Increase exposure of an image by a certain number of stops (EV)

Hello,

I need to post-process some images with MatLab and I'd like to be able to increase the exposure of the image. I know I can just add some constant value to the matrix representing the image, but I need to know how many stops I'm increasing this brightness, like in Lightroom or Photoshop. Any help?

Answer 1

[gbos]

Well I solved the problem, the answer was pretty straightforward actually: obviosuly if you want to over expose by 1 stop (EV) the amount of light that will be recorded on a picture will be double. So to do this in MatLab you just have to double every pixel value. If the stops are 2, you have to quadruple the values, if it's just half a stop, then you have to multiply by 1.5 (50% more light in). Obviously pixels with a value will keep a value of and they'll be the clipped pixels.

This process doesn't take into account the camera response function but it's ok since the RAW file should have a linear response anyway.

[DGM]

Regarding the case where it's desired to do this on gamma-corrected RGB instead, see this comment:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/648188-increasing-exposure-of-an-image#comment_2058319

Answer 2

[KALYAN ACHARJYA]

Still I feel the question is quite subjective, One way: the issue is how to get the contrast of an image? If done, you may look for imadjust function also with repeated iteration (loop).

Second way: As you mentioned about contrast enhancemnet, I suggest to go for repeated histogram equalization and see the dynamaic ranges. During the loop iterration, when you achieve disired dynamic range (contrast), you may consider a break statement.

[gbos]

Nope, I just need to brighten the image. I don't need contrast adjustments etc. I just want to increase the exposure to create a overexposed or underexposed image as I would when I was shooting some bracketed images with my camera. But I need to know how to increase the exposure correctly by n stops (or n EVs) like I can do in Lightroom

[KALYAN ACHARJYA]

Great, again how do you measure the brightenness of an image? To brighten the image, just do the gamma scaling? Set the approprite Gamma value (iterate) and see the profile distribution and image.

More about Gamma Scaling see here (MATLAB Documentation)

[gbos]

I don't know. How do Lightroom, Photoshop, Capture One, ImageJ, Gimp do that? I don't think they iterate over nothing since they do it in real time, but I actually have no clue.

[KALYAN ACHARJYA]

To Lighten an images, just add sime value to all pixel?

Suppose A is an image, To Get the lighten (brightness) of image A, then

Lighten_A=A+Some_constant  % More Larger Constant Value, more lighten the Image

Please note contrast and lighten are different issue.

[gbos]

Yep this is what I've been doing, but I need to do it properly and accurately. So let's say I want to increase the exposure of the image by 2 stops, what constant value should I add to the image?

[KALYAN ACHARJYA]

Exposure of the image by 2 stops?

Is this in two iteration?

n=4 % Considering Gray Image, Color deals with individual color planes 
for i=1:n
image_A=Image_A+randi(10);
imshow(image_A)
end 

[gbos]

No I mean stops of exposure, so 1 stop = 1 EV = double the light. Here the description of what is a stop

[DGM]

I would assume that a multiplicative correction would make sense.

As far as I know, the common method of using adjustment layers in Photoshop with the "Exposure" adjustment is just a simple three-term calculation - an "exposure" term, an "offset" term, and a "gamma term.

inpict = imread('peppers.png');

k = 1.1; % scaling factor (null is 1)
os = 0.1; % output offset (null is 0)
g = 1; % gamma (null is 1)

outpict = os + (im2double(inpict)*k).^g;

imshow(outpict)

Of course, there are more complicated ways of doing it with masking, etc. I don't use Photoshop, so I'm in no position to experimentally verify that this is the exact math. It makes sense though.

Legacy GIMP (pre-2.9) doesn't have anything that claims to be "exposure" adjustment (at least not the base tools). There is a basic brightness & contrast adjustment tool, a levels adjustment tool, and a curves adjustment tool. I explain how the GIMP brightness/contrast tool works here:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/1621710-how-to-set-image-contrast-using-slider

The levels and curves tools are just simple multipoint intensity interpolation. Think of the "levels" method as a simplified three-point case of "curves". The same can be done with interp1().

Consider also imadjust() and its 5-term calculation. I just look at these various methods as different ways to define a curve that maps the input values to the output values. Sometimes it's more convenient to think about the process in terms of the locations of the endpoints of a line (as in imadjust()). Sometimes it's more convenient to think about it in terms of slope (as in the PS "exposure" term).