Increasing dynamic range of a virtual production display

Abstract

A processor obtains an input image containing both bright and dark regions. The processor obtains a threshold between a first pixel value and a second pixel value of the display. Upon detecting a region of the input image having an original pixel value above the threshold, the processor can create a data structure including a location of the region in the input image and an original pixel value of the region. The data structure occupies less memory than the input image. The display presents the input image including the region of the image having the original pixel value above the threshold. The processor sends the data structure to a camera, which records the presented image. The processor performing postprocessing obtains the data structure and the recorded image and increases dynamic range of the recorded image by modifying the recorded image based on the data structure.

I/We claim: 
     
         1 . A system to increase dynamic range of an image comprising:
 a display configured to clip bright regions of the image;   at least one hardware processor; and   at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, cause the system to:
 obtain an input image to present on the display; 
 obtain a splitting criterion,
 wherein the splitting criterion indicates how to separate the input image; 
 
 split the input image into a first image and a second image based on the splitting criterion; 
 replace portions of the first image not included in the input image by a predetermined value; 
 replace portions of the second image not included in the input image by the predetermined value; and 
 present the first image and the second image on the display in an alternating fashion. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , comprising instructions to:
 obtain the splitting criterion indicating to split the input image based on luminance;   split the input image into the first image and the second image by:
 obtaining a luminance threshold, and multiple regions associated with the input image; 
 obtaining a luminance of a region among the multiple regions; 
 determining whether the luminance of the region is above the luminance threshold; and 
 upon determining that the luminance of the region is above the luminance threshold, adding the region to the first image, thereby obtaining the first image including brighter portions of the input image than the second image. 
   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , comprising instructions to:
 obtain the splitting criterion including obtaining the splitting criterion indicating to split the input image based on a region; and   split the input image into the first image and the second image including assigning the region to the first image and a remainder of the input image to the second image.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , comprising instructions to:
 prior to presenting the first image decrease a luminance of the first image by applying a function to the first image;   increase a luminance of a first recorded image by:
 obtaining a luminance of a region among multiple regions associated with the first image; and 
 increasing the luminance of the first recorded image by applying an inverse of the function to the luminance of the region,
 wherein the inverse of the function receives the luminance of the region as input, and produces an output increasing the luminance of the region. 
 
   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the function comprises a log encoding function, and/or a calibration function. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a camera configured to record the first image to obtain a first recorded image and the second image to obtain a second recorded image; and   the instructions comprising instructions to combine the first recorded image and the second recorded image.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , comprising:
 the camera configured to be synchronized to the display to record the first recorded image when the display is showing the first image, and to record the second recorded image when the display is showing the second image.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein combining the first image and the second image produces the input image. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , comprising the instructions to:
 obtain an input indicating a technique among multiple techniques,
 wherein the technique is configured to increase the dynamic range of the image recorded from the display; 
   apply at least a portion of the technique to the input image prior to displaying the input image on the display; and   send an indication of the technique.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , comprising the instructions to:
 determine a source of light external to the display; and   adjust intensity of the source of light by a factor corresponding to a number of images into which the input image is split.   
     
     
         11 . At least one computer-readable storage medium, excluding transitory signals and carrying instructions, which, when executed by at least one data processor of a system, cause the system to:
 obtain an input image to present on a display;   obtain a splitting criterion,
 wherein the splitting criterion indicates how to separate the input image; 
   split the input image into a first image and a second image based on the splitting criterion;   replace portions of the first image not included in the input image by a predetermined value;   replace portions of the second image not included in the input image by the predetermined value; and   present the first image and the second image on the display in an alternating fashion.   
     
     
         12 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , comprising instructions to:
 obtain the splitting criterion indicating to split the input image based on luminance;   split the input image into the first image and the second image by:
 obtaining a luminance threshold, and multiple regions associated with the input image; 
 obtaining a luminance of a region among the multiple regions; 
 determining whether the luminance of the region is above the luminance threshold; and 
 upon determining that the luminance of the region is above the luminance threshold, adding the region to the first image, thereby obtaining the first image including brighter portions of the input image than the second image. 
   
