Unified Removal of Raindrops and Reflections: A New Benchmark and A Novel Pipeline
Pith reviewed 2026-05-15 09:51 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
A new diffusion framework and real-shot dataset enable simultaneous removal of raindrops and reflections from images taken through glass.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
The central claim is that the RDRF benchmark combined with the DiffUR³ diffusion framework, equipped with several target designs, successfully removes both raindrops and reflections at once and reaches state-of-the-art performance on the new benchmark as well as on challenging in-the-wild images, where earlier de-raindrop, de-reflection, and all-in-one models fall short.
What carries the argument
DiffUR³, a diffusion-based restoration pipeline that leverages generative priors to jointly address raindrop and reflection degradations through targeted architectural designs.
If this is right
- Clearer output images from cameras behind windshields or windows on rainy days without manual intervention.
- A public paired dataset that future methods can use to measure progress on combined degradations.
- Improved input quality for downstream computer-vision pipelines that currently fail when both raindrops and reflections are present.
- Outperformance over separate de-raindrop and de-reflection models when the two problems co-occur.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- The same diffusion-prior strategy could be tested on other paired weather degradations such as rain streaks plus fog.
- Autonomous-driving perception stacks might adopt the pipeline directly for windshield-mounted cameras once the dataset is released.
- The benchmark could reveal whether purely generative approaches generalize better than supervised regression methods to rare but critical edge cases.
Load-bearing premise
The RDRF dataset and its diffusion prior capture enough of the real-world variety of raindrop-plus-reflection combinations that the trained model will see after deployment.
What would settle it
A new test set of images containing raindrops and reflections on glass surfaces, lighting, or angles absent from RDRF would show whether restoration quality drops sharply compared with results on the original benchmark.
Figures
read the original abstract
When capturing images through glass surfaces or windshields on rainy days, raindrops and reflections frequently co-occur to significantly reduce the visibility of captured images. This practical problem lacks attention and needs to be resolved urgently. Prior de-raindrop, de-reflection, and all-in-one models have failed to address this composite degradation. To this end, we first formally define the unified removal of raindrops and reflections (UR$^3$) task for the first time and construct a real-shot dataset, namely RainDrop and ReFlection (RDRF), which provides a new benchmark with substantial, high-quality, diverse image pairs. Then, we propose a novel diffusion-based framework (i.e., DiffUR$^3$) with several target designs to address this challenging task. By leveraging the powerful generative prior, DiffUR$^3$ successfully removes both types of degradations. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our method achieves state-of-the-art performance on our benchmark and on challenging in-the-wild images. The RDRF dataset and the codes will be made public upon acceptance.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper formally defines the unified removal of raindrops and reflections (UR³) task, constructs the real-shot RDRF dataset as a new benchmark with paired images, and proposes DiffUR³, a diffusion-based framework that uses generative priors to jointly remove both degradations, claiming state-of-the-art quantitative and qualitative results on the RDRF benchmark and challenging in-the-wild images.
Significance. If the empirical margins hold after verification, the work supplies the first dedicated benchmark and method for a practically common composite degradation, with the diffusion prior providing a plausible route to handling the joint distribution of raindrops and reflections. The release of the dataset and code would further strengthen its utility for the community.
major comments (2)
- [Dataset Construction] Dataset Construction section: the RDRF dataset is presented without quantitative coverage metrics (e.g., histograms or statistics on raindrop density, reflection contrast, glass curvature, or scene diversity), which directly bears on the representativeness assumption required to support both the benchmark SOTA numbers and the in-the-wild generalization claims.
- [Experiments] Experiments section: full training hyperparameters, exact baseline re-implementations, and statistical significance tests (e.g., paired t-tests or confidence intervals on the reported PSNR/SSIM margins) are omitted, preventing independent confirmation that the observed improvements are robust rather than artifacts of evaluation protocol.
minor comments (2)
- [Method] Clarify the precise architectural modifications to the diffusion backbone (e.g., conditioning mechanisms for the composite degradation) in the method description.
- [Conclusion] Add a limitations paragraph discussing failure cases under extreme lighting or dense raindrop overlap.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the constructive feedback on our manuscript. We address each major comment below and will incorporate revisions to strengthen the paper.
read point-by-point responses
-
Referee: [Dataset Construction] Dataset Construction section: the RDRF dataset is presented without quantitative coverage metrics (e.g., histograms or statistics on raindrop density, reflection contrast, glass curvature, or scene diversity), which directly bears on the representativeness assumption required to support both the benchmark SOTA numbers and the in-the-wild generalization claims.
Authors: We agree that quantitative coverage metrics would better substantiate the representativeness of the RDRF dataset. In the revised manuscript, we will expand the Dataset Construction section to include histograms and summary statistics on raindrop density, reflection contrast levels, glass curvature variations, and scene diversity (e.g., indoor/outdoor, lighting conditions). These metrics were recorded during curation and will be presented to support the benchmark validity and generalization claims. revision: yes
-
Referee: [Experiments] Experiments section: full training hyperparameters, exact baseline re-implementations, and statistical significance tests (e.g., paired t-tests or confidence intervals on the reported PSNR/SSIM margins) are omitted, preventing independent confirmation that the observed improvements are robust rather than artifacts of evaluation protocol.
