Correction Method using Frame Interpolation for Video Deterioration Caused by Electronic Flashes

Abstract

News programs often have sudden brightness changes caused by electronic flashes from still cameras. This paper proposes a correction method for the video deterioration caused by flashes using the frame interpolation technique. The proposed method creates an interpolated frame from neighboring frames to replace the frame area altered by the flash luminescence. To estimate accurate motion vectors used for frame interpolation, the proposed method adopts a novel block-based cost function that takes into account not only the frames before and after the flash but the flash frame itself. In addition, the hierarchical motion estimation and a new vector refinement filter are used to improve the interpolation quality. Experimental results for broadcasting video show that the proposed method is superior to the conventional interpolation method.