HDRtasot

HDRtasot is a computational imaging technique used to generate images with extended dynamic range by combining multiple exposures. It focuses on preserving natural color and reducing artifacts common to HDR pipelines.

The standard HDRtasot workflow begins with capturing a bracketed sequence of frames (often three or more) at different exposure levels. The frames are aligned to compensate for movement, gamma and color spaces are linearized, and a radiance map or exposure fusion is computed. A local tone-mapping operator is then applied to compress the wide dynamic range into the display capabilities while preserving local contrast. Finally, color correction and gamut management ensure faithful rendering on target devices.

History and development: HDR imaging techniques emerged in the 1990s and 2000s, with HDRtasot named in technical discussions and later implemented in consumer software and cameras. It is considered one approach among several HDR fusion and tone-mapping methods.

Applications and limitations: Used in photography, cinematography, and virtual reality to render scenes with strong light contrasts. Limitations include ghosting from moving subjects, artifacts from misalignment or motion, noise amplification in shadow regions, and computational cost. Real-time variants and machine-learning based improvements are active areas of research.

See also: High dynamic range imaging; Exposure fusion; Tone mapping.