponding values of the original image and the second mask image.

Claim 3

A feedback image enhancement process in accordance with claim 3 wherein the original image and the filtered images are negative images and the compressed images, mask images, and the enhanced image are positive images.

Claim 4

A feedback image enhancement process including the steps of: a. producing an original image relating to a scene; b. deriving from the original image a first compressed image the values of which are a fixed function of the corresponding values of the original image; c. forming a first filtered image by low-pass spatially filtering the first compressed image; d. deriving from the first filtered image a first mask image the values of which are a fixed function of the corresponding values of the first filtered image; e. deriving from the original image and the first mask image a second compressed image the values of which are a fixed function of the product of the corresponding values of the original image and the first mask image; f. forming a second filtered image by low-pass spatially filtering image being the first and second compressed images, the values of the second filtered image being a weighted average of the corresponding values of the low-pass spatially filtered first and second compressed images; g. deriving from the second filtered image a second mask image the values of which are a fixed function of the corresponding values of the second filtered image; h. deriving from the original image and the second mask image a third compressed image the values of which are a fixed function of the product of the corresponding values of the original image and the second mask image; i. forming a third filtered image by low-pass spatially filtering the first, second, and third compressed images, the values of the third filtered image being a weighted average of the corresponding values of the low-pass spatially filtered first, second, and third compressed images; j. deriving from the third filtered image a third mask image the values of which are a fixed function of the corresponding values of the third filtered image; and k. deriving from the original image and the third mask image an enhanced image the values of which are a fixed function of the product of the corresponding values of the original image and the third mask image.

Claim 5

A feedback image enhancement process in accordance with claim 5 wherein the original image and the filtered images are negative images and the compressed images, maSk images, and the enhanced image are positive images.

Claim 6

A reiterative photographic feedback image enhancement process which comprises an initial cycle followed by at least one subsequent cycle and a final operation, wherein: the initial cycle comprises the steps of: a. exposing a photographic film with illumination falling on a scene and developing the film to produce a scene negative; b. illuminating the scene negative and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the negative, and developing the film to produce a positive; c. illuminating the positive and low-pass spatially filtering the image thereby formed, exposing a photographic film with the low-pass spatially filtered image, and developing the film to produce a blurred negative; and d. illuminating the blurred negative and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the blurred negative, and developing the film to produce a mask; each subsequent cycle comprises the steps of: e. aligning the scene negative with the mask produced in the previous cycle, illuminating the combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination, and developing the film to produce a positive; f. illuminating the positives produced in the present and all previous cycles and low-pass spatially filtering the images formed thereby, exposing a photographic film with the low-pass spatially filtered images, the positives being arranged such that the images on the photographic film are in registration with each other, and developing the film to produce a blurred negative; and g. illuminating the blurred negative produced in the preceding step and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the blurred negative, and developing the film to produce a mask; and the final operation is the step of: aligning the scene negative with the mask produced in the preceding cycle, illuminating the combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination, and developing the film to produce an enhanced positive.

Claim 7

A reiterative photographic feedback image enhancement process in accordance with claim 7 wherein: the gamma of the photographic film used in producing the positive in each of steps (b) and (e) is equal to the reciprocal of the gamma of the photographic film used in producing the scene negative in step (a); the illumination exposure in each of steps (b) and (e) is adjusted such that the average value of the relative transmissivity of the positive produced in each of steps (b) and (e) is approximately equal to 0.5; the photographic film in each of steps (c) and (f) is previously fogged by illumination; and the characteristics of the photographic films used in steps (c) and (d) and in steps (f) and (g) are selected, and the exposure and previous fogging illumination levels adjusted, such that the density at any point on the mask produced in each of steps (d) and (g) is approximately a linear function of the exposure applied to the corresponding point on the photographic film in each of steps (c) and (f), respectively.

