C++, Score: 1.42042

Compile with g++ joe.cpp -ojoe -std=c++11 -O3 -lcairo. Requires cairo.

#include <cairo/cairo.h>
#include <iostream>
#include <iterator>
#include <algorithm>
#include <string>

using namespace std;

int main(int argc, const char* argv[]) {
    auto* img = cairo_image_surface_create_from_png(argv[1]);
    int width = cairo_image_surface_get_width(img),
        height = cairo_image_surface_get_height(img),
        stride = cairo_image_surface_get_stride(img);
    unsigned char* data = cairo_image_surface_get_data(img);

    double* brightness = new double[width * height];
    double total_brightness = 0;
    for (int y = 0; y < height; ++y) {
        for (int x = 0; x < width; ++x) {
            const unsigned char* p = data + stride * y + 4 * x;
            total_brightness += brightness[y * width + x] = p[0] + p[1] + p[2];
        }
    }

    const int r = argc > 2 ? stoi(argv[2]) : 64, R = 2 * r + 1;
    double* weight = new double[R * R];
    for (int y = -r; y <= r; ++y) {
        for (int x = -r; x <= r; ++x)
            weight[R * (y + r) + (x + r)] = 1.0 / (x*x + y*y + 1);
    }

    auto neighborhood = [&] (int x, int y) {
        double b = 0;
        int x1 = max(x - r, 0), x2 = min(x + r, width - 1);
        int y1 = max(y - r, 0), y2 = min(y + r, height - 1);
        for (int v = y1; v <= y2; ++v) {
            const double *B = brightness + width * v + x1;
            const double *W = weight + R * (v - (y - r)) + (x1 - (x - r));
            for (int u = x1; u <= x2; ++u, ++B, ++W)
                b += *W * *B;
        }
        return b;
    };

    int n = (2 * width * height + 3) / 6;
    int x = 0, y = 0;
    double path_brightness = 0;
    int O[][2] = {{1, 0}, {-1, 0}, {0, 1}, {0, -1}};
    for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
        if (i % 1000 == 0) cerr << (200 * i + n) / (2 * n) << "%\r";

        path_brightness += brightness[width * y + x]; brightness[width * y + x] = 0;
        unsigned char* p = data + stride * y + 4 * x;
        p[0] = p[1] = 16 * i % 255; p[2] = 0;

        auto O_end = partition(begin(O), end(O), [&] (const int* o) {
            return x + o[0] >= 0 && x + o[0] < width &&
                   y + o[1] >= 0 && y + o[1] < height;
        });
        const int* o_max; double o_max_neighborhood = -1;
        for (auto o = O; o != O_end; ++o) {
            double o_neighborhood = neighborhood(x + (*o)[0], y + (*o)[1]);
            if (o_neighborhood > o_max_neighborhood)
                o_max = *o, o_max_neighborhood = o_neighborhood;
        }
        x += o_max[0]; y += o_max[1];
    }

    cout << (path_brightness * width * height) / (n * total_brightness) << endl;

    cairo_surface_write_to_png(img, (string("out.") + argv[1]).c_str());

    delete []brightness;
    delete []weight;
    cairo_surface_destroy(img);
}

Bridge    1.36869
Balls     1.66016
Scream    1.35321
Fractal   1.27017
Vortex    1.60528
Tornado   1.26503
-----------------
Average   1.42042

C++, Score: 1.42042 1.46766

EDIT: Using nonlinear brightness in neighborhood calculation improves the score slightly.

Compile with g++ joe.cpp -ojoe -std=c++11 -O3 -lcairo. Requires cairo.

#include <cairo/cairo.h>
#include <iostream>
#include <iterator>
#include <algorithm>
#include <string>

using namespace std;

int main(int argc, const char* argv[]) {
    auto* img = cairo_image_surface_create_from_png(argv[1]);
    int width = cairo_image_surface_get_width(img),
        height = cairo_image_surface_get_height(img),
        stride = cairo_image_surface_get_stride(img);
    unsigned char* data = cairo_image_surface_get_data(img);

    double* brightness = new double[width * height];
    double total_brightness = 0;
    for (int y = 0; y < height; ++y) {
        for (int x = 0; x < width; ++x) {
            const unsigned char* p = data + stride * y + 4 * x;
            total_brightness += brightness[y * width + x] = p[0] + p[1] + p[2];
        }
    }

