Abstract
In everyday scenes, the intensity and chromaticity of the light absorbed by a matte surface depends on its location and orientation. I will first describe recent experiments intended to investigate surface color perception in 3D rendered scenes. We found that the visual system partially compensates for changes in illumination due to changes in location and orientation of test surfaces. In carrying out these experimental tasks, observers effectively represent the spatial distribution, chromaticities and relative intensities of light sources in the scene. I'll describe additional experiments where we assess how the visual system estimates the distribution of light in scenes (the light field) and how it used this information in estimating surface colors.