Claim 8

A reiterative photographic feedback image enhancement process in accordance with claim 8 wherein, in step (f) of each subsequent cycle: the illumination exposure applied to the positive produced in each subsequent cycle is equal to that applied in the previous cycle to the positive produced in that cycle, and the illumination exposure applied in each subsequent cycle to each positive produced in an earlier cycle is less than the illumination exposure applied to that positive in the earlier cycle.

Claim 9

A photographic feedback image enhancement process comprising the steps of: a. exposing a photographic film with illumination falling on a scene and developing the film to produce a scene negative; b. illuminating the scene negative and exposing a photographic film with The illumination passing through the negative, and developing the film to produce a first positive; c. illuminating the first positive and low-pass spatially filtering the image thereby formed, exposing a photographic film with the low-pass spatially filtered image, and developing the film to produce a first blurred negative; d. illuminating the first blurred negative and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the first blurred negative, and developing the film to produce a first mask; e. aligning the scene negative with the first mask, illuminating the combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination, and developing the film to produce a second positive; f. illuminating the first and second positives and low-pass spatially filtering the images formed thereby, exposing a photographic film with the low-pass spatially filtered images, the first and second positives being arranged such that the images on the photographic film are in registration with each other, and developing the film to produce a second blurred negative; g. illuminating the second blurred negative and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the second blurred negative, and developing the film to produce a second mask; and h. aligning the scene negative with the second mask, illuminating the combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination, and developing the film to produce an enhanced positive.

Claim 10

A photographic feedback image enhancement process comprising the steps of: a. exposing a photographic film with illumination falling on a scene and developing the film to produce a scene negative; b. illuminating the scene negative and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the negative, and developing the film to produce a first positive; c. illuminating the first positive and low-pass spatially filtering the image thereby formed, exposing a photographic film with the low-pass spatially filtered image, and developing the film to produce a first blurred negative; d. illuminating the first blurred negative and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the first blurred negative, and developing the film to produce a first mask; e. aligning the scene negative with the first mask, illuminating the combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination, and developing the film to produce a second positive; f. illuminating the first and second positives and low-pass spatially filtering the images formed thereby, exposing a photographic film with the low-pass spatially filtered images, the first and second positives being arranged such that the images on the photographic film are in registration with each other, and developing the film to produce a second blurred negative; g. illuminating the second blurred negative and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the second blurred negative, and developing the film to produce a second mask; and h. aligning the scene negative with the second mask, illuminating combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination, and developing the film to produce a third positive; i. illuminating the first, second, and third positives and low-pass spatially filtering the images formed thereby, exposing a photographic film with the low-pass spatially filtered images, the first, second, and third positives being arranged such that the images on the photographic film are in registration with each other, and developing the film to produce a third blurred negative; j. illuminating the third blurred negative and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the third blurred negative, and developing the film to produce a third mask; and k. aligning the scene negatiVe with the third mask, illuminating the combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination, and developing the film to produce an enhanced positive.

Claim 11

A photographic feedback image enhancement process in accordance with claim 11 wherein: the gamma of the photographic film used in producing the positive in each of steps (b), (e), and (h) is equal to the reciprocal of the gamma of the photographic film used in producing the scene negative in step (a); the illumination exposure in each of steps (b), (e), and (h) is adjusted such that the average value of the relative transmissivity of the exposed positive produced in each of steps (b), (e), and (h) is approximately equal to 0.5; the photographic film in each of steps (c), (f), and (i) is previously fogged by illumination; and the characteristics of the photographic films used in steps (c) and (d), steps (f) and (g), and steps (i) and (j) are selected, and the exposure and previous fogging illumination levels adjusted, such that the density at any point on the mask produced in each of steps (d), (g), and (j) is approximately a linear function of the exposure applied to the corresponding point on the photographic film in each of steps (c), (f), and (i), respectively.

Claim 12

A photographic feedback image enhancement process in accordance with claim 12 wherein: the illumination exposure applied to the second positive in step (f) is equal to that applied to the first positive in step (c), and illumination exposure applied to the first positive in step (f) is less than that applied to the first positive in step (c); and the illumination exposure applied to the third positive produced in step (h) is equal to that applied to the second positive in step (f), the illumination exposure applied to the second positive in step (h) is less than that applied to the second positive in step (f), and the illumination exposure applied to the first positive in step (h) is less than that applied to the first positive in step (f).

