Interpretation of images of the Earth's subsurface is a process whereby humans perceive and categorize visual features derived from seismic data. The seismic data are presented in the form of vertical slices showing points of change in some variable being measured (e.g. acoustic impedance) and horizontal slices showing surfaces interpolated between values at a particular time or horizon across multiple vertical slices. These images are usually highly complex and their nature has been determined largely by the technical capabilities of the hardware and software of the imaging technology. Because of these constraints, we argue, images do not convey information as readily as they could. We believe that these images could be more informative if they were constructed and tailored with known properties of the human visual system. Furthermore, little or no consideration has been given to the training and selection for image interpretation vis-h-vis the fundamental psychological skills that distinguish good from poor interpreters. In this paper we argue that tailoring images to the human visual system and developing working practices that eliminate biases will improve the detection of subtle features related to hydrocarbon traps. Furthermore, establishing training procedures that enhance the visual system's ability to detect and encode hydrocarbon traps, and creating selection procedures that select individuals with excellent visual imagery skills will also facilitate performance.The apparently effortless act of seeing and interpreting information coming into our eyes hides a fact. Visual processing is one of the most complex tasks achieved by humans. Large areas of our brains are devoted to the task of processing visual information so that we can see and comprehend the visual world about us. Our visual skills include not only recognition, but also the guidance of actions and the creation and manipulation of visual images. In forming visual images and the mental tools for their manipulation, we create the basis for visual problem solving. The goal of this paper is to understand the processes involved in image interpretation for hydrocarbon deposits, given the basic visual data presented to image interpreters using imaging (for example seismic interpretation) software. This understanding will be framed using basic principles of the human visual system that have been gleaned from many years of psychological experimentation. In exploring the problems of image interpretation, we will examine two related issues. First, why is the process of image interpretation so hard given the image data available? Second, how might image interpretation be improved? In bringing together the two disparate areas of visual cognition and image interpretation for hydrocarbons, we accept at the outset that the treatment of both will be simplistic. Nevertheless, by showing how image interpretation might be advanced by greater consideration of the nature of human visual processing, we will demonstrate how technical advances in imaging need to be tu...