Authors: We acknowledge that these implementation details were omitted. In the revised version, we will add a dedicated subsection in Experiments detailing all training hyperparameters (learning rate, batch size, diffusion steps, etc.), exact re-implementation procedures for baselines (including any adaptations to our task), and statistical analyses such as paired t-tests with p-values and 95% confidence intervals on the PSNR/SSIM margins to confirm robustness. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No circularity: empirical SOTA claims rest on independent dataset construction and experimental measurement
full rationale
The paper introduces the UR^3 task definition, constructs the RDRF real-shot paired dataset as an external benchmark, proposes the DiffUR^3 diffusion framework, and reports performance metrics obtained by running the trained model on held-out test images from that dataset. No equations, fitted parameters, or self-citations are invoked in a load-bearing manner that would make the reported metrics equivalent to quantities defined by the same inputs. The evaluation is therefore self-contained and falsifiable against the released dataset.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
free parameters (1)
- Diffusion network weights
axioms (1)
- domain assumption Diffusion models trained on paired restoration data can invert composite real-world degradations
Lean theorems connected to this paper
-
IndisputableMonolith/Cost/FunctionalEquation.leanwashburn_uniqueness_aczel unclear?
unclearRelation between the paper passage and the cited Recognition theorem.
We propose a novel diffusion-based framework (i.e., DiffUR³) with several target designs... Modulate&Gate module... Fidelity Encoder
-
IndisputableMonolith/Foundation/AbsoluteFloorClosure.leanreality_from_one_distinction unclear?
unclearRelation between the paper passage and the cited Recognition theorem.
RDRF dataset... 307 unique scenes... training set (216 scenes with 9003 image pairs)
What do these tags mean?
- matches
- The paper's claim is directly supported by a theorem in the formal canon.
- supports
- The theorem supports part of the paper's argument, but the paper may add assumptions or extra steps.
- extends
- The paper goes beyond the formal theorem; the theorem is a base layer rather than the whole result.
- uses
- The paper appears to rely on the theorem as machinery.
- contradicts
- The paper's claim conflicts with a theorem or certificate in the canon.
- unclear
- Pith found a possible connection, but the passage is too broad, indirect, or ambiguous to say the theorem truly supports the claim.
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
-
[1]
Chang, Z., Weng, S., Zhang, P., Li, Y., Li, S., Shi, B.: L-CAD: Language-based Col- orization with Any-level Descriptions using Diffusion Priors. In: NeurIPS. vol. 36, pp. 1–13 (2023) 9
work page 2023
- [2]
-
[3]
Chen, J., Pan, J., Dong, J.: FaithDiff: Unleashing Diffusion Priors for Faithful Image Super-resolution. In: CVPR (2025) 8
work page 2025
- [4]
- [5]
- [6]
-
[7]
Chen, Y., He, Z., Liu, X., Chen, Z., Lu, Z.: Gfrrn: Explore the gaps in single image reflection removal. In: CVPR (2026) 3
work page 2026
- [8]
- [9]
- [10]
-
[11]
Communi- cations of the ACM24(6), 381–395 (1981) 6
Fischler, M.A., Bolles, R.C.: Random sample consensus: a paradigm for model fitting with applications to image analysis and automated cartography. Communi- cations of the ACM24(6), 381–395 (1981) 6
work page 1981
- [12]
- [13]
-
[14]
In: AAAI (2026) 2, 3, 4, 12, 13
Hu, J., Yang, C., Zhou, Z., Fang, J., Yang, X., Tian, Q., Shen, W.: Dereflection Any Image with Diffusion Priors and Diversified Data. In: AAAI (2026) 2, 3, 4, 12, 13
work page 2026
-
[15]
Hu, Q., Guo, X.: Trash or Treasure? An Interactive Dual-Stream Strategy for Single Image Reflection Separation. In: NeurIPS. vol. 30, pp. 24683–24694 (2021) 3
work page 2021
- [16]
-
[17]
Hu, Q., Wang, H., Guo, X.: Single image reflection separation via dual-stream interactive transformers. In: NeurIPS. vol. 37, pp. 55228–55248 (2024) 2, 3, 12, 13
work page 2024
-
[18]
Jin, Y., Li, X., Wang, J., Zhang, Y., Zhang, M.: Raindrop Clarity: A Dual-Focused Dataset for Day and Night Raindrop Removal. In: ECCV (2024) 4, 6
work page 2024
