High Dynamic Range Imaging, 2nd Edition

Perception-Based ToneReproduction

07

The dynamic range of illumination in a real-world scene is high, of the order of 10, 000 to 1 from highlights to shadows, and higher if light sources are directly visible. A much larger range of illumination can also occur if the scene includes both an outdoor area illuminated by sunlight and an indoor area illuminated by interior light (see, e.g., Figure 7.1). Using techniques discussed in Chapter 5, we are able to capture this dynamic range with full precision. Unfortunately, most display devices and display media available to us come with only a moderate absolute output level and a useful dynamic range of less than 100 to 1. The discrepancy between the wide ranges of illumination that can be captured and ...