A Simple Algorithm for Managing Color in Global Tone Reproduction

Abstract Simple tone reproduction methods, such as the Reinhard global photographic tone-mapping operator, are popular methods for mapping high-dynamic range images to a low-dynamic range display. However, these methods deal mainly with how luminance is mapped; much less attention has been paid to how a full RGB color is produced. We introduce a simple method, inspired by traditional photography's use of polarizers to manage color, to map RGB colors when using global photographic operators for luminance. This method allows the user to trade off luminance for colorfulness, avoids unpredictable hue shifts and desaturation of the image, and guarantees that results lie in the RGB color cube without clamping.