Communications of the ACM
The Edge of Computational Photography
Credit: Hedvika Michnova
Since their introduction more than a decade ago, smartphones have been equipped with cameras, allowing users to capture images and video without carrying a separate device. Thanks to the use of computational photographic technologies, which utilize algorithms to adjust photographic parameters in order to optimize them for specific situations, users with little or no photographic training can often achieve excellent results.
The boundaries of what constitutes computational photography are not clearly defined, though there is some agreement that the term refers to the use of hardware such as lenses and image sensors to capture image data, and then applying software algorithms to automatically adjust the image parameters to yield an image. Examples of computational photography technology can be found in most recent smartphones and some standalone cameras, including high dynamic range imaging (HDR), auto-focus (AF), image stabilization, shot bracketing, and the ability to deploy various filters, among many other features. These features allow amateur photographers to produce pictures that can, at times, rival photographs taken by professionals using significantly more expensive equipment.
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