Part I: Scenes
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Last updated: October 13, 2025
This part of the book introduces the light field, a fundamental concept for understanding image formation. It is defined as the amount of light flowing through every point in space and in every direction. The initial chapter presents the comprehensive 7D Plenoptic Function and simplifies it to the more practical 4D light field, which is essential for computational photography tasks like digital refocusing.
The subsequent chapters systematically explore the key physical properties of light that comprise the dimensions of the light field.
Scene topics
Introduction to the Light Field
- Introduces the light field as a function describing radiance at different positions and directions.
- Defines the 7D Plenoptic Function: \(P(x,y,z, \theta, \phi, \lambda, t)\).
- Simplifies the Plenoptic function to the 4D light field for practical applications.
- Illustrates light field rendering for digital refocusing and viewpoint adjustment.
Spectral Properties
- Focuses on the wavelength (\(\lambda\)) dimension of light.
- Defines the spectral power distribution (SPD) of light sources and surfaces.
- Discusses different types of light sources, including blackbody radiators (e.g., the sun), daylight, and artificial lights (LEDs, fluorescent).
- Explains how surface reflectance properties modify the SPD of the light reaching a camera.
Polarization Properties
- Explains polarization as a property of the transverse nature of light waves.
- Describes different states of polarization: linear, circular, and elliptical.
- Discusses how polarization occurs naturally through reflection (glare) and atmospheric scattering.
- Introduces the use of polarizing filters to control reflections and enhance images.
- Briefly mentions the mathematical formalisms (Stokes vectors) used to describe polarization state.
Spatial Properties
This chapter is planned and will cover topics such as spatial frequency, coherence, and other geometric properties of light propagation.