Combinations of plain or textured patterns were presented to human observers to see which features are most important for texture identification and which ones might eventually be ignored. Pairwise ranking of features and feature domains was measured from spontaneous decisions on the similarity of simultaneously displayed test patches. In plain patches differing in color or luminance, color predominated the similarity ratings until luminance differences became very strong and affected the perceived hue of color patches. In line textures, both color and luminance were more important than any of the spatial features line size, line density, and line orientation. In textures without color or luminance variations, line size and density were more important than orientation. Altogether, the results reveal a systematic ranking of features in similarity estimates that was, with gradual variations, seen across all observers. Color was the most important and, surprisingly, orientation the least important feature domain.

Published online: 1-Jan-2025

Citation: Nothdurft, H.C. (2025). Perceived ranking of feature dimensions in texture similarity ratings. VPL-reports, 13, 1-19, www.vpl-reports.de/13/