# Rethinking Theoretical Illumination for Efficient Low-Light Image Enhancement

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.05274 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.05274/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 23 of its 40 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 9 Sep 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 23 of 23)

- [Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.03385/) (2015)
- [A ConvNet for the 2020s](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.03545/) (2022)
- [Perceptual Losses for Real-Time Style Transfer and Super-Resolution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1603.08155/) (2016)
- [Convex optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.01946/) (2021)
- [Deep Retinex Decomposition for Low-Light Enhancement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1808.04560/) (2018)
- [Zero-Reference Deep Curve Estimation for Low-Light Image Enhancement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2001.06826/) (2020)
- [EnlightenGAN: Deep Light Enhancement without Paired Supervision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1906.06972/) (2019)
- [YOLOv9: Learning What You Want to Learn Using Programmable Gradient Information](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.13616/) (2024)
- [Deep Learning for Image Super-resolution: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.06068/) (2019)
- [Kindling the Darkness: A Practical Low-light Image Enhancer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.04161/) (2019)
- [Retinex-inspired Unrolling with Cooperative Prior Architecture Search for Low-light Image Enhancement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.05609/) (2020)
- [Low-Light Image Enhancement with Normalizing Flow](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.05923/) (2021)
- [Ultra-High-Definition Low-Light Image Enhancement: A Benchmark and Transformer-Based Method](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.11548/) (2022)
- [Getting to Know Low-light Images with The Exclusively Dark Dataset](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.11227/) (2018)
- [You Only Need 90K Parameters to Adapt Light: A Light Weight Transformer for Image Enhancement and Exposure Correction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.14871/) (2022)
- [Ghost-free High Dynamic Range Imaging with Context-aware Transformer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.05114/) (2022)
- [To Filter Prune, or to Layer Prune, That Is The Question](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.05667/) (2020)
- [LYT-NET: Lightweight YUV Transformer-based Network for Low-light Image Enhancement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.15204/) (2024)
- [Double Domain Guided Real-Time Low-Light Image Enhancement for Ultra-High-Definition Transportation Surveillance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.08382/) (2023)
- [A Lightweight Low-Light Image Enhancement Network via Channel Prior and Gamma Correction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.18147/) (2024)
- [FLIGHT Mode On: A Feather-Light Network for Low-Light Image Enhancement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.10889/) (2023)
- [Multi-Dimensional Pruning: Joint Channel, Layer and Block Pruning with Latency Constraint](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.12079/) (2024)
- [Block Pruning for Enhanced Efficiency in Convolutional Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.16904/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [EfficienT-HDR: An Efficient Transformer-Based Framework via Multi-Exposure Fusion for HDR Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.19779/) (2025)
- [Retrieval-Augmented Generation-Based Color Restoration for Low-Light Image Enhancement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.08211/) (2026)
- [IDM-Net: A Lightweight Illumination-Decoupled Modulation Network for Low-Light Image Enhancement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.30962/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Enhancing low-light images remains a critical challenge in computer vision, as does designing lightweight models for edge devices that can handle the computational demands of deep learning. This article introduces an extended version of the Channel-Prior and Gamma-Estimation Network (CPGA-Net), termed CPGA-Net+, incorporating the theoretically-based Attentions for illumination in local and global processing. Additionally, we assess our approach through a theoretical analysis of the block design by introducing both an ultra-lightweight and a stronger version, following the same design principles. The lightweight version significantly reduces computational costs by over two-thirds by utilizing the local branch as an auxiliary component. Meanwhile, the stronger version achieves an impressive balance by maximizing local and global processing capabilities. Our proposed methods have been validated as effective compared to recent lightweight approaches, offering superior performance and scalable solutions with limited computational resources.