Underwater image pre-processing for photogrammetric application

This work describes a new method for correcting underwater images acquired under natural illumination condition and targeted to photogrammetry for 3D object reconstruction. In particular, a comparison between the new approach and a previous one from literature is presented. The new approach demonstrated to be a feasible and robust solution to improve quality, colour and contrast in underwater imaging by means of a three-step procedure. The focus of the paper is on 3D reconstruction of small-sized corals in shallow water. The colour of pre-processed images, with a visible green-blue colour cast, are enhanced and the higher images quality eases the whole object reconstruction acquired in a poor visible scene. The higher performance of the proposed method is experimentally demonstrated.