Single image haze removal based on two steps

Abstract

In this paper, a novel method named Haze Removal based on Two Steps (HRTS) for removing the haze has been proposed based on two steps, which obviously improves the image qualities such as color and visibility caused by haze. The proposed method mainly consists of two steps: the preprocessing step by decomposing the input image to reduce the influence of ambient light and the removed haze step for restoring the radiance. We first reduce the effect of the ambient light by decomposing the haze image, estimate the transmission map based on the result of the decomposition, and then use the modified guided filter method to refine it. Finally, the monochrome atmospheric scattering model is combined to restore the radiance image. Experimental results show that the proposed method could effectively remove the haze and obviously improve the color and visibility of the image in the realistic scenes by comparing other existing haze removal methods.