Prefilters for Sharp Image Display

Abstract

In this paper we use a simplified model of the human visual system to explain why humans tend do prefer ''sharpened'' digital images. From this model we then derive a family of image prefilters specifically adapted to viewing conditions and user preference, allowing for the trade-off between ringing and aliasing while maximizing image sharpness. We discuss how our filters can be applied in a variety of situations ranging from Monte Carlo rendering to image downscaling, and we show how they consistently give sharper results while having an efficient implementation and ease of use (there are no free parameters that require manual tuning). We demonstrate the effectiveness of our simple sharp prefilters through a user study that indicates a clear preference to our approach compared to the state-of-the-art.