Detection of image salience in a visual display of an image. The image is analyzed at multiple spatial scales and over multiple feature channels to determine the likely salience of different portions of the image. One application for the system is in an advertising context. The detection may be improved by second order statistics, e.g. mean and the standard deviations of different image portions relative to other portions. Different edges may be considered as being extended edges by looking at the edges over multiple spatial scales. One set of feature channels can be optimized for use in moving images, and can detect motion or flicker. The images can be obtained over multiple spectral ranges the user can be instructed about how to maximize the saliency. This can be applied to automatically evaluate and optimize sales or advertisement displays.