    const int r = argc > 2 ? stoi(argv[2]) : 64, R = 2 * r + 1;
    double* weight = new double[R * R];
    for (int y = -r; y <= r; ++y) {
        for (int x = -r; x <= r; ++x)
            weight[R * (y + r) + (x + r)] = 1.0 / (x*x + y*y + 1);
    }

    auto neighborhood = [&] (int x, int y) {
        double b = 0;
        int x1 = max(x - r, 0), x2 = min(x + r, width - 1);
        int y1 = max(y - r, 0), y2 = min(y + r, height - 1);
        for (int v = y1; v <= y2; ++v) {
            const double *B = brightness + width * v + x1;
            const double *W = weight + R * (v - (y - r)) + (x1 - (x - r));
            for (int u = x1; u <= x2; ++u, ++B, ++W)
                b += (*W) * (*B) * (*B);
        }
        return b;
    };

    int n = (2 * width * height + 3) / 6;
    int x = 0, y = 0;
    double path_brightness = 0;
    int O[][2] = {{1, 0}, {-1, 0}, {0, 1}, {0, -1}};
    for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
        if (i % 1000 == 0) cerr << (200 * i + n) / (2 * n) << "%\r";

        path_brightness += brightness[width * y + x]; brightness[width * y + x] = 0;
        unsigned char* p = data + stride * y + 4 * x;
        p[0] = p[1] = 16 * i % 255; p[2] = 0;

        auto O_end = partition(begin(O), end(O), [&] (const int* o) {
            return x + o[0] >= 0 && x + o[0] < width &&
                   y + o[1] >= 0 && y + o[1] < height;
        });
        const int* o_max; double o_max_neighborhood = -1;
        for (auto o = O; o != O_end; ++o) {
            double o_neighborhood = neighborhood(x + (*o)[0], y + (*o)[1]);
            if (o_neighborhood > o_max_neighborhood)
                o_max = *o, o_max_neighborhood = o_neighborhood;
        }
        x += o_max[0]; y += o_max[1];
    }

    cout << (path_brightness * width * height) / (n * total_brightness) << endl;

    cairo_surface_write_to_png(img, (string("out.") + argv[1]).c_str());

    delete []brightness;
    delete []weight;
    cairo_surface_destroy(img);
}

Bridge    1.39945
Balls     1.77714
Scream    1.38349
Fractal   1.31727
Vortex    1.66493
Tornado   1.26366
-----------------
Average   1.46766

C++, Score: 1.42042

Results

C++, Score: 1.42042

Results

More eye-candy

#include <cairo/cairo.h>
#include <iostream>
#include <iterator>
#include <algorithm>
#include <string>

using namespace std;

int main(int argc, const char* argv[]) {
    auto* img = cairo_image_surface_create_from_png(argv[1]);
    int width = cairo_image_surface_get_width(img),
        height = cairo_image_surface_get_height(img),
        stride = cairo_image_surface_get_stride(img);
    unsigned char* data = cairo_image_surface_get_data(img);

    double* brightness = new double[width * height];
    double total_brightness = 0;
    for (int y = 0; y < height; ++y) {
        for (int x = 0; x < width; ++x) {
            const unsigned char* p = data + stride * y + 4 * x;
            total_brightness += brightness[y * width + x] = p[0] + p[1] + p[2];
        }
    }

    const int r = argc > 2 ? stoi(argv[2]) : 64, R = 2 * r + 1;
    double* weight = new double[R * R];
    for (int y = -r; y <= r; ++y) {
        for (int x = -r; x <= r; ++x)
            weight[R * (y + r) + (x + r)] = 1.0 / (x*x + y*y + 1);
    }

    auto neighborhood = [&] (int x, int y) {
        double b = 0;
        int x1 = max(x - r, 0), x2 = min(x + r, width - 1);
        int y1 = max(y - r, 0), y2 = min(y + r, height - 1);
        for (int v = y1; v <= y2; ++v) {
            const double *B = brightness + width * v + x1;
            const double *W = weight + R * (v - (y - r)) + (x1 - (x - r));
            for (int u = x1; u <= x2; ++u, ++B, ++W)
                b += *W * *B;
        }
        return b;
    };

