Comments on: Playmate meets the nerds.

Playmate meets the nerds.

phatboy — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 17:04:59 -0800

Perhaps one of the most viewed images ever, the "lena" image is used as a standard test of image processing algorithms. Bored engineers scanned Lena Sjööblom's playmate centerfold into the USC image lab computer system to spice up a presentation on image processing. The lena image has been used countless times to evaluate image compression algorithms, not without some controversy. Enamoured with the image, the Society for Imaging Science and Technology invited Lena to attend their 50th annual meeting. (note, all links safe for work, though a few sites link to the full playboy image).

By: chunking express

chunking express — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 17:09:57 -0800

Wow, you really do learn something new -- and sexy -- everyday.

By: Baby_Balrog

Baby_Balrog — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 17:14:38 -0800

I was following this post in the lab here, where I work. The print techie walked in and saw the photo and the first word I hear is, "Lena!" He immediately recognized the photo. At the time, I didn't realize I was examining the full-body shot, so when I scrolled down I heard him whistle. "Whoa...Lena..." He just spent the last half-hour cueing her shot to the 11x17 tray.

By: glider

glider — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 17:16:45 -0800

Does this mean she's getting rich?

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 17:20:38 -0800

In this case, the image is owned by Playboy, not her. From the Wikipedia article: The use of this image has produced some controversy, with some people concerned about its prurient content, and Playboy at one time threatening to prosecute over the unauthorized use of the image. The magazine has since abandoned the threats and has embraced the use of "Lenna" for publicity reasons. Wired says [1] "Although Playboy is notorious for cracking down on illegal uses of its images, it has decided to overlook the widespread distribution of this particular centerfold".

By: rafter

rafter — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 17:23:12 -0800

I love stuff like this (it reminds me of Lorem Ipsum). Great post.

By: riffola

riffola — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 17:38:50 -0800

This is great. I know I've seen the cropped pic before.

By: republican

republican — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 17:40:16 -0800

Isn't there also some image of a Scandinavian leader from many years ago that is used as a standard in a way similar to the lena image? Anyone know the name of that guy?

By: phatboy

phatboy — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 17:48:35 -0800

The main thing that strikes me about this image is how much sexier it is compared to current playboy stuff. The playboy photographers in 1972 must have had a wider leeway on artistic presentation. The current centerfolds look boring in comparison. Of course it could just be that I have stared at lena for 1000 cumulative hours looking for compression artifacts.

By: mowglisambo

mowglisambo — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 17:49:43 -0800

Took a C programming class last year in college, and this was the image used in our lesson on arrays. Whaddaya know! She's aged well, btw.

By: mr_roboto

mr_roboto — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 17:59:55 -0800

Related computer imaging test models: The Utah Teapot The Stanford Bunny

By: fatllama

fatllama — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 18:06:11 -0800

Nice post, phatboy. Thanks. This got me googling for an archive or review of popular sample images used in image processing (e.g. the Mandrill) but my weak google-fu has failed to come up with anything consummate. Anybody got it? [on preview, mr_roboto seems to be a mind reader. Anybody have anything comprehensive?]

By: schoolgirl report

schoolgirl report — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 18:08:40 -0800

As I was practicing in a professor's basement for my law school talent show, I noticed he had a box full of Playboys from the 1970's. I glanced through a bunch of them and goddamn were the women so much hotter back then or what? So normal and natural and round and with the tan lines and hot!

By: Slack-a-gogo

Slack-a-gogo — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 18:18:49 -0800

This reminds me of the women that appeared in the countdown reels of films shown in schools in the sixties and seventies. They were always headshots of Scandinavian looking models that I recall were spliced in in place of six or seven of the countdown. They always got whistles from the boys in gradeschool. Some people I talk to remember them vividly while others have no clue what I'm talking about. I recall years ago stumbling across a website collecting these images, but I can't figure out the keywords to find it again with Google.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 18:44:26 -0800

wider leeway on artistic presentation ...that, and natural girls without any fake parts. The reason Playboy models these days look so pedestrian is because, for the most part, they are.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 19:13:13 -0800

There's a small list of standard images used in testing compression algorithms and other graphics techniques: Lena, Mandrill, Barbara, Goldhill, Tiffany, Boat, France, etc. Here's a demo using some of these samples. Here are some b&w thumbnails. Download some (in gzip).

By: JB71

JB71 — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 19:17:34 -0800

There is a certain sameness. Breasts P/N 115, Hair P/N 337 in shade Blonde-42, makeup done according to Playboy Spec 12, Rev.2, 1998, using approved colors and appropriate templates for application. Back in the day, the girls looked real. These look like they were mass-produced through injection molding. (Come to think of it...) And there was something more... natural... about their posing. As if they were actually having fun doing it, instead of looking bored. You gotta get Playboy for the articles, because it sure doesn't make it on the variety of the models any more... JB

By: JB71

JB71 — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 19:19:16 -0800

Correction - make that "Nowdays, these look like they were mass-produced..." Even with preview twice, I didn't catch that. Sorry... JB

By: intermod

intermod — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 19:51:04 -0800

For motion video compression, we also have some standard video sequences that stress the compression algorithms. The "cheerleaders" one comes to mind. Some of the others are "mobile/calendar", "susie", "flower garden", and typically are no more than a few seconds long and intended to be looped (played over and over). Watching THAT will drive you insane in no time so it's best to avert your eyes ... Here is a research paper that rapidly gets extremely technical, but way down it does mention these test sequences.

