Introduction¶
Computational photography studies how computation enhances the entire photography workflow — capturing, manipulating, and sharing photographs.
Prerequisites¶
Mathematics: Linear algebra, calculus, probability
Computing: OpenCV (Python/C++), MATLAB/Octave
Camera: Understanding of basic camera operation
Course Topics¶
Image Processing and Analysis
Digital image representation
Pixel/point processes
Smoothing and filtering methods
Feature extraction
Assignments: image filtering and feature detection experiments
Cameras, Optics and Sensors
Pinhole cameras
Optics and lens behavior
How cameras work
Sensor technology
Image Blending and Merging
Sampling and frequencies
Image blending techniques
Image features
Computational Photography Applications
Panoramas
High Dynamic Range (HDR)
Image editing
Video
Video textures
Video stabilization
Computational Cameras
Light field cameras
Multi-view systems
Projector-camera systems
Advanced Topics
Newer camera technologies
Blur / deblur
Social / crowd photography
What is Computational Photography?¶
Computational photography combines computing, digital sensors, modern optics, actuators, and smart lights to extend traditional photography capabilities:
Unbounded dynamic range
Variable focus, depth of field, resolution
Controllable lighting and reflectance
Supports and enhances the medium of photography
Dual Photography¶
Dual photography exploits Helmholtz reciprocity — the principle that light transport between two points is symmetric — to reconstruct the view from a projector’s perspective using photos taken by a camera.
Paper
Panoramas¶
Panoramas are a canonical example of computational photography: multiple overlapping images are stitched together using feature matching and image warping to create a wide field-of-view composite.
Why Study Computational Photography?¶
The field enables capabilities impossible with traditional cameras:
Overcoming physical sensor limitations (dynamic range, resolution)
Post-capture refocusing and depth manipulation
Computational illumination and relighting
Novel image representations and interactions
Applications in medicine, security, art, and consumer photography