Tabletop Computed Lighting for Practical Digital Photography

• Published in: IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics Vol. 13; no. 4; pp. 652 - 662
• Main Authors: Mohan, A., Bailey, R., Waite, J., Tumblin, J., Grimm, C., Bodenheimer, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01.07.2007; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Algorithms; Cameras; Clamps; Computer Graphics; controllable lighting; Cost engineering; Costs; Digital control; Digital photography; Enclosure; enclosure lighting; handheld lighting; Illumination; Image Enhancement - methods; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Image-based lighting; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods; Interactive; Layout; Lifting equipment; Light sources; Lighting; Lighting - methods; Lighting control; Photography; Photography - methods; Shape; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; User-Computer Interface
• ISSN: 1077-2626; 1941-0506
• DOI: 10.1109/TVCG.2007.1008

We apply simplified image-based lighting methods to reduce the equipment, cost, time, and specialized skills required for high-quality photographic lighting of desktop-sized static objects such as museum artifacts. We place the object and a computer-steered moving-head spotlight inside a simple foam-core enclosure and use a camera to record photos as the light scans the box interior. Optimization, guided by interactive user sketching, selects a small set of these photos whose weighted sum best matches the user-defined target sketch. Unlike previous image-based relighting efforts, our method requires only a single area light source, yet it can achieve high-resolution light positioning to avoid multiple sharp shadows. A reduced version uses only a handheld light and may be suitable for battery-powered field photography equipment that fits into a backpack.