Removing Object Reflections in Videos by Global Optimization

This paper presents a novel algorithm for the removal of reflections generated by objects on reflecting floors. The algorithm uses both chromatic properties of the reflections and geometrical constraints on their positions; however, it does not make use of a model of the reflected objects, and so it can be applied to scenes containing several kinds of objects (e.g., people, baggage, animals, vehicles, etc.). The proposed method has been validated by an extensive set of experiments on a large video database. In these experiments, the method has been compared to two other recent reflection removal algorithms. The experimental results show that the proposed method is fast and effective, both in absolute terms and in comparison with the other algorithms.