High dynamic range imaging pipeline on the GPU

Akyuz A. O.

JOURNAL OF REAL-TIME IMAGE PROCESSING, vol.10, no.2, pp.273-287, 2015 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 10 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2015
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/s11554-012-0270-9
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF REAL-TIME IMAGE PROCESSING
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.273-287
  • Keywords: High dynamic range imaging, GPU programming, Color imaging, Tone mapping, Real-time imaging
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Use of high dynamic range (HDR) images and video in image processing and computer graphics applications is rapidly gaining popularity. However, creating and displaying high resolution HDR content on CPUs is a time consuming task. Although some previous work focused on real-time tone mapping, implementation of a full HDR imaging (HDRI) pipeline on the GPU has not been detailed. In this article we aim to fill this gap by providing a detailed description of how the HDRI pipeline, from HDR image assembly to tone mapping, can be implemented exclusively on the GPU. We also explain the trade-offs that need to be made for improving efficiency and show timing comparisons for CPU versus GPU implementations of the HDRI pipeline.