Effect of display luminance and ambient illuminance on the perceived quality of indoor environment images

Displays are the ubiquitous medium to convey information in the modern world. The perceived quality of images seen on displays can be affected by lighting, contrast, and spatial characteristics of the content. While past studies investigated the impact of display luminance and ambient illuminance on preference and discomfort, granular perceptual qualities, such as visual clarity, interest, and complexity, have been rarely investigated. This study investigates the potential use of lighting and image quality metrics to develop a computational model of viewers' response to images of indoor environments shown on a display. In a psychophysical experiment, 42 participants evaluated images of indoor environments under different display luminance (50 cd/m² and 250 cd/m²) and ambient illuminance (50 lx, 150 lx, 450 lx, and 900 lx) conditions. Ambient illuminance and display luminance had minimal impact on perceived qualities, implying optimal visual experiences can be achieved without resorting to high illuminance or luminance levels, thus offering potential energy-saving opportunities. The results also highlighted the interconnectedness of visual attributes, such as increased visual interest with visual clarity and colorfulness. Linear regression analysis leads to a computational model with a low predictive power, which highlights the challenges of developing an accurate model of visual perception.