Tone Reproduction for Computer Graphics
Using Photographic Principles

Joe Geigel
Eastman Kodak, Rochester
geigel@itc.kodak.com

ABSTRACT

Since it's inception, one of the major goals of computer graphics has been the quest for photorealism in the synthesis of computer generated imagery. The pursuit of this goal has led to sophisticated rendering software that simulates the transport and reflection of light within a virtual scene, through a camera model onto an imagined image plane. In the final stage of the synthesis process, the tone reproduction stage, simulated illuminance values are converted to appropriate pixel values for inevitable display.

In this talk, I will describe an approach to tone reproduction which is based on photographic processes and which attempts to mimic the mechanisms by which photographic prints are formed and developed. We have developed a model for simulating the photographic development process on digital images and implemented the model in a system called the Virtual Darkroom (VDR). Since VDR is based on conventional photography, it is useful not only as a tool for computer artists who are creating renderings of virtual scenes, but it also enables novice photographers who are just learning the basics of the photographic process to experiment with photographic parameters.

Details of the model will be discussed and a demonstration of the VDR system will be given.

Colloquia Series page.