Color correction of underwater images using color histograms of reference images

Abstract

Underwater images tend to look greenish or bluish because of the water column effect and the camera auto white balance setting. This gives inaccurate visualization of the underwater scene. Marine ecologists use color to assess the health of corals so there is a need to correct the colors of these underwater images. A new method of color correction is introduced that uses a reference image as basis for the ideal colors then performs histogram backprojection as the color correction step. Results show an improvement in the accuracy of the color through the 1976 CIE L*a*b* color difference test.