Abstract: A shadow compensation method for aerial images is proposed. First, an image segmentation method is applied and the threshold value is calculated to help predict a shadow region. Then the ratio of direct light to ambient light pertaining to the shadow region is calculated. In the meantime, the multi-band blending method is adopted to realize a smooth transition from shadow region to non-shadow region. Finally, the shadow compensation is finished according to a certain illumination model. The experiments show that the proposed method can not only effectively compensate the shadow regions, but ensure a smooth transition from shadow to non-shadow regions.