Stereo disparity improves color constancy

Binocular disparity is an aspect of natural viewing. This research investigates whether disparity affects surface color perception. Achromatic settings were obtained and compared for two stereograms of a scene with specular reflections, one stereogram with binocular disparity and one without it (cyclopean view). Binocular disparity was found to improve color constancy. Next, the geometry of specular highlights, which is distorted without binocular disparity, was specifically examined. Measurements compared color constancy with specular reflections that were either normal (with stereo disparity) or distorted (cyclopean view of the specularities). No significant change in constancy was found due to the geometrical distortion of specular highlights that occurs without stereo disparity, suggesting that constancy depends on other features of the percept affected by disparity. The results are discussed in terms of illuminant estimation in surface color perception. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.