     
     
         13 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , comprising instructions to:
 obtain the splitting criterion including obtaining the splitting criterion indicating to split the input image based on a region; and   split the input image into the first image and the second image including assigning the region to the first image and a remainder of the input image to the second image.   
     
     
         14 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , comprising instructions to:
 prior to presenting the first image decrease a luminance of the first image by applying a function to the first image;   increase a luminance of a first recorded image by:
 obtaining a luminance of a region among multiple regions associated with the first image; and 
 increasing the luminance of the first recorded image by applying an inverse of the function to the luminance of the region,
 wherein the inverse of the function receives the luminance of the region as input, and produces an output increasing the luminance of the region. 
 
   
     
     
         15 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the function comprises a log encoding function, and/or a calibration function. 
     
     
         16 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , comprising instructions to:
 record the first image to obtain a first recorded image and the second image to obtain a second recorded image; and   combine the first recorded image and the second recorded image.   
     
     
         17 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , comprising instructions to:
 synchronize a camera to the display to record the first recorded image when the display is showing the first image, and to record the second recorded image when the display is showing the second image.   
     
     
         18 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein combining the first image and the second image produces the input image. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , comprising the instructions to:
 obtain an input indicating a technique among multiple techniques,
 wherein the technique is configured to increase a dynamic range of an image recorded from the display; 
   apply at least a portion of the technique to the input image prior to displaying the input image on the display; and   send an indication of the technique.   
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , comprising the instructions to:
 determine a source of light external to the display; and   adjust intensity of the source of light by a factor corresponding to a number of images into which the input image is split.   
     
     
         21 . A method comprising:
 obtaining an input image to present on a display;   obtaining a splitting criterion,
 wherein the splitting criterion indicates how to separate the input image; 
   splitting the input image into a first image and a second image based on the splitting criterion;   replacing portions of the first image not included in the input image by a predetermined value;   replacing portions of the second image not included in the input image by the predetermined value; and   presenting the first image and the second image on the display in an alternating fashion.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , comprising:
 obtaining the splitting criterion indicating to split the input image based on luminance;   splitting the input image into the first image and the second image by:
 obtaining a luminance threshold, and multiple regions associated with the input image; 
 obtaining a luminance of a region among the multiple regions; 
 determining whether the luminance of the region is above the luminance threshold; and 
 upon determining that the luminance of the region is above the luminance threshold, adding the region to the first image, thereby obtaining the first image including brighter portions of the input image than the second image. 
   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , comprising:
 obtaining the splitting criterion including obtaining the splitting criterion indicating to split the input image based on a region; and   splitting the input image into the first image and the second image including assigning the region to the first image and a remainder of the input image to the second image.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , comprising:
 prior to presenting the first image decreasing a luminance of the first image by applying a function to the first image;   increasing a luminance of a first recorded image by:
 obtaining a luminance of a region among multiple regions associated with the first image; and 
 increasing the luminance of the first recorded image by applying an inverse of the function to the luminance of the region,
 wherein the inverse of the function receives the luminance of the region as input, and produces an output increasing the luminance of the region. 
 
   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the function comprises a log encoding function, and/or a calibration function. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , comprising:
 recording the first image to obtain a first recorded image and the second image to obtain a second recorded image; and   combining the first recorded image and the second recorded image.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , comprising:
 synchronizing a camera to the display to record the first recorded image when the display is showing the first image, and to record the second recorded image when the display is showing the second image.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein combining the first image and the second image produces the input image. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , comprising:
 obtaining an input indicating a technique among multiple techniques,
 wherein the technique is configured to increase a dynamic range of an image recorded from the display; 
   applying at least a portion of the technique to the input image prior to displaying the input image on the display; and   sending an indication of the technique.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 21 , comprising:
 determining a source of light external to the display; and   adjusting intensity of the source of light by a factor corresponding to a number of images into which the input image is split.