Post-production facial performance relighting using reflectance transfer

Abstract

We propose a novel post-production facial performance relighting system for human actors. Our system uses just a dataset of view-dependent facial appearances with a neutral expression, captured for a static subject using a Light Stage apparatus. For the actual performance, however, a potentially different actor is captured under known, but static, illumination. During post-production, the reflectance field of the reference dataset actor is transferred onto the dynamic performance, enabling image-based relighting of the entire sequence. Our approach makes post-production relighting more practical and could easily be incorporated in a traditional production pipeline since it does not require additional hardware during principal photography. Additionally, we show that our system is suitable for real-time post-production illumination editing.