Assessing the quality of compressed images using EEG

The way images are perceived by a human observer is becoming increasingly important in visual media, e.g. for (photo-) realistic image synthesis or memory-efficient encoding of large volumes of image/video data. Traditionally, perceived image quality is assessed by either using specially developed image quality metrics or by conducting user studies. In this paper, we investigate the use of electroencephalography as a tool for evaluating image quality. We demonstrate that the presence of artifacts reliably elicits a measurable response in the brain. We furthermore show that the reaction varies depending on the severity of artifacts, so that it may be used in order to objectively quantify image quality.