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The dark side of gloss

Nature Neuroscience volume 15, pages 1590–1595 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

Our visual system relies on the image structure generated by the interaction of light with objects to infer their material properties. One widely studied surface property is gloss, which can provide information that an object is smooth, shiny or wet. Studies have historically focused on the role of specular highlights in modulating perceived gloss. Here we show in human observers that glossy surfaces can generate both bright specular highlights and dark specular 'lowlights', and that the presence of either is sufficient to generate compelling percepts of gloss. We show that perceived gloss declines when the image structure generated by specular lowlights is blurred or misaligned with surrounding surface shading and that perceived gloss can arise from the presence of lowlights in surface regions isolated from highlights. These results suggest that the image structure generated by specular highlights and lowlights is used to construct our experience of surface gloss.

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Figure 1: Glossy surfaces generate specular highlights and lowlights.
Figure 2: Specular lowlights generate the percept of gloss.
Figure 3: Dark specular reflections generate a global appearance of surface gloss.
Figure 4: The global appearance of gloss is not explained by uniformity in image contrast.
Figure 5: The appearance of surface gloss depends on the clarity and orientation of specular reflections relative to diffuse shading.
Figure 6: Isolated specular lowlights provide information beyond specular highlights.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Niemela for 3D printing of physical surface models, R. Fleming for advice on rendering techniques, K. Grady for artistic inspiration, and an anonymous reviewer for insight about the optics of paints. This project was funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Project awarded to B.L.A., J.K. and R. Fleming, and an Australian Research Council fellowship to B.L.A.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Juno Kim, Phillip J Marlow & Barton L Anderson

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  1. Juno Kim
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  2. Phillip J Marlow
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  3. Barton L Anderson
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Contributions

J.K. created the initial demonstration of specular lowlights. J.K., P.J.M. and B.L.A. designed the experiments and visual stimuli. J.K. rendered the images, collected the data and performed the statistical analyses. J.K., P.J.M. and B.L.A. interpreted the results and wrote the paper.

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Correspondence to Juno Kim or Barton L Anderson.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Kim, J., Marlow, P. & Anderson, B. The dark side of gloss. Nat Neurosci 15, 1590–1595 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3221

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