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A novel natural image noise level estimation based on flat patches and local statistics

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Abstract

This paper proposes a high-precision algorithm for noise level estimation. Different from existing algorithms, we present a new noise level estimation algorithm by linearly combining the overestimated and underestimated results using combinatorial coefficients that can be tailored to the problem at hand. The algorithm has two distinct features: it avoids the underestimation of noise level estimation algorithms that employ the minimum eigenvalue and demonstrates higher accuracy and robustness for a large range of visual content and noise conditions. The experimental results that are obtained in this study demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is effective for various scenes with various noise levels. The software release of the proposed algorithm is available online at https://ww2.mathworks.cn/matlabcentral/fileexchange/64519-natural-image-noise-level-estimation-based-on-flat-patches-and-local-statistics.

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Notes

  1. http://physics.medma.uni-heidelberg.de/cms/projects/132-pcanle

  2. http://www.ok.sc.e.titech.ac.jp/res/NLE/AWGNestimation.html

  3. http://people.csail.mit.edu/danielzoran/

  4. http://appsrv.cse.cuhk.edu.hk/gychen/

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 11671307, 61561019, 61763009 and 11761030), the Nature Science Foundation of Hubei Province (Grant no. 2015CFB262), and the Doctoral Scientific Fund Project of Hubei University for Nationalities (Grant no. MY2015B001). We would like to express our gratitude to the anonymous reviewers and editors for their valuable comments and suggestions, which led to the improvement of the original manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mathematics and Statistics, Wuhan University, Wuhan,, 430072, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Zhuang Fang & Xuming Yi

  2. School of Science, Hubei University for Nationalities, Enshi, 445000, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Zhuang Fang

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  1. Zhuang Fang
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  2. Xuming Yi
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Correspondence to Xuming Yi.

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Fang, Z., Yi, X. A novel natural image noise level estimation based on flat patches and local statistics. Multimed Tools Appl 78, 17337–17358 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-018-7137-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-018-7137-4

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