Contrast is the difference between the lightest and darkest regions of an image. Local contrast enhancement attempts to enhance the appearance of local details in an image by increasing contrast in local regions of the image. Common techniques for local contrast enhancement include adaptive histogram equalization and adaptive contrast enhancement. Many of these techniques segment an image either in the spatial or frequency domain and then perform a contrast enhancement operation on each image segment. These techniques typically attempt to stretch the contrast or compress dynamic range in the regions of highlights and shadows so as to provide greater percentage of available dynamic range to the mid-tones. Local contrast enhancement is useful for enhancing hazy or dull looking images, as well as reducing the effects of lens flare.