1. A computer processor programmed to perform an image processing method, the method comprising: receiving a first image representative of a physical scene and comprising a plurality of image pixels, wherein each image pixel comprises a first value; transforming the plurality of image pixels through the application of a first boosting operation, wherein the first boosting operation generates a second value for each image pixel in the plurality of image pixels; and generating a third value for each image pixel in the plurality of image pixels, wherein the act of generating a third value for each image pixel in the plurality of image pixels comprises blending between the first value and the second value of each image pixel in the plurality of image pixels in accordance with a mask, and wherein the mask comprises a plurality of mask pixels, wherein each mask pixel comprises a mask value, and wherein each mask pixel has a corresponding image pixel, and wherein the mask value of a mask pixel is determined at least in part by whether the first value of the mask pixel's corresponding image pixel falls within a previously defined range.