Book excerpt: Image quality assessment (IQA) is an essential technique in the design of modern, large-scale image and video processing systems. This book introduces and discusses in detail topics related to IQA, including the basic principles of subjective and objective experiments, biological evidence for image quality perception, and recent research developments. In line with recent trends in imaging techniques and to explain the application-specific utilization, it particularly focuses on IQA for stereoscopic (3D) images and medical images, rather than on planar (2D) natural images. In addition, a wealth of vivid, specific figures and formulas help readers deepen their understanding of fundamental and new applications for image quality assessment technology. This book is suitable for researchers, clinicians and engineers as well as students working in related disciplines, including imaging, displaying, image processing, and storage and transmission. By reviewing and presenting the latest advances, and new trends and challenges in the field, it benefits researchers and industrial R&D engineers seeking to implement image quality assessment systems for specific applications or design/optimize image/video processing algorithms.