Pseudocolor enhancement of single-band images

Kim L. Tiplitz-Blackwell

doi:10.1117/12.19709

1 August 1990 Pseudocolor enhancement of single-band images

Kim L. Tiplitz-Blackwell

Proceedings Volume 1250, Perceiving, Measuring, and Using Color; (1990) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.19709
Event: Electronic Imaging: Advanced Devices and Systems, 1990, Santa Clara, CA, United States

Abstract

Pseudocolor display of high contrast, single-band images has been suggested as a method of enhancing image interpretability by increasing the number of distinguishable intensity levels. Pseudocolor scales, whose design is often based on characteristics of color perception, are most often evaluated using subjective criteria, i.e. does the color scale appear to increase sensitivity to the image. In order to determine whether pseudocolor scales quantitatively improve acquisition of image information, a two- alternative, forced-choice experiment was performed to evaluate the effect of pseudocolor display on target detection in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. A black-white-red scale and a black-white-blue scale were chosen for testing on the basis of subjective evaluation. A black-white-red (or black-white-blue) scale begins at black for low image values, increases in intensity to white and then increases in saturation to red (or blue) and displays the targets, which have high image values, in color. The black-white-red scale, black-white-blue scale and a control gray scale were tested using a set of 53 SAR images pairs (53 images with targets and 53 images without targets). Each of five observers performed one set of trials (53 forced- choice trials with a single color scale) with each color scale. Analysis of Variance revealed no significant difference in performance as a function of color scale. These results are in agreement with a similar study using medical images and are consistent with the hypothesis that pseudocolor display of single-band images does not enhance target detectability.

Citation Download Citation

Kim L. Tiplitz-Blackwell "Pseudocolor enhancement of single-band images", Proc. SPIE 1250, Perceiving, Measuring, and Using Color, (1 August 1990); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.19709

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