Predicting visible flicker in temporally changing images

Novel display algorithms such as low-persistence displays, black frame insertion, and temporal resolution multiplexing in- troduce temporal change into images at 40-180 Hz, on the bound- ary of the temporal integration of the visual system. This can lead to flicker, a highly-objectionable artifact known to induce viewer discomfort. The critical flicker frequency (CFF) alone does not model this phenomenon well, as flicker sensitivity varies with contrast, and spatial frequency; a content-aware model is re- quired. In this paper, we introduce a visual model for predicting flicker visibility in temporally changing images. The model per- forms a multi-scale analysis on the difference between consecu- tive frames, normalizing values with the spatio-temporal contrast sensitivity function as approximated by the pyramid of visibility. The output of the model is a 2D detection probability map. We ran a subjective flicker marking experiment to fit the model pa- rameters, then analyze the difference between two display algo- rithms, black frame insertion and temporal resolution multiplex- ing, to demonstrate the application of our model

NEW TECHNIQUES IN DERIVATIVE DOMAIN IMAGE FUSION AND THEIR APPLICATIONS

There are many applications where multiple images are fused to form a single summary greyscale or colour output, including computational photography (e.g. RGB-NIR), diffusion tensor imaging (medical), and remote sensing. Often, and intuitively, image fusion is carried out in the derivative domain (based on image gradients). In this thesis, we propose new derivative domain image fusion methods and metrics, and carry out experiments on a range of image fusion applications. After reviewing previous relevant methods in derivative domain image fusion, we make several new contributions. We present new applications for the Spectral Edge image fusion method, in thermal image fusion (using a FLIR smartphone accessory) and near-infrared image fusion (using an integrated visible and near-infrared sensor). We propose extensions of standard objective image fusion quality metrics for M to N channel image fusion measuring image fusion performance is an unsolved problem. Finally, and most importantly, we propose new methods in image fusion, which give improved results compared to previous methods (based on metric and subjective comparisons): we propose an iterative extension to the Spectral Edge image fusion method, producing improved detail transfer and colour vividness, and we propose a new derivative domain image fusion method, based on finding a local linear combination of input images to produce an output image with optimum gradient detail, without artefacts - this mapping can be calculated by finding the principal characteristic vector of the outer product of the Jacobian matrix of image derivatives, or by solving a least-squares regression (with regularization) to the target gradients calculated by the Spectral Edge theorem. We then use our new image fusion method on a range of image fusion applications, producing state of the art image fusion results with the potential for real-time performance

A Visual Quality Assessment Method for Raster Images in Scanned Document

Image quality assessment (IQA) is an active research area in the field of image processing. Most prior works focus on visual quality of natural images captured by cameras. In this paper, we explore visual quality of scanned documents, focusing on raster image areas. Different from many existing works which aim to estimate a visual quality score, we propose a machine learning based classification method to determine whether the visual quality of a scanned raster image at a given resolution setting is acceptable. We conduct a psychophysical study to determine the acceptability at different image resolutions based on human subject ratings and use them as the ground truth to train our machine learning model. However, this dataset is unbalanced as most images were rated as visually acceptable. To address the data imbalance problem, we introduce several noise models to simulate the degradation of image quality during the scanning process. Our results show that by including augmented data in training, we can significantly improve the performance of the classifier to determine whether the visual quality of raster images in a scanned document is acceptable or not for a given resolution setting

First and Second Order Stereoscopic Processing of Fused and Diplopic Targets

Depth from stereopsis is due to the positional difference between the two eyes, which results in each eye receiving a different view of the world. Although progress has been made in understanding how the visual system processes stereoscopic stimuli, a number of questions remain. The goal of this work was to assess the relationship between the perceptual, the temporal and the 1st- /2nd- order dichotomies of stereopsis and in doing so, determine an appropriate method for measuring depth from large disparities. To this end, stereosensitivity and perceived depth were assessed using 1st- and 2nd- order stimuli over a range of test disparities and conditions. The main contributions of this research are as follows: 1) The sustained/transient dichotomy proposed by Edwards, Pope and Schor (2000) is best considered in terms of the spatial dichotomy proposed by Hess and Wilcox (1994). At large disparities it is not possible to categorize performance based on exposure duration alone; 2) There is not a simple correspondence between Ogle's (1952) patent / qualitative perceptual categories and the 1st- /2nd- order dichotomy proposed by Hess and Wilcox (1994); 3) Quantitative depth is provided by both 1st- and 2nd- order mechanisms in the fused range, but only the 2nd- order signal is used when stimuli are diplopic; 3) The quantitative depth provided by a 2nd- order stimulus scales with envelope size; and 4) The monoptic depth phenomenon may be related to depth from diplopic stimuli, but for conditions tested here when both monoptic depth and 2nd- order stereopsis are available, the latter is used to encode depth percepts. The results reported here expand on earlier work on 1st- and 2nd- order stereopsis and address the issues in the methodologies used to study depth from large disparities. These results are consistent with the widely accepted filter-rectify-filter model of 2nd- order processing, and 1st- and 2nd- order stimuli are likely encoded by disparity-sensitive neurons via a two-stream model (see Wilson, Ferrera, and Yo (1992); Zhou and Baker (1993))

Contemplation of tone mapping operators in high dynamic range imaging

The technique of tone mapping has found widespread popularity in the modern era owing to its applications in the digital world. There are a considerable number of tone mapping techniques that have been developed so far. One method may be better than the other in some cases which is determined by the requirement of the user. In this paper, some of the techniques for tone mapping/tone reproduction of high dynamic range images have been contemplated. The classification of tone mapping operators has also been given. However, it has been found that these techniques lack in providing quality of service visualization of high dynamic range images. This paper has tried to highlight the drawbacks in the existing traditional methods so that the tone-mapped techniques can be enhanced

Subjective evaluation of auditory spatial imagery associated with decorrelated subwoofer signals

Presented at the 8th International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD), Kyoto, Japan, July 2-5, 2002.Although only a single subwoofer is typically used in two-channel and multichannel stereophonic sound reproduction, the use of two subwoofers enables manipulation of low-frequency interaural crosscorrelation (IACC), and this manipulation is particularly effective in producing variation in auditory spatial imagery. In order to document this variation objectively, a series of listening experiments were executed using a set of stimuli generated at five correlation values and presented in two reproduction modes. Both modes used two subwoofers, but in one of the reproduction modes identical signals were applied to the two subwoofers. The results of both exploratory and confirmatory listening experiments showed that the range of variation in both perceived auditory source width (ASW) and perceived auditory source distance (ASD) is reduced when negatively correlated signals are not reproduced at low frequencies. Global dissimilarity judgments were made for this set of ten stimuli in an exploratory study designed to reveal the salient perceptual dimensions of the stimuli. A subsequent confirmatory study employed a two-alternative forced-choice task in order to determine how identifiably different the stimuli were with respect to the two perceptual attributes revealed in the exploratory study, those two attributes being ASW and ASD. The implications of these findings for loudspeaker-based spatial auditory display are discussed