JOINT AUTOMATIC DEMOSAICKING AND WHITE BALANCING

Joint automatic demosaicking and white balancing. In one example embodiment, a digital image processing method includes several acts. First, directional color correlation signals, global gains, and orientations of edges are calculated in a CFA input image. Next, missing luminance components in CFA chrominance locations are demosaicked along edges in the input image using CFA chrominance components and the directional color correlation signals. Then, the CFA chrominance components are white-balanced using the demosaicked luminance components, the CFA chrominance components, and white-balancing gains expressed as a function of the global gains and local gains calculated directly from a pixel under consideration. Next, missing chrominance components in CFA chrominance locations in the input image are demosaicked. Finally, missing chrominance components in CFA luminance locations in the input image are demosaicked. Performance of these acts results in the transformation of the CFA input image into a full-color white-balanced output image.