People assume that digital image capture is exactly like capturing images on film. In reality, the magic that makes digital images look as good as they do was made possible by Kodak researchers early on when they solved some unique problems. Their solutions involved complex mathematical algorithms – instructions coded into your digital camera’s processor – that Kodak researchers pioneered before today’s easy-to-use digital cameras.
Kodak researchers John F. Hamilton, Jr. and James E. Adams, Jr. recently earned the 2005 Distinguished Inventor of the Year Award from the Rochester Intellectual Property Law Association. With this annual award, the association’s judging committee recognizes inventors who have contributed noteworthy inventions in their fields.
Hamilton is a Research Fellow and a member of the Photographic Science & Technology Center in the Kodak Research Labs ; Adams is a Senior Principal Scientist in the same organization.
Their inventions contributed significantly to Kodak’s market-leading digital camera business. In part through their accomplishments, Kodak has become a leader in image quality for digital cameras and other digital photography products. Together, they created the algorithms that eliminated so-called “bunny eyes” or odd reflections in digital photos of people. They also helped bring about automatic noise-reduction in digital pictures, resulting in fewer unwanted grainy areas.
Bill J. Lloyd, Chief Technical Officer, Director of Research and Development, and a Kodak Senior Vice President, said, “When I reflect on Jim and John’s accomplishments, I am convinced they are deserving of this prestigious award. They have achieved broad recognition in the worldwide digital photography technical community.”
To learn more about these image-enhancing algorithms, visit www.kodak.com/go/research.
This article was last modified on January 7, 2023
This article was first published on May 6, 2005
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