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• MODERN APPROACHES TO FACE RECOGNITION IN LOW-LIGHT CONDITIONS: A REVIEW AND THE CONCEPT OF A HYBRID END-TO-END ARCHITECTURE

  D. А. Morozov , V.V. Gilka , А. S. Kuznetsova

  113-133

  2026-07-07

  Abstract ▼

  The article addresses the problem of reliable face recognition in critical areas such as video surveillance and biometric authentication under low-light conditions. Existing approaches typically separate the tasks of image enhancement and face identification, which leads to error accumulation and loss of informative features. The aim of this work is to overcome this limitation by developing and theoretically substantiating a hybrid end-to-end architecture in which image enhancement and face recognition are solved jointly. The study provides a systematic review of modern methods, including classical algorithms (such as histogram equalization and noise suppression) and advanced deep neural networks (including EnlightenGAN, Zero-DCE, ArcFace, and RetinaFace). The main contribution is the integration of generative and identification modules into a single computational graph. The key result of the study is the demonstration that joint optimization of all processing stages within a unified model, unlike fragmented solutions, fundamentally changes the approach to the problem. Theoretical analysis and comparative evaluation of existing concepts show that the proposed architecture ensures a more efficient gradient flow during training, leading to the formation of higher-quality and noise-robust identity features. It is shown that this approach prevents error accumulation between stages and minimizes information loss. The novelty of the work lies in the holistic, end-to-end view of the face recognition problem under low-light conditions. The practical significance is confirmed by the applicability of the architecture in real systems, where its implementation can potentially improve reliability and processing speed by combining heterogeneous tasks into a single optimizable framework.

  The article addresses the problem of reliable face recognition in critical areas such as video surveillance and biometric authentication under low-light conditions. Existing approaches typically separate the tasks of image enhancement and face identification, which leads to error accumulation and loss of informative features. The aim of this work is to overcome this limitation by developing and theoretically substantiating a hybrid end-to-end architecture in which image enhancement and face recognition are solved jointly. The study provides a systematic review of modern methods, including classical algorithms (such as histogram equalization and noise suppression) and advanced deep neural networks (including EnlightenGAN, Zero-DCE, ArcFace, and RetinaFace). The main contribution is the integration of generative and identification modules into a single computational graph. The key result of the study is the demonstration that joint optimization of all processing stages within a unified model, unlike fragmented solutions, fundamentally changes the approach to the problem. Theoretical analysis and comparative evaluation of existing concepts show that the proposed architecture ensures a more efficient gradient flow during training, leading to the formation of higher-quality and noise-robust identity features. It is shown that this approach prevents error accumulation between stages and minimizes information loss. The novelty of the work lies in the holistic, end-to-end view of the face recognition problem under low-light conditions. The practical significance is confirmed by the applicability of the architecture in real systems, where its implementation can potentially improve reliability and processing speed by combining heterogeneous tasks into a single optimizable framework.