Depth and Image Quality of Three-Dimensional, Lenticular-Sheet Images

Abstract

This study investigated the inherent tradeoff between depth and image quality in lenticular-sheet (LS) imaging. Four different scenes were generated as experimental stimuli to represent a range of typical LS images. The overall amount of depth in each image, as well as the degree of foreground and background disparity, were varied, and the images were rated by subjects using the free-modulus magnitude estimation procedure. Generally, subjects preferred images which had smaller amounts of overall depth and tended to dislike excessive amounts of foreground or background disparity. The most preferred image was also determined for each scene by selecting the image with the highest mean rating. In a second experiment, these most preferred LS images for each scene were shown to subjects along with the analogous two-dimensional (2D) photographic versions. Results indicate that observers from the general population looked at the LS images longer than they did at the 2D versions and rated them higher on the attributes of quality of depth and attention-getting ability, although the LS images were rated lower on sharpness. No difference was found in overall quality or likeability.