Deep chroma compression of tone-mapped images

Acquisition of high dynamic range (HDR) images is thriving due to the increasing use of smart devices and the demand for high-quality output. Extensive research has focused on developing methods for reducing the luminance range in HDR images using conventional and deep learning-based tone mapping operators to enable accurate reproduction on conventional 8 and 10-bit digital displays. However, these methods often fail to account for pixels that may lie outside the target display's gamut, resulting in visible chromatic distortions or color clipping artifacts. Previous studies suggested that a gamut management step ensures that all pixels remain within the target gamut. However, such approaches are computationally expensive and cannot be deployed on devices with limited computational resources. We propose a generative adversarial network for fast and reliable chroma compression of HDR tone-mapped images. We design a loss function that considers the hue property of generated images to improve color accuracy, and train the model on an extensive image dataset. Quantitative experiments demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms state-of-the-art image generation and enhancement networks in color accuracy, while a subjective study suggests that the generated images are on par or superior to those produced by conventional chroma compression methods in terms of visual quality. Additionally, the model achieves real-time performance, showing promising results for deployment on devices with limited computational resources.

Hybrid-Segmentor: A Hybrid Approach to Automated Fine-Grained Crack Segmentation in Civil Infrastructure

Detecting and segmenting cracks in infrastructure, such as roads and buildings, is crucial for safety and cost-effective maintenance. In spite of the potential of deep learning, there are challenges in achieving precise results and handling diverse crack types. With the proposed dataset and model, we aim to enhance crack detection and infrastructure maintenance. We introduce Hybrid-Segmentor, an encoder-decoder based approach that is capable of extracting both fine-grained local and global crack features. This allows the model to improve its generalization capabilities in distinguish various type of shapes, surfaces and sizes of cracks. To keep the computational performances low for practical purposes, while maintaining the high the generalization capabilities of the model, we incorporate a self-attention model at the encoder level, while reducing the complexity of the decoder component. The proposed model outperforms existing benchmark models across 5 quantitative metrics (accuracy 0.971, precision 0.804, recall 0.744, F1-score 0.770, and IoU score 0.630), achieving state-of-the-art status.