following detailed description illustrates the invention by way of example and not by way of limitation the description clearly enables one skilled in the art to make and use the invention describes several embodiments adaptations variations alternatives and uses of the invention including what is presently believed to be the best mode of carrying out the invention in a first embodiment of the present invention an image composed of a set of pixels is obtained from a camera or imaging sensor viewing a scene for example an object undergoing non contact measurement each pixel is represented by a set of coordinates x y identifying the location of the pixel in the image and a value z representing the level of light intensity at that location each pixel thus provides a record of the level of light intensity or illumination at that particular location in the image the light intensity is initially recorded as an integer value and proportionally ranges from 0 to an upper limit such as 127 or 255 pixels having a light intensity value of 0 herein referred to as u201c dark pixels u201d represent points in an image where the light intensity observed by the camera is below a minimum detectable threshold or noise floor correspondingly pixels having a light intensity value at the upper limit herein referred to as u201c saturated pixels u201d represent points in the image where the light intensity observed by the camera is at or above a maximum detectable threshold pixels having light intensity values between the lower limit and upper limits are herein referred to as u201c illuminated pixels u201d when the illumination intensity range at the camera exceeds the dynamic range of integer values used to represent the light level for each pixel information is.