Origins of scaling in natural images

Daniel L. Ruderman

doi:10.1117/12.238707

22 April 1996 Origins of scaling in natural images

Daniel L. Ruderman

Proceedings Volume 2657, Human Vision and Electronic Imaging; (1996) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.238707
Event: Electronic Imaging: Science and Technology, 1996, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

In recent years a number of researchers have found scaling power spectra in natural images (i.e., the spectrum takes the form of a power-law). This result is surprisingly robust given the variety in each team's choice of image calibration and subject matter. We propose that the salient universal structure present in natural images is their composition of independent occluding objects. In such a world the correlation function, and thus the power spectrum, is generated by two underlying causes: the distribution of object to object transitions, and the correlations present within objects. We show that a power-law distribution of apparent object sizes combined with strongly correlated intra-object structure gives rise to the ubiquitous power-law spectrum in natural scenes. By generating images from occluding square objects we can show definitively that it is not the 1/k² spectrum of individual edges but rather the distribution of object sizes which causes the scaling in natural images. We demonstrate also that recent measurements of spatio-temporal natural image spectra can be reproduced by such a segmentation of images into independent moving objects.

Citation Download Citation

Daniel L. Ruderman "Origins of scaling in natural images", Proc. SPIE 2657, Human Vision and Electronic Imaging, (22 April 1996); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.238707

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available