Claim 13

A photographic feedback image enhancement process comprising the steps of: a. producing a scene positive relating to a scene; b. illuminating the scene positive and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the negative, and developing the film to produce a first negative; c. illuminating the first negative and low-pass spatially filtering the image thereby formed, exposing a photographic film with the low-pass spatially filtered image, and developing the film to produce a first blurred positive; d. illuminating the first blurred positive and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the first blurred positive, and developing the film to produce a first mask; e. aligning the scene positive with the first mask, illuminating the combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination and developing the film to produce a second negative; f. illuminating the first and second negatives, and low-pass spatially filtering the images formed thereby, exposing a photographic film with the low-pass spatially filtered images, the first and second negatives being arranged such that the images on the photographic film are in registration with each other, and developing the film to produce a second blurred positive; g. illuminating the second blurred positive and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the second blurred positive, and developing the film to produce a second mask; and h. aligning the scene positive with the second mask, illuminating the combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination, and developing the film to produce an enhanced negative.

Claim 14

A photographic feedback image enhancement process comprising the steps of: a. producing a scene positive relating to a scene; b. illuminating the scene pOsitive and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the negative, and developing the film to produce a first negative; c. illuminating the first negative and low-pass spatially filtering the image thereby formed, exposing a photographic film with the low-pass spatially filtered image, and developing the film to produce a first blurred positive; d. illuminating the first blurred positive and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the first blurred positive, and developing the film to produce a first mask; e. aligning the scene positive with the first mask, illuminating the combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination, and developing the film to produce a second negative; f. illuminating the first and second negatives and low-pass spatially filtering the images formed thereby, exposing a photographic film with the low-pass spatially filtered images, the first and second negatives being arranged such that the images on the photographic film are in registration with each other, and developing the film to produce a second blurred positive; g. illuminating the second blurred positive and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the second blurred positive, and developing the film to produce a second mask; and h. aligning the scene positive with the second mask, illuminating the combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination, and developing the film to produce a third negative; i. illuminating the first, second, and third negatives and low-pass spatially filtering the images formed thereby, exposing a photographic film with low-pass spatially filtered images, the first, second, and third negatives being arranged such that the images on the photographic film are in registration with each other, and developing the film to produce a third blurred positive; j. illuminating the third blurred positive and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the third blurred positive, and developing the film to produce a third mask; and k. aligning the scene positive with the third mask, illuminating the combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination, and developing the film to produce an enhanced negative.

Claim 15

A reiterative feedback image enhancement process which comprises an initial cycle followed by at least one subsequent cycle and a final operation, wherein: the initial cycle comprises the steps of: a. producing a scene positive relating to a scene; b. illuminating the scene positive and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the positive, and developing the film to produce a negative; c. illuminating the negative and low-pass spatially the image thereby formed, exposing a photographic film with the low-pass spatially filtered image, and developing the film to produce a blurred positive; and d. illuminating the blurred positive and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the blurred positive, and developing the film to produce a mask; each subsequent cycle comprises the steps of: e. aligning the scene positive with the mask produced in the previous cycle, illuminating the combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination, and developing the film to produce a negative; f. illuminating the negatives produced in the present and all previous cycles and low-pass spatially filtering the images formed thereby, exposing a photographic film with the low-pass spatially filtered images, the negatives being arranged such that the images on the photographic film are in registration with each other, and developing the film to produce a blurred positive; and g. illuminating the blurred positive produced in the preceding step and exposing a photograPhic film with the illumination passing through the blurred positive, and developing the film to produce a mask; and the final operation comprises the step of: aligning the scene positive with the mask produced in the preceding cycle, illuminating the combination and exposing a photographic film with the illumination passing through the combination, and developing the film to produce an enhanced negative.