Calculating retinal contrast from scene content: A program

Abstract

This paper describes a computer program for calculating the contrast image on the human retina from an array of scene luminances. We used achromatic transparency targets and measured test target's luminances with meters. We used the CIE standard Glare Spread Function (GSF) to calculate the array of retinal contrast. This paper describes the CIE standard, the calculation and the analysis techniques comparing the calculated retinal image with observer data. The paper also describes in detail the techniques of accurate measurements of HDR scenes, conversion of measurements to input data arrays, calculation of the retinal image, including open source MATLAB code, pseudocolor visualization of HDR images that exceed the range of standard displays, and comparison of observed sensations with retinal stimuli.