Comparison of point spread models for underwater image restoration

It is known that absorption and scattering properties of water are the main causes of blur in underwater images. With the knowledge of point spread function (PSF), the performance of underwater image restoration can be effectively enhanced, which will also extend the imaging range as well. The presented effort reviews several empirical PSF models and an imagery-derived approach based on image formation. Varied models are applied for blind deconvolution restoration, performance of which are compared and discussed. Models under comparison include the empirical models by Duntley, Voss, Wells, as well as the imagery-derived approach which can also provide adequate accuracy and flexibility for image restoration, as shown by experimental results. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier GmbH.