An improved adaptive detail enhancement algorithm for infrared images based on guided image filter

ABSTRACTDetail enhancement algorithms are important for raw infrared images to improve their overall contrast and highlight important information in them. To solve the problems that current algorithms like GF&DDE have, an improved adaptive detail enhancement algorithm for infrared images based on a guided image filter is proposed in this paper. It chooses the threshold for the base layer image adaptively according to the histogram statistical information and adjusts the mapping range of the histograms according to the dynamic range of the image. Besides, the detail layer is handled by a simpler adaptive gain control method to achieve the good detail enhancement effect. Finally, the base layer and the detail are merged according to the approximate proportion of the background and the details. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can adaptively and efficiently enhance different dynamic range images in different scenarios. Moreover, this algorithm has high real-time performance.