Patent attributes
Embodiments provide techniques for enhancing an existing image after image acquisition. These techniques include sub-sampling the original image, identifying and/or deriving local region brightness, and using the local region brightness to enhance the contrast of pixels within these regions in the original image. Sub-sampling is generally used to reduce the number of pixels and corresponding computational load. Local region brightness is localized brightness in an image determined based on the dark and light regions within the image by, for example, using a 2-D Gaussian filter. The use of the local region brightness to enhance the image may be accomplished using a lookup table that may be configured to implement a variety of techniques, for example, contrast overlay, Alpha blending, and the like, for contrast enhancement in the dark and light regions.