Nnews
Science | DOI: 10.1145/1461928.1461933
Kirk L. Kroeker
Photography’s
Bright future
Researchers working in computational photography are using
computer vision, computer graphics, and applied optics to bring a vast
array of new capabilities to digital cameras.
PhotograPh by shree nayar
WhiLe the fiRSt digital
cameras were bulky,
possessed few features,
and captured images
that were of dubious
quality, digital cameras today pack an
enormous array of features and technologies into small designs. And the quality
of pictures captured on these cameras
has improved dramatically, even to the
point where most professional photographers have abandoned film and shoot
exclusively with digital equipment. Given that digital photography has established itself as superior to analog film
in many aspects, it might seem safe to
assume that the next breakthroughs
in this area will be along the lines of
more megapixels or smaller handheld
designs. However, researchers working
in the emerging area of computational
photography—a movement that draws
on computer vision, computer graphics,
and applied optics—say the next major
breakthroughs in digital photography
will be in how images are captured and
processed.
Indeed, the technology powering
digital photography is rapidly improving and is certainly facilitating the ability to capture images at increasingly
a camera mechanism designed to enhance depth of field without compromising light
quality. a sensor mounted on a movable platform and controlled by a microactuator can
capture an image that is equally blurred everywhere but can be deblurred to produce
an image with an unusually large depth of field.
high resolutions on ever smaller hardware. But most digital cameras today
still operate much like traditional film
cameras, offering a similar set of features and options. Researchers working in computational photography are
pushing for new technologies and de-
signs that will give digital cameras abilities that analog cameras do not have,
such as the ability to capture multiple
views in one image or change focal settings even after a shot is taken.
“There is tremendous enthusiasm
for computational photography,” says
feBRuaRY 2009 | vol. 52 | No. 2 | CommunICatIons of the aCm
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