Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Pages: 1387-1394

Journal: Current Biology

Volume number: 32

Issue number: 6

ISSN: 0960-9822

eISSN: 1879-0445

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.026

Publisher: Cell Press

Abstract: 
The human visual system can derive information about three-dimensional (3D) shape from the structure of light reflected by surfaces. Most research on single static images has focused on the 3D shape information contained in variations of brightness caused by interactions between the illumination and local surface orientation ("shading").1-6 Although color can enhance the recovery of surface shading when color and brightness we show that the wavelength-dependent reflectance of chromatic materials provides information about the 3D shape of translucent materials. We show that different wavelengths of light undergo varying degrees of reflected generate shading-like image structure, linked to 3D surface orientation, whereas wavelengths that penetrate more deeply into the material are primarily constrained by the direction of surface curvature (conwavelengths, which, in turn, generates correlated spatial variations in saturation. These results demonstrate a new functional role for color in the perception of the 3D shape of translucent materials.

Harvard Citation style: Marlow, P., Gegenfurtner, K. and Anderson, B. (2022) The role of color in the perception of three-dimensional shape, Current Biology, 32(6), pp. 1387-1394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.026

APA Citation style: Marlow, P., Gegenfurtner, K., & Anderson, B. (2022). The role of color in the perception of three-dimensional shape. Current Biology. 32(6), 1387-1394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.026