L0 Smoothing Based on Gradient Constraints

This paper proposes an effective smoothing method based on gradient constraints. Image smoothing based on l0 gradient minimization is useful for some important applications, e.g., image restoration, intrinsic image decomposition, detail enhancement, and so on. However, undesirable pseudo-edge artifacts often occur in output images. To solve this problem, we introduce novel range constraints in gradient domain. Specifically, the proposed method suppresses these artifacts by introducing appropriate range constraints constructed from a reference image. Experimental results demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method over several conventional methods.