Method for improving contrast in picture sequences

Abstract

The invention relates to adjusting contrast in television pictures and other natural picture sequences. In the method according to the invention, the pictures of the picture sequence are gathered into histograms which are processed in certain fashion in order to improve contrast in the pictures, whereafter there are formed mapping functions on the basis of the processed histograms, and the pixel values of the pictures in the picture sequence are then altered on the basis of said mapping functions. The histograms are processed so that from each class where the magnitude of values surpasses a given, predetermined limit, there are cut off all values surpassing said limit, which are then redistributed in the histogram, to classes nearest to the class under observation. The weighting of the distribution controlling the redistribution of the cut-off values advantageously varies according to the class under observation, so that near the low-value end of the histogram, the values are redistributed mainly to classes with higher values than in the class under observation, and near the high-value end of the histogram, the cut-off values are redistributed mainly to classes with lower values than in the class under observation. In the middle region of the histogram, the values are distributed essentially evenly on both sides of the class under observation. Moreover, the cut-off limit can advantageously be defined to be dependent on the class, so that the limit at the extreme ends of the histogram is lower than in the middle region thereof. By applying this procedure, it is possible to avoid a situation where the picture details are covered under areas that are seen nearly black or nearly white. The thus preprocessed histograms are filtered in an adaptive edge-preserving filter, so that flickering is effectively prevented and at the same time there is avoided a distortion of the pictures successive to the cut-off spots in the picture sequence.