Image quality assessment for selfies with and without super resolution

Abstract

With the advent of cellphone cameras, in particular, on smartphones, many people now take photos of themselves alone and with others in the frame; such photos are popularly known as “selfies”. Most smartphones are equipped with two cameras: the front-facing and rear cameras. The camera located on the back of the smartphone is referred to as the “out-camera,” whereas the one located on the front of the smartphone is called the “in-camera.” In-cameras are mainly used for selfies. Some smartphones feature high-resolution cameras. However, the original image quality cannot be obtained because smartphone cameras often have low-performance lenses. Super resolution (SR) is one of the recent technological advancements that has increased image resolution. We developed a new SR technology that can be processed on smartphones. Smartphones with new SR technology are currently available in the market have already registered sales. However, the effective use of new SR technology has not yet been verified. Comparing the image quality with and without SR on smartphone display is necessary to confirm the usefulness of this new technology. Methods that are based on objective and subjective assessments are required to quantitatively measure image quality. It is known that the typical object assessment value, such as Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), does not go together with how we feel when we assess image/video. When digital broadcast started, the standard was determined using subjective assessment. Although subjective assessment usually comes at high cost because of personnel expenses for observers, the results are highly reproducible when they are conducted under right conditions and statistical analysis. In this study, the subjective assessment results for selfie images are reported.