An Improved Enhancement Algorithm Based on CNN Applicable for Weak Contrast Images

Image enhancement is commonly used in digital image processing applications. Through image enhancement, the features of the target object are enhanced to make it easier to identify. In order to realize image enhancement, a neural network with a trapezoidal convolution kernel is proposed in this paper. First, weak contrast images are generated using the images in SIDD, DND and RENOIR, which are public datasets used for image denoising. On this basis, pixel distribution characteristics of the R, G and B channels of the weak contrast images are analyzed, and the histogram distribution of the images is given, which can be used to determine the size of the network convolution kernels. Then, a multi-layer convolution neural network is constructed, which uses the original image as an input and outputs the noise map. This network includes convolution kernels of different sizes for the three channels of the original images, and the convolution kernel size is determined by calculating the mean square deviation of the pixels of the corresponding channel. The proposed algorithm provides visually pleasing contrast enhancement. In this paper, a public dataset for image enhancement and actual captured images are separately assessed, both the contrast experiment and ablation experiment results show that the algorithm proposed in this paper can achieve a higher Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) and a higher Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) than other image enhancement algorithms.