Camera apparatus, photographing method and a storage medium that records method of photographing

• US 20040012702A1
• Filed: 07/01/2003
• Published: 01/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Ishige, Yoshiki
• Granted Patent: US 7,321,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3872 Repositioning or masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

Camera apparatus and a method of taking a picture are provided, dissolving inconvenience which a user of the camera will meet when taking a picture of him or her. The camera has a provisional photographing mode and a real photographing mode. In the provisional photographing mode, a human model image is displayed on a through image G2 in an overlapping manner on a monitor, and the user moves the human model image to his or her desired position in the through image and records in a memory composition indicating image G4 representing the conditions of the through image with the human model image staying at the user'"'"'s desired position. After the provisional photographing process, the through image G2 is synthesized with the composition indicating image G4 in a semi transparent manner, and the synthesized image G5 is displayed on the monitor in place of the through image. When a shutter is operated, a normal photographing process is performed to record a photographed image. When the user asks a third person to take a picture of him or her, the user performs the provisional photographing process and then asks the third person to take a picture. The third person operates the shutter at the time when the through image G2 overlaps with the composition indicating image G4, and then a picture of the composition the user intended is obtained.

Claims

1. A camera apparatus comprising:

a photographing section for taking a picture of a subject to obtain an image;

a display section for displaying the image obtained by the photographing section in a standby state;

a storing section for storing the above image in response to photographing operation;

an image synthesizing section for synthesizing an image representing composition of the image obtained by the photographing section and an position specifying image representing a predetermined position to obtain a synthesized image;

a composition data storing section for storing composition data relating to a composition indicating image in which the position specifying image takes a position in the synthesized image, which position is desired by a user; and

a display control section for successively synthesizing, in recognition by a photographer in a standby state in a photographing mode, the image obtained by the photographing section with composition indicating image based on the composition data stored in the composition data storing section to make a synthesized image, and for displaying on the display section the synthesized image as an image to be obtained.

2. The camera apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a modification section for modifying the position specifying image in response to a predetermined operation.

3. The camera apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the modification section changes the position specifying image in size.

4. The camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the position specifying image is a human model image representing a human body.

5. The camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the display control section synthesizes the composition indicating image as a semi-transparent image so as to allow a photographer to recognize the composition indicating image in a standby state for photographing.

6. The camera apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a position changing section for changing a position of the position specifying image in the composition indicating image in response to predetermined operation.

7. The camera apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a cutting out section for cutting out a part specified in the image stored in the storing section; and

a partial image storing section for storing the part of the image cut out by the cutting out section.

8. The camera apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the image synthesizing section synthesizes composition image of the image obtained by the photographing section and the part of the image stored in the partial image storing section, and

the composition data storing section stores the composition data relating to the composition indicating image in which the part of the image takes a user'"'"'s desired position.

9. The camera apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the part of the image is a human model image.

10. The camera apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a position changing section for changing a position of the part of the image in the composition indicating image in response to predetermined operation.

11. A method of taking a picture comprising the steps of:

taking a picture of a subject to obtain an image;

displaying the image obtained by the photographing section in a standby in a state;

storing the obtained image in response to photographing operation;

synthesizing an image representing composition of the obtained image and an position specifying image representing a predetermined position to obtain a synthesized image;

storing composition data relating to a composition indicating image in which the position specifying image takes a position set by a user in the synthesized image; and

successively synthesizing, in recognition by a photographer in a standby state in a photographing mode, the obtained image with composition indicating image based on the previously stored composition data to create a synthesized image,

and photographing with the created synthesized image displayed as an image to be obtained.

12. The method of taking a picture according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

modifying the position specifying image in response to a predetermined operation.

13. The method of taking a picture according to claim 12, further comprising the step of:

modifying the position specifying image in size in response to a predetermined operation.

14. The method of taking a picture according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

changing a position of the position specifying image in the composition indicating image in response to predetermined operation.

15. The method of taking a picture according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

cutting out a part specified in the stored image which has been obtained in response to photographing operation.

16. The method of taking a picture according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

changing a position of the part of the image in the composition indicating image in response to predetermined operation.

17. A storage medium that records method of photographing comprising:

a step of taking a picture of a subject to obtain an image;

a step of displaying the image obtained by the photographing section in a standby state;

a step of storing the obtained image in response to photographing operation;

a step of synthesizing an image representing composition of the obtained image and an position specifying image representing a predetermined position to obtain a synthesized image;

a step of storing composition data relating to a composition indicating image in which the position specifying image takes a position set by a user in the synthesized image; and

a step of successively synthesizing, in recognition by a photographer in a standby state in a photographing mode, the obtained image with composition indicating image based on the previously stored composition data to create a synthesized image,

and a step of photographing with the created synthesized image displayed as an image to be obtained.