A system and process for generating High Dynamic Range (HDR) video is presented
which involves first capturing a video image sequence while varying the exposure
so as to alternate between frames having a shorter and longer exposure. The exposure
for each frame is set prior to it being captured as a function of the pixel brightness
distribution in preceding frames. Next, for each frame of the video, the corresponding
pixels between the frame under consideration and both preceding and subsequent
frames are identified. For each corresponding pixel set, at least one pixel is
identified as representing a trustworthy pixel. The pixel color information associated
with the trustworthy pixels is then employed to compute a radiance value for each
pixel set to form a radiance map. A tone mapping procedure can then be performed
to convert the radiance map into an 8-bit representation of the HDR frame.