Perceptual Evaluation of Tone Reproduction Operators using the Cornsweet-Craik-O’Brien Ill.pdf

Perceptual Evaluation of Tone Reproduction Operators using the Cornsweet-Craik-O’Brien Illusion AHMET OG?UZ AKYU?Z University of Central Florida Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and ERIK REINHARD University of Bristol University of Central Florida High dynamic range images cannot be directly displayed on conventional display devices, but have to be tone-mapped first. For this purpose, a large set of tone reproduction operators is currently available. However, it is unclear which operator is most suitable for any given task. In addition, different tasks may place different requirements upon each operator. In this paper we evaluate several tone reproduction operators using a paradigm that does not require the construction of a real high dynamic range scene, nor does it require the availability of a high dynamic range display device. The user study involves a task that relates to the evaluation of contrast, which is an important attribute that needs to be preserved under tone reproduction. Categories and Subject Descriptors: I.3 [Computer Graphics]: Miscellaneous; J.4 [Social and Behavioral Sciences]: Psychology General Terms: Tone Reproduction, Experimentation, High dynamic range imaging Additional Key Words and Phrases: Tone mapping algorithms, validation studies, dynamic range compression 1. INTRODUCTION With high dynamic range (HDR) imaging entering the main-stream, there is an increasing need for reducing the dynamic range of HDR images for display on conventional display devices. A large set of tone reproduction operators is currently available to accomplish this (for a review see [Reinhard et al. 2005]). The ultimate goal of tone reproduction operators is to reduce the dynamic range while preserving the visual experience an HDR image offers. Given the limited dynamic range of most display devices, this goal is usually not achievable and therefore second-best solutions are sought. These include preserving one or more key attributes of an image such