The disclosed technology teaches training a NR VMOS score generator by generating synthetically impaired images from FR video using filters tuned to generate impaired versions and applying a FR VMOS generator to pairs of unimpaired FR images from the FR video and the impaired versions of the FR images to create ground truth scores for the impaired versions. The disclosed method also includes training by machine learning model an image evaluation classifier using the ground truth scores and the impaired versions to generate NR VMOS scores, and storing coefficients of the image evaluation classifier for use as the NR VMOS score generator. Also disclosed is generating a NR VMOS score by invoking the trained NR VMOS score generator, with stored coefficients generated by feeding the trained NR VMOS score generator with images captured from scenes in a video to be scored, and evaluating the images to generate NR VMOS scores.