Specular highlights detection and reduction with multi-flash photography

We present a novel method to reduce the effect of specularities in digital images. Our approach relies on a simple modification of the capture setup: a multi-flash camera is used to take multiple pictures of the scene, each one with a differently positioned light source. We then formulate the problem of specular highlights reduction as solving a Poisson equation on a gradient field obtained from the input images. The obtained specular reduced image is further refined in a matting process with the maximum composite of the input images. Experimental results are demonstrated on real and synthetic images. The entire setup can be conceivably packaged into a self-contained device, no larger than existing digital cameras