Multi-Module Combination for Underwater Image Enhancement

Underwater observation and operation for divers and underwater robots still largely depend on optic methods, such as cameras videos, etc. However, due to the poor quality of images captured in murky waters, underwater operations in such areas are greatly hindered. In order to solve the issue of degr...

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Main Authors: Zhe Jiang, Huanhuan Wang, Gang He, Jiawang Chen, Wei Feng, Gaosheng Luo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/9/5200
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author Zhe Jiang
Huanhuan Wang
Gang He
Jiawang Chen
Wei Feng
Gaosheng Luo
author_facet Zhe Jiang
Huanhuan Wang
Gang He
Jiawang Chen
Wei Feng
Gaosheng Luo
author_sort Zhe Jiang
collection DOAJ
description Underwater observation and operation for divers and underwater robots still largely depend on optic methods, such as cameras videos, etc. However, due to the poor quality of images captured in murky waters, underwater operations in such areas are greatly hindered. In order to solve the issue of degraded images, this paper proposes a multi-module combination method (UMMC) for underwater image enhancement. This is a new solution for processing a single image. Specifically, the process consists of five modules. With five separate modules working in tandem, UMMC provides the flexibility to address key challenges such as color distortion, haze, and low contrast. The UMMC framework starts with a color deviation detection module that intelligently separates images with and without color deviation, followed by a color and white balance correction module to restore accurate color. Effective defogging is then performed using a rank-one prior matrix-based approach, while a reference curve transformation adaptively enhances the contrast. Finally, the fusion module combines the visibility and contrast functions with reference to two weights to produce clear and natural results. A large number of experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method proposed in this paper, which shows good performance compared to existing algorithms, both on real and synthetic data.
format Article
id doaj-art-56d1409520a74406a8686b5bc9e6df99
institution Kabale University
issn 2076-3417
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Applied Sciences
spelling doaj-art-56d1409520a74406a8686b5bc9e6df992025-08-20T03:52:58ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-05-01159520010.3390/app15095200Multi-Module Combination for Underwater Image EnhancementZhe Jiang0Huanhuan Wang1Gang He2Jiawang Chen3Wei Feng4Gaosheng Luo5Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hadal Science and Technology, College of Engineering Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, ChinaShanghai Engineering Research Center of Hadal Science and Technology, College of Engineering Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, ChinaShanghai Engineering Research Center of Hadal Science and Technology, College of Engineering Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, ChinaCollege of Oceanography, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang 316021, ChinaShenzhen Institute for Advanced Study, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen 518110, ChinaShanghai Engineering Research Center of Hadal Science and Technology, College of Engineering Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, ChinaUnderwater observation and operation for divers and underwater robots still largely depend on optic methods, such as cameras videos, etc. However, due to the poor quality of images captured in murky waters, underwater operations in such areas are greatly hindered. In order to solve the issue of degraded images, this paper proposes a multi-module combination method (UMMC) for underwater image enhancement. This is a new solution for processing a single image. Specifically, the process consists of five modules. With five separate modules working in tandem, UMMC provides the flexibility to address key challenges such as color distortion, haze, and low contrast. The UMMC framework starts with a color deviation detection module that intelligently separates images with and without color deviation, followed by a color and white balance correction module to restore accurate color. Effective defogging is then performed using a rank-one prior matrix-based approach, while a reference curve transformation adaptively enhances the contrast. Finally, the fusion module combines the visibility and contrast functions with reference to two weights to produce clear and natural results. A large number of experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method proposed in this paper, which shows good performance compared to existing algorithms, both on real and synthetic data.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/9/5200underwater image enhancementimage fusioncolor correctionwhite balancecolor bias detection
spellingShingle Zhe Jiang
Huanhuan Wang
Gang He
Jiawang Chen
Wei Feng
Gaosheng Luo
Multi-Module Combination for Underwater Image Enhancement
Applied Sciences
underwater image enhancement
image fusion
color correction
white balance
color bias detection
title Multi-Module Combination for Underwater Image Enhancement
title_full Multi-Module Combination for Underwater Image Enhancement
title_fullStr Multi-Module Combination for Underwater Image Enhancement
title_full_unstemmed Multi-Module Combination for Underwater Image Enhancement
title_short Multi-Module Combination for Underwater Image Enhancement
title_sort multi module combination for underwater image enhancement
topic underwater image enhancement
image fusion
color correction
white balance
color bias detection
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/9/5200
work_keys_str_mv AT zhejiang multimodulecombinationforunderwaterimageenhancement
AT huanhuanwang multimodulecombinationforunderwaterimageenhancement
AT ganghe multimodulecombinationforunderwaterimageenhancement
AT jiawangchen multimodulecombinationforunderwaterimageenhancement
AT weifeng multimodulecombinationforunderwaterimageenhancement
AT gaoshengluo multimodulecombinationforunderwaterimageenhancement