A method to produce a qualitative image, comprising: depositing electromagnetic energy into a volume using one or more energy sources to deposit at least two wavelengths of electromagnetic energy into the volume so as to provide a source of molecular contrast for the parametric map, where a spatial profile of the deposited energy is subject to variability; measuring acoustic return signals from energy deposited in the volume; computing a parametric map that estimates values of at least one parameter as spatially represented in the volume; producing a mapping configuration to adjust for effects resulting from at least some of the variability in the spatial profile of the deposited energy by: i) determining at least one reference level within at least one region of interest of the parametric map; and ii) specifying an upper color map limit and a lower color map limit, at least one of the upper color map limit or the lower color map limit being determined in relation to the at least one reference level; and, rendering the parametric map in the palette of a color map by mapping the estimated values of the parametric map onto the color map according to the upper and lower color map limits of the mapping configuration to produce a rendered parametric map; wherein computing the parametric map comprises: computing a spatial representation of the volume based on the acoustic return signals for the first of the at least two electromagnetic energy wavelengths; computing a spatial representation of the volume based on the acoustic return signal for the second of the at least two electromagnetic energy wavelengths; balancing the relationship between the computed spatial representations for the at least two electromagnetic energy wavelengths; estimating the values of at least one parameter as spatially represented in the volume based on the balanced spatial representations of the volume for each of the at least two wavelengths; and, outputting the estimated values of the at least one spatially represented parameter. depositing electromagnetic energy into a volume using one or more energy sources to deposit at least two wavelengths of electromagnetic energy into the volume so as to provide a source of molecular contrast for the parametric map, where a spatial profile of the deposited energy is subject to variability; measuring acoustic return signals from energy deposited in the volume; computing a parametric map that estimates values of at least one parameter as spatially represented in the volume; producing a mapping configuration to adjust for effects resulting from at least some of the variability in the spatial profile of the deposited energy by: i) determining at least one reference level within at least one region of interest of the parametric map; and ii) specifying an upper color map limit and a lower color map limit, at least one of the upper color map limit or the lower color map limit being determined in relation to the at least one reference level; and, i) determining at least one reference level within at least one region of interest of the parametric map; and ii) specifying an upper color map limit and a lower color map limit, at least one of the upper color map limit or the lower color map limit being determined in relation to the at least one reference level; and, rendering the parametric map in the palette of a color map by mapping the estimated values of the parametric map onto the color map according to the upper and lower color map limits of the mapping configuration to produce a rendered parametric map; wherein computing the parametric map comprises: computing a spatial representation of the volume based on the acoustic return signals for the first of the at least two electromagnetic energy wavelengths; computing a spatial representation of the volume based on the acoustic return signal for the second of the at least two electromagnetic energy wavelengths; balancing the relationship between the computed spatial representations for the at least two electromagnetic energy wavelengths; estimating the values of at least one parameter as spatially represented in the volume based on the balanced spatial representations of the volume for each of the at least two wavelengths; and, outputting the estimated values of the at least one spatially represented parameter. computing a spatial representation of the volume based on the acoustic return signals for the first of the at least two electromagnetic energy wavelengths; computing a spatial representation of the volume based on the acoustic return signal for the second of the at least two electromagnetic energy wavelengths; balancing the relationship between the computed spatial representations for the at least two electromagnetic energy wavelengths; estimating the values of at least one parameter as spatially represented in the volume based on the balanced spatial representations of the volume for each of the at least two wavelengths; and, outputting the estimated values of the at least one spatially represented parameter.