diff --git a/doc/examples/plot_quickshift.py b/doc/examples/plot_quickshift.py
index f0ace2d4..1285ad28 100644
--- a/doc/examples/plot_quickshift.py
+++ b/doc/examples/plot_quickshift.py
@@ -28,9 +28,8 @@ from skimage.data import lena
 from skimage.segmentation import quickshift
 from skimage.util import img_as_float
 
-
 img = img_as_float(lena())[::2, ::2, :].copy("C")
-segments = quickshift(img, sigma=5, tau=20)
+segments = quickshift(img, kernel_size=5, max_dist=20)
 
 print("number of segments: %d" % len(np.unique(segments)))
 
diff --git a/skimage/segmentation/quickshift.pyx b/skimage/segmentation/quickshift.pyx
index 2b6bdf24..1822055b 100644
--- a/skimage/segmentation/quickshift.pyx
+++ b/skimage/segmentation/quickshift.pyx
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ cdef extern from "math.h":
 @cython.boundscheck(False)
 @cython.wraparound(False)
 @cython.cdivision(True)
-def quickshift(image, sigma=5, tau=10, return_tree=False, random_seed=None):
+def quickshift(image, ratio=1., kernel_size=5, max_dist=10, return_tree=False, random_seed=None):
     """Segments image using quickshift clustering in Color-(x,y) space.
 
     Produces an oversegmentation of the image using the quickshift mode-seeking algorithm.
@@ -23,10 +23,13 @@ def quickshift(image, sigma=5, tau=10, return_tree=False, random_seed=None):
     ----------
     image: ndarray, [width, height, channels]
         Input image
-    sigma: float
+    ratio: float, between 0 and 1.
+        Balances color-space proximity and image-space proximity.
+        Higher values give more weight to color-space.
+    kernel_size: float
         Width of Gaussian kernel used in smoothing the
         sample density. Higher means less clusters.
-    tau: float
+    max_dist: float
         Cut-off point for data distances.
         Higher means less clusters.
     return_tree: bool
@@ -51,7 +54,7 @@ def quickshift(image, sigma=5, tau=10, return_tree=False, random_seed=None):
 
     """
     image = np.atleast_3d(image)
-    cdef np.ndarray[dtype=np.float_t, ndim=3, mode="c"] image_c = img_as_float(np.ascontiguousarray(image))
+    cdef np.ndarray[dtype=np.float_t, ndim=3, mode="c"] image_c = img_as_float(np.ascontiguousarray(image)) * ratio
 
     if random_seed is None:
         random_state = np.random.RandomState()
@@ -66,9 +69,9 @@ def quickshift(image, sigma=5, tau=10, return_tree=False, random_seed=None):
     # TODO join orphant roots?
 
     # window size for neighboring pixels to consider
-    if sigma < 1:
+    if kernel_size < 1:
         raise ValueError("Sigma should be >= 1")
-    cdef int w = int(2 * sigma)
+    cdef int w = int(2 * kernel_size)
 
     cdef int width = image_c.shape[0]
     cdef int height = image_c.shape[1]
@@ -89,7 +92,7 @@ def quickshift(image, sigma=5, tau=10, return_tree=False, random_seed=None):
             for c in xrange(channels):
                 dist += (current_pixel_p[c] - image_c[x_, y_, c])**2
             dist += (x - x_)**2 + (y - y_)**2
-            densities[x, y] += exp(-dist / sigma)
+            densities[x, y] += exp(-dist / kernel_size)
         current_pixel_p += channels
 
     # this will break ties that otherwise would give us headache
@@ -119,7 +122,7 @@ def quickshift(image, sigma=5, tau=10, return_tree=False, random_seed=None):
 
     dist_parent_flat = dist_parent.ravel()
     flat = parent.ravel()
-    flat[dist_parent_flat > tau] = np.arange(width * height)[dist_parent_flat > tau]
+    flat[dist_parent_flat > max_dist] = np.arange(width * height)[dist_parent_flat > max_dist]
     old = np.zeros_like(flat)
     while (old != flat).any():
         old = flat
diff --git a/skimage/segmentation/tests/test_quickshift.py b/skimage/segmentation/tests/test_quickshift.py
index b1d17837..a904837c 100644
--- a/skimage/segmentation/tests/test_quickshift.py
+++ b/skimage/segmentation/tests/test_quickshift.py
@@ -37,9 +37,9 @@ def test_color():
     assert_array_equal(seg[:10, 10:], 1)
     assert_array_equal(seg[10:, 10:], 2)
 
-    seg2 = quickshift(img, sigma=1, tau=3, random_seed=0)
+    seg2 = quickshift(img, kernel_size=1, max_dist=3, random_seed=0)
     # very oversegmented:
-    assert_equal(len(np.unique(seg2)), 30)
+    assert_equal(len(np.unique(seg2)), 18)
     # still don't cross lines
     assert_true((seg2[9, :] != seg2[10, :]).all())
     assert_true((seg2[:, 9] != seg2[:, 10]).all())