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.