An Oceanographer’s Amazing Algorithm That Removes Blue-Green Visual Distortion From Underwater Photos

Award-winning engineering oceanographer Derya Akkaynak has created an amazing algorithm that removes the typical blue-green visual distortion from photos that were taken underwater. The algorithm, called Sea-Thru, helps photographers easily reconstruct the actual colors of the underwater object by correcting the color distortion pixel by pixel, making it look like the photo was taken on terra firma.

This method is not photoshopping an image. It’s not enhancing or pumping up the colors in an image. It’s a physically accurate correction, rather than a visually pleasing modification. I imagine in addition to scientists, recreational divers or underwater photographers would also be very interested in using this method, because finally from their images, they can remove all the degrading components and see the vivid colors of a scene just the way they would have as if that scene was on land.