# An Approximate Shading Model with Detail Decomposition for Object Relighting

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.07514 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1804.07514/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 20 Apr 2018.

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [GMLight: Lighting Estimation via Geometric Distribution Approximation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.10244/) (2021)
- [Material Palette: Extraction of Materials from a Single Image](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.17060/) (2023)
- [Deep Image-based Illumination Harmonization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.00150/) (2021)
- [Intrinsic Harmonization for Illumination-Aware Compositing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.03698/) (2023)
- [From Gallery to Wrist: Realistic 3D Bracelet Insertion in Videos](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.20331/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We present an object relighting system that allows an artist to select an object from an image and insert it into a target scene. Through simple interactions, the system can adjust illumination on the inserted object so that it appears naturally in the scene. To support image-based relighting, we build object model from the image, and propose a perceptually-inspired approximate shading model for the relighting. It decomposes the shading field into (a) a rough shape term that can be reshaded, (b) a parametric shading detail that encodes missing features from the first term, and (c) a geometric detail term that captures fine-scale material properties. With this decomposition, the shading model combines 3D rendering and image-based composition and allows more flexible compositing than image-based methods. Quantitative evaluation and a set of user studies suggest our method is a promising alternative to existing methods of object insertion.