- [19]
-
[20]
Auto-Encoding Variational Bayes
Kingma, D.P., Welling, M.: Auto-encoding variational bayes. arXiv1312.6114 (2013) 7, 9
work page internal anchor Pith review Pith/arXiv arXiv 2013
- [21]
-
[22]
Li,Y.,Monno,Y.,Okutomi,M.:Dual-PixelRaindropRemoval.IEEETransactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence46(12), 10748–10762 (2024) 4
work page 2024
- [23]
-
[24]
Decoupled Weight Decay Regularization
Loshchilov, I., Hutter, F., et al.: Fixing weight decay regularization in adam. ArXiv 1711.05101(2017) 10
work page internal anchor Pith review Pith/arXiv arXiv 2017
-
[25]
Interna- tional journal of computer vision60(2), 91–110 (2004) 6
Lowe, D.G.: Distinctive image features from scale-invariant keypoints. Interna- tional journal of computer vision60(2), 91–110 (2004) 6
work page 2004
- [26]
-
[27]
Özdenizci, O., Legenstein, R.: Restoring Vision in Adverse Weather Conditions With Patch-Based Denoising Diffusion Models. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence45(8), 10346–10357 (2023) 3, 8, 10, 12, 13
work page 2023
-
[28]
IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation pp
Porav, H., Bruls, T., Newman, P.: I can see clearly now: Image restoration via de-raining. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation pp. 7087– 7093 (2019) 4
work page 2019
- [29]
- [30]
- [31]
- [32]
-
[33]
IEEE Transactions on Image Processing30, 4828–4839 (2021) 2, 12, 13
Shao, M.W., Li, L., Meng, D.Y., Zuo, W.M.: Uncertainty Guided Multi-Scale At- tention Network for Raindrop Removal from a Single Image. IEEE Transactions on Image Processing30, 4828–4839 (2021) 2, 12, 13
work page 2021
-
[34]
In: IEEE Symposium Series on Computa- tional Intelligence
Soboleva, V., Shipitko, O.: Raindrops on Windshield: Dataset and Lightweight Gradient-Based Detection Algorithm. In: IEEE Symposium Series on Computa- tional Intelligence. pp. 1–7 (2021) 4
work page 2021
- [35]
-
[36]
In: ECCV (2024) 2, 3, 6, 12, 13
Sun,S.,Ren,W.,Gao,X.,Wang,R.,Cao,X.:RestoringImagesinAdverseWeather Conditions via Histogram Transformer. In: ECCV (2024) 2, 3, 6, 12, 13
work page 2024
-
[37]
Vaswani,A.,Shazeer,N.,Parmar,N.,Uszkoreit,J.,Jones,L.,Gomez,A.N.,Kaiser, L.u., Polosukhin, I.: Attention is all you need. In: NeurIPS. vol. 30 (2017) 8
work page 2017
- [38]
- [39]
-
[40]
International Journal of Computer Vision 132(12), 5929–5949 (2024) 10, 11, 12 DiffUR3 17
Wang, J., Yue, Z., Zhou, S., Chan, K.C., Loy, C.C.: Exploiting Diffusion Prior for Real-World Image Super-Resolution. International Journal of Computer Vision 132(12), 5929–5949 (2024) 10, 11, 12 DiffUR3 17
work page 2024
-
[41]
IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence45(11), 12978–12995 (2023) 3
Xiao, J., Fu, X., Liu, A., Wu, F., Zha, Z.J.: Image De-Raining Transformer. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence45(11), 12978–12995 (2023) 3
work page 2023
-
[42]
IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelli- gence38(9), 1721–1733 (2016) 1
You, S., Tan, R.T., Kawakami, R., Ikeuchi, K.: Adherent Raindrop Detection and Removal in Video. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelli- gence38(9), 1721–1733 (2016) 1
work page 2016
- [43]
- [44]
- [45]
- [46]
-
[47]
Zheng, Q., Chen, J., Lu, Z., Shi, B., Jiang, X., Yap, K.H., Duan, L.Y., Kot, A.C.: What does plate glass reveal about camera calibration? In: CVPR. pp. 3022–3032 (2020) 1
work page 2020
-
[48]
Zhou, S., Chan, K.C., Li, C., Loy, C.C.: Towards Robust Blind Face Restoration with Codebook Lookup Transformer. In: NeurIPS. vol. 35, pp. 30599–30611 (2022) 11
work page 2022
-
[49]
IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing63, 1–15 (2025) 2
Zhu,C.,Deng,S.,Song,X.,Li,Y.,Wang,Q.:MambaCollaborativeImplicitNeural Representation for Hyperspectral and Multispectral Remote Sensing Image Fusion. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing63, 1–15 (2025) 2
work page 2025
-
[50]
Information Fusion123, 103261 (2025) 2
Zhu, C., Song, X., Li, Y., Deng, S., Zhang, T.: A spatial-frequency dual-domain implicitguidancemethodforhyperspectralandmultispectralremotesensingimage fusion based on Kolmogorov–Arnold Network. Information Fusion123, 103261 (2025) 2
work page 2025
- [51]
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.