Single Image Dehazing Using Sparse Contextual Representation

In this paper, we propose a novel method to remove haze from a single hazy input image based on the sparse representation. In our method, the sparse representation is proposed to be used as a contextual regularization tool, which can reduce the block artifacts and halos produced by only using dark channel prior without soft matting as the transmission is not always constant in a local patch. A novel way to use dictionary is proposed to smooth an image and generate the sharp dehazed result. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method performs favorably against the state-of-the-art dehazing methods and produces high-quality dehazed and vivid color results.</p>