Image Modification Based on Spatial Frequency Components for Visual Attention Retargeting

Abstract

It is estimated that 80% of the information entering the human brain is obtained through the eyes. Therefore, it is commonly believed that drawing human attention to particular objects is effective in assisting human activities. In this paper, we propose a novel image modification method for guiding user attention to specific regions of interest by using a novel saliency map model based on spatial frequency components. We modify the frequency components on the basis of the obtained saliency map to decrease the visual saliency outside the specified region. By applying our modification method to an image, human attention can be guided to the specified region because the saliency inside the region is higher than that outside the region. Using gaze measurements, we show that the proposed saliency map matches well with the distribution of actual human attention. Moreover, we evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed modification method by using an eye tracking system.