By: RavinDave

RavinDave — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 20:15:23 -0800

Never.seen.it.before.

By: BigFatWhale

BigFatWhale — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 20:27:57 -0800

I can't find it anywhere now, but I recall a similar thing used in film editing. It was a woman in some awful sixties clothes that became the unofficial standard for color correction for years. Something to do with skin tones. But since I can't find anything about it, I'm starting to think I'm lying.

By: carmen

carmen — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 20:39:46 -0800

Gee, I wonder why so few women go into computing. Must be their inferior genetics.

By: tss

tss — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 20:47:48 -0800

intermod: One of these days, I'm going to make a Brunching Shuttlecocks-esque rating sheet for those stupid sequences. I think these are all MPEG2, so mplayer will handle them. Quicktime probably won't. mobile/calendar. the dreaded flower sequence. Most computer vision papers don't include the part with the windmill, since they can't handle it. susie cactus and, last and most thoroughly dorky, tennis. The spectators. How they got seven people with massive frontal cortex lesions to be filmed watching a table tennis match is beyond me.

By: transona5

transona5 — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 20:51:53 -0800

Gee, I wonder why so few women go into computing. Yeah, not to go all "porn is evil," but inviting her to the conference sends a definite if unintentional message about the place of women in the field.

By: rafter

rafter — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 20:53:39 -0800

That mobile/calendar is the most offensive thing I have ever witnessed. It's burned in my retinas.

By: tss

tss — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 21:13:18 -0800

massive frontal cortex lesions Uh, pretty tasteless. Sorry, folks. *guilt*

By: fatllama

fatllama — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 21:28:41 -0800

Ah, thanks dhartung. And tss for the movie set.

By: AsYouKnow Bob

AsYouKnow Bob — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 22:11:23 -0800

BigFatWhale: For decades, Kodak provided standard test negatives (and matching prints) of attractive, bored-looking young women who were universally referred to as "Shirleys". When I followed the link to the Wiki article on "Lena", I was surprised that there wasn't a cross-referenced Wikipedia article about "Shirley". Somebody needs to write one.

By: cloudscratcher

cloudscratcher — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 22:12:54 -0800

See also the "Frauenbilderbuch" (women-pictures-book) by Martin Liebscher. Liebscher worked as a projectionist for years and made a book out of the images that were used to focus and test color. I'm curious if there are other "dialect" test-images; I'm pretty sure these were of and for West Germany, but I could be way wrong.

By: BigFatWhale

BigFatWhale — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 22:29:51 -0800

Thanks as AsYouKnow Bob. That's exactly what I was thinking of. I'm pretty sure I read about it online, but can't seem to find a trace of the article anywhere.

By: AsYouKnow Bob

AsYouKnow Bob — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 22:34:32 -0800

BigFW: "Shirley" was from the pre-digital-imaging age, so it's not entirely a surprise that she's not in Wiki yet; what was more surprising to me is that I couldn't find much on-line, either.

By: drezdn

drezdn — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 22:47:55 -0800

I'd scan it.

By: saysthis

saysthis — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 23:28:03 -0800

They had tired of their stock of usual test images, dull stuff dating back to television standards work in the early 1960s. They wanted something glossy to ensure good output dynamic range, and they wanted a human face. Just then, somebody happened to walk in with a recent issue of Playboy. I want to work with these people. I'm sorry, but that's my kind of office, place of women in the field be damned.

By: krisjohn

krisjohn — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 00:14:13 -0800

Tom's Diner (the original vocal-only version) was used in early MP3 work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mp3

By: handee

handee — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 01:47:33 -0800

As a woman in the field, I have to say I am much more unnerved by arriving to present a paper at a conference and finding myself the only woman in the room than I am by playboy images. That said, there might well be a connection.

By: dabitch

dabitch — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 02:25:54 -0800

Lenna= only 4 women in Sweden spell their "Lena" name with two N's. Only 7 people spell the surname "Sjöblom" Sjööblom. She's a rare breed indeed, or someone has likely misspelled her name.

By: dabitch

dabitch — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 02:45:26 -0800

darn, I missed the wikipedias explanation to the strange spelling. It's much funnier had it been spelled right, Lena means smooth. ;)

By: Talez

Talez — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 15:15:13 -0800

Praise Lena! I'M NEVER GOING TO THE BATHROOM AGAIN!