Multi-focus Image Fusion Using Bilateral Gradient-based Sharpness Criterion

Multi-focus image fusion using a bilateral gradient-based sharpness criterion corresponds to the paper by J. Tian, L. Chen, L. Ma and W. Yu, "Multi-focus image fusion using a bilateral gradient-based sharpness criterion." This paper explores multi-focus image fusion methods utilizing bilateral gradient-based sharpness evaluation. The researchers analyze and compare gradients of focused images to determine regional sharpness, then employ bilateral gradients for image fusion to enhance overall clarity and detail preservation. This approach typically involves calculating horizontal and vertical gradients using Sobel or Scharr operators, applying bilateral filtering to suppress noise while preserving edges, and implementing weighted fusion based on local sharpness maps. The method holds significant application value in image processing fields, playing important roles in areas such as medical imaging, machine vision, and autonomous driving systems where multiple focus regions need integration.