    int n = (2 * width * height + 3) / 6;
    int x = 0, y = 0;
    double path_brightness = 0;
    int O[][1] = {{1, 0}, {-1, 0}, {0, 1}, {0, -1}};
    for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
        if (i % 1000 == 0) cerr << (200 * i + n) / (2 * n) << "%\r";

        path_brightness += brightness[width * y + x]; brightness[width * y + x] = 0;
        unsigned char* p = data + stride * y + 4 * x;
        p[0] = p[1] = 16 * i % 255; p[2] = 0;

        auto O_end = partition(begin(O), end(O), [&] (const int* o) {
            return x + o[0] >= 0 && x + o[0] < width &&
                   y + o[1] >= 0 && y + o[1] < height;
        });
        auto o = *max_element(begin(O), O_end, [&] (const int* o1, const int* o2) {
            return neighborhood(x + o1[0], y + o1[1]) <
                   neighborhood(x + o2[0], y + o2[1]);
        });
        x += o[0]; y += o[1];
    }

    cout << (path_brightness * width * height) / (n * total_brightness) << endl;

    cairo_surface_write_to_png(img, (string("out.") + argv[1]).c_str());

    delete []brightness;
    delete []weight;
    cairo_surface_destroy(img);
}

#include <cairo/cairo.h>
#include <iostream>
#include <iterator>
#include <algorithm>
#include <string>

using namespace std;

int main(int argc, const char* argv[]) {
    auto* img = cairo_image_surface_create_from_png(argv[1]);
    int width = cairo_image_surface_get_width(img),
        height = cairo_image_surface_get_height(img),
        stride = cairo_image_surface_get_stride(img);
    unsigned char* data = cairo_image_surface_get_data(img);

    double* brightness = new double[width * height];
    double total_brightness = 0;
    for (int y = 0; y < height; ++y) {
        for (int x = 0; x < width; ++x) {
            const unsigned char* p = data + stride * y + 4 * x;
            total_brightness += brightness[y * width + x] = p[0] + p[1] + p[2];
        }
    }

    const int r = argc > 2 ? stoi(argv[2]) : 64, R = 2 * r + 1;
    double* weight = new double[R * R];
    for (int y = -r; y <= r; ++y) {
        for (int x = -r; x <= r; ++x)
            weight[R * (y + r) + (x + r)] = 1.0 / (x*x + y*y + 1);
    }

    auto neighborhood = [&] (int x, int y) {
        double b = 0;
        int x1 = max(x - r, 0), x2 = min(x + r, width - 1);
        int y1 = max(y - r, 0), y2 = min(y + r, height - 1);
        for (int v = y1; v <= y2; ++v) {
            const double *B = brightness + width * v + x1;
            const double *W = weight + R * (v - (y - r)) + (x1 - (x - r));
            for (int u = x1; u <= x2; ++u, ++B, ++W)
                b += *W * *B;
        }
        return b;
    };

    int n = (2 * width * height + 3) / 6;
    int x = 0, y = 0;
    double path_brightness = 0;
    int O[][2] = {{1, 0}, {-1, 0}, {0, 1}, {0, -1}};
    for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
        if (i % 1000 == 0) cerr << (200 * i + n) / (2 * n) << "%\r";

        path_brightness += brightness[width * y + x]; brightness[width * y + x] = 0;
        unsigned char* p = data + stride * y + 4 * x;
        p[0] = p[1] = 16 * i % 255; p[2] = 0;

        auto O_end = partition(begin(O), end(O), [&] (const int* o) {
            return x + o[0] >= 0 && x + o[0] < width &&
                   y + o[1] >= 0 && y + o[1] < height;
        });
        const int* o_max; double o_max_neighborhood = -1;
        for (auto o = O; o != O_end; ++o) {
            double o_neighborhood = neighborhood(x + (*o)[0], y + (*o)[1]);
            if (o_neighborhood > o_max_neighborhood)
                o_max = *o, o_max_neighborhood = o_neighborhood;
        }
        x += o_max[0]; y += o_max[1];
    }

    cout << (path_brightness * width * height) / (n * total_brightness) << endl;

    cairo_surface_write_to_png(img, (string("out.") + argv[1]).c_str());

    delete []brightness;
    delete []weight;
    cairo_surface_destroy(img);
}