Kristen Oney

Abstract

High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography has been in existence at least since the time of Ansel Adams, with his experiments using analog film and darkroom techniques for the production of black and white prints in the 1940's (Ashbrook, 2010). This photographic method has the ability to provide a more accurate representation of a scene through a greater range of the light and dark areas captured in an image. In the mid-20th century HDR Photography it has continued to grow in popularity among those interested in photography wishing to optimize their resulting image beyond a more commonly used technique. Presently, the limitations of commonly available reproduction technologies can lead to unpredictable output results through media such as monitor displays and inkjet prints. The purpose of this research was to determine the influence of quality attributes and image content on the preference of display media for HDR image reproductions. To achieve this purpose, a psychophysical experiment was conducted of 38 observers with previous imaging related exposure. This part of the study consisted of HDR comparisons across both a monitor display device and inkjet prints. Through qualitative and quantitative methods, common trends were identified among observer responses. The results show that for inkjet prints are the most preferred for the output of HDR images, specifically when printed on a metallic substrate. Additionally, the content of displayed images can directly impact display preference depending on the viewer's perception and relationship formed with the photographic image. When evaluating HDR images across two media platforms, quality attributes comprising of a strong influence towards preference are sharpness, naturalness, contrast and highlights while artifacts, physical qualities and shadows were found to have barely any influence. Within the attributes related to HDR, relationships between attributes are found to be significant regarding image evaluation, leading to areas of further research.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

High dynamic range imaging; Imaging systems--Image quality

Publication Date

6-1-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Department, Program, or Center

School of Media Sciences (CIAS)

Advisor

Myers, Bruce

Advisor/Committee Member

Riordan, Micahel

Comments

Note: imported from RIT’s Digital Media Library running on DSpace to RIT Scholar Works in December 2013. Physical copy available from RIT's Wallace Library at TR594 .O64 2013

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

PRNTMED-MS

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