1. An automated, computerized method for processing an image, comprising the steps of: providing an image; generating spatio-spectral operators for the image; defining a constraint between the spatio-spectral operators; and performing an optimization operation as a function of the constraint to generate an intrinsic image corresponding to the image, the intrinsic image comprising a representation of one of material or illumination, expressed as a separate, multi-band representation for the one of material or illumination, independent of the other of the material or illumination, wherein each band corresponds to a segment of the electro-magnetic spectrum.