
396 A Computational Introduction to Digital Image Processing, Second Edition
The Retinex Algorithm
In the 1970s Edwin Land (of Polaroid camera fame) proposed a “retinex” theory of
human vision [27]; the word being a mix of “retina” and “cortex.” Retinex algorithms,
of which there are many, have much in common with homomorphic filtering which was
discussed in Section 7.9. Retinex algorithms are designed to improve visual contrast, such
as in dark shadowed areas of an image, while maintaining color.
One particular algorithm, known as “center/surround retinex” [25], works by subtracting
from the logarithm of the image the logarithm of the image filtered ...