# LiFF: Light Field Features in Scale and Depth

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1901.03916 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.03916/

## Key facts

- Cited by 16 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 13 Jan 2019.

## Built on by (most cited first, 16 of 16)

- [Bridging Unsupervised and Supervised Depth from Focus via All-in-Focus Supervision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.10843/) (2021)
- [SADN: Learned Light Field Image Compression with Spatial-Angular Decorrelation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.10837/) (2022)
- [Generative Refocusing: Flexible Defocus Control from a Single Image](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.16923/) (2025)
- [Burst Imaging for Light-Constrained Structure-From-Motion](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.09895/) (2021)
- [Joint 3D Shape and Motion Estimation from Rolling Shutter Light-Field Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.01292/) (2023)
- [Scale-Consistent Fusion: from Heterogeneous Local Sampling to Global Immersive Rendering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.09548/) (2021)
- [TaCOS: Task-Specific Camera Optimization with Simulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.11031/) (2024)
- [BuFF: Burst Feature Finder for Light-Constrained 3D Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.09470/) (2022)
- [Blur aware metric depth estimation with multi-focus plenoptic cameras](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.04252/) (2023)
- [Single-Shot Metric Depth from Focused Plenoptic Cameras](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.02386/) (2024)
- [LiFMCR: Dataset and Benchmark for Light Field Multi-Camera Registration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.13729/) (2025)
- [Refractive Light-Field Features for Curved Transparent Objects in Structure from Motion](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.15349/) (2021)
- [Light field Rectification based on relative pose estimation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.12533/) (2022)
- [Stereo-Knowledge Distillation from dpMV to Dual Pixels for Light Field Video Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.11823/) (2024)
- [The RealDefocus Benchmark for Defocus Deblurring](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.21078/) (2026)
- [Reflection-Robust 6DoF Object Tracking with Light Fields](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2610.04883/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Feature detectors and descriptors are key low-level vision tools that many higher-level tasks build on. Unfortunately these fail in the presence of challenging light transport effects including partial occlusion, low contrast, and reflective or refractive surfaces. Building on spatio-angular imaging modalities offered by emerging light field cameras, we introduce a new and computationally efficient 4D light field feature detector and descriptor: LiFF. LiFF is scale invariant and utilizes the full 4D light field to detect features that are robust to changes in perspective. This is particularly useful for structure from motion (SfM) and other tasks that match features across viewpoints of a scene. We demonstrate significantly improved 3D reconstructions via SfM when using LiFF instead of the leading 2D or 4D features, and show that LiFF runs an order of magnitude faster than the leading 4D approach. Finally, LiFF inherently estimates depth for each feature, opening a path for future research in light field-based SfM.