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Perceiving gloss through transparency
Sabrina Hansmann-Roth1, Pascal Mamassian2
1Icelandic Vision Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland.
I-Perception
|July 28, 2025
Summary
Transparent layers alter perceived gloss by shifting color and reducing luminance contrast. Observers tend to overestimate gloss when viewing objects through such materials, especially with lighter layers.
Area of Science:
- Visual perception
- Material science
- Image processing
Background:
- Image intensity is influenced by illumination, object reflectance, and intervening media properties.
- Partially transmissive materials can alter visual perception of objects behind them, affecting color and contrast.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how achromatic color shifts and luminance contrast compression from transparent layers impact perceived gloss.
- To quantify the effect of different transparent layers on gloss perception using conjoint measurement.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a maximum likelihood conjoint measurement paradigm to assess perceived gloss.
- Conducted experiments presenting glossy objects behind partially transmissive materials.
- Employed a matching task where observers matched surfaces seen directly to those viewed through a transparent layer.
Main Results:
- Transparent layers cause achromatic color shifts and luminance contrast compression, affecting specular reflections.
- Perceived gloss shows a high degree of constancy despite the transparent layer.
- A small but significant contribution of the transparent layer was observed in gloss estimation, particularly with light-colored layers.
Conclusions:
- Gloss is generally overestimated when viewed through transparent layers.
- The properties of transparent layers, especially color, influence gloss perception.
- Visual perception of gloss is robust but susceptible to distortions introduced by intervening media.
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