Dynamic range compression by edge-preserving filtering

Dynamic range compression is useful for displaying and enhancing images. It is common to subtract a mask from a given image to enhance the details. The trick is how to obtain a good mask. The authors describe how an edge-preserving filter can be used to generate a mask that is smooth over areas with fine details, yet preserves most of the edges. Experiments with real images show that the scheme is effective for this task.< >