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'Dark Flash' Eliminates Annoying Light From Picture-Taking Process

by Kaiser Hwang on July 21, 2009 at 08:40 AM

Flash photography lets us, among other things, take pictures in dimly lit situations. Unfortunately, when taking pictures of people, it often leads to the dreaded red eye and/or the deer-in-headlights effect, with blown out highlights and harsh shadows. The light itself can also be distracting, hence its exile from many museums, concerts, and public performances. But if NYU student Dilip Krishnan and assistant professor Rob Fergus's "dark flash" concept can iron out some wrinkles, all those problems may soon be a thing of the past.

According to New Scientist, this innovative flash works by emitting light in a wide range of frequencies, and then by filtering out the frequencies that wind up being visible. The result is a sharp, but oddly tinted image. To compensate for distorted colors, a second, flash-free image is taken immediately afterward, and the two are combined in software to produce a naturally toned, well lit image (see example above). Because the invisible flash depends upon ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) light, objects or materials that absorb said kinds of light won't appear in the photos. Even with that caveat, though, we could be looking at the biggest thing in cameras since, well, the flash. [From: New Scientist via Engadget]

Tags: camera, flash, light, photography, photos, top

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