Lossless archiving view arrays from plenoptic cameras when camera sensor images are available

Abstract

We propose two lossless archiving methods for the light field (LF) array of views created by plenoptic cameras, when the camera sensor images (also called lenslet images) are available. The two archiving methods are based on generative mechanisms, where we encode all information needed to run the processing pipeline that generates the LF array of views starting from source sensor images. The first archiving method starts by encoding the two sensor images needed as input in the processing pipeline: one scene sensor image, and one white image (available from the camera database of white images). The second archiver encodes a single lenslet-like image obtained by devignetting and debayering the scene sensor image and the white image. After encoding the input lenslet images both methods proceeds to encode all additional meta-information necessary for running the processing chain, starting from sensor image to the final LF array of views, and any needed corrections due to possible quantization along the processing chain, finally creating a lossless archive of the light field array of views. We exemplify the performance for a database of plenoptic camera images that was extensively used in the light field lossless compression literature, obtaining competitive archive file sizes.