A Method for Evaluating Food Image Complexity from the Photographer’s Perspective

Abstract

How complex should the food photographs of a restaurant menu be? Studies on image complexity have been conducted using objective and subjective approaches. Nevertheless, neither approach considers the factors that photographers commonly manipulate during image creation. Therefore, this paper proposes a methodology to evaluate the impression of complexity considering these factors. Through interviews, factors like the Camera Angle, Background, Lighting, Light Color, and the Number of Decorative Elements were identified and defined. Based on these definitions, food images were analyzed and tested by participants who assessed their impression of complexity. The results suggested that the amount of decorative element is a factor with a significant effect on the impression of complexity. Furthermore, the correlation between the number of decorative elements and the evaluations suggested that measuring food image complexity according to the decoration in the image is a closer representation of the impression of complexity judged by human subjects.