Image processing apparatus and storage medium storing image processing program

• US 20050078125A1
• Filed: 09/20/2004
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamada, Yoichi, Nakajima, Soichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,529,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/646
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/695 Imported photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/165 using facial parts and geometric relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/167 using comparisons between temporally consecutive images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3251 where the modified version of the image is relating to a person or face
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes a CPU and an imaging unit. In this image processing apparatus, an image captured by the imaging unit is displayed on an LCD together with an imaging index, indicative of a predetermined region of a face. In response to a shutter operation by an operator, a portion, matching with a position of the imaging index, is extracted from the image data as a region image. Furthermore, in response to a shutter operation, another image captured by the imaging unit is stored as a still image. Then, the region image and the still image are composed with each other to display a composite image, obtained by pasting the image of the predetermined region of the face on to another image. In addition, with respect to the composite image, the region image is deformed according to a feature of the data from the imaging unit, an elapsed time without an operation input, and so on.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

an imager which electronically photographs an object;

an image display which displays said object photographed by said imager;

an imaging guide displaying mechanism which displays on said image display an imaging guide indicative of a position of a predetermined region of a face;

an operating mechanism which inputs data in response to an operation by an operator, or obtains an operation input;

an extracting mechanism which a portion, matching with a display position of said imaging guide, from one image obtained by said imager in response to the operation input from said operating mechanism, and stores it as a region image;

still image storage locations which store another image obtained by said imager as a still image in response to the operation input from said operating mechanism;

a composing mechanism which composes said region image stored by said extracting mechanism and said still image stored at said still image storage locations; and

a composite image display mechanism which displays on said image display a composite image composed by said composing mechanism.

2. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first evaluator which extracting extracts feature data, indicative of a feature of relevant image, from the image data obtained by said imaging means, and evaluates the feature data; and

a first deforming mechanism which deforms said region image according to a result of the evaluation by said first evaluator means, wherein

said composing mechanism, when said region image is deformed by said first deforming mechanism, composes said deformed region image and said still image.

3. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an elapsed time counter which counts an amount of elapsed time since the operation input from said operating mechanism was present;

a second evaluating mechanism for evaluating said elapsed time counted by said elapsed time counter; and

a second deforming mechanism for deforming said region image according to a result of the evaluation by said second evaluating mechanism;

wherein

said composing mechanism, when said region image is deformed by said second deforming mechanism, composes said deformed region image and said still image.

4. A storage medium storing an image processing program for composing and displaying the photographed image in an image processing apparatus provided with an imager which electronically photographs an object, an image display which displays the object photographed by said imager, and an operating mechanism which inputs data in response to an operation by an operator or obtains an operation input, wherein

said image processing program causes a processor of said image processing apparatus to execute the steps of:

an imaging guide displaying step of displaying on said image display an imaging guide indicative of a position of a predetermined region of a face;

an extracting step of extracting a portion matching with a display position of said imaging guide from one image obtained by said imager in response to the operation input from said operating mechanism, and storing it as a region

a still image storing step of storing, as a still image, another image obtained by said imager in response to the operation input from said operating mechanism;

a composing step of composing said region image stored by said extracting step and said still image stored by said still image storing step; and

a composite image displaying step of displaying on said image display a composite image composed by said composing step.

5. A storage medium storing an image processing program according to claim 4, further including following steps of:

a first evaluating step of extracting feature data indicative of a feature of relevant image, from the image data obtained by said imager, and evaluating said feature data; and

a first deforming step of deforming said region image according to a result of the evaluation of said feature data by said first extracting and evaluating step, wherein

said composing step, when said region image is deformed by said first deforming step, composes said deformed region image and said still image.

6. A storage medium storing an image processing program according to claim 4, further including the steps of:

an elapsed time counting step of counting an amount of elapsed time since the operation input from said operating mechanism was present;

a second evaluating step of evaluating said amount of elapsed time counted by said elapsed time counting step; and

a second deforming step of deforming said region image according to a result of the evaluation of said amount of elapsed time by said second evaluating step;

wherein

said composing step, when said region image is deformed by said second deforming step, composes said deformed region image and said still image.

7. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

an imager which electronically photographs an object;

an image display which displays the object photographed by said imager;

an imaging guide display which displays on said image display imaging guides representative of positions of regions of a face such that they surround at least both eyes and mouth of said face;

an operating mechanism which performs an input operation by an operator;

an extracting mechanism which extracts the images of the regions of at least both eyes and mouth surrounded by said imaging guides from a first image first obtained in response to said operating mechanism, and storing stores them as region images;

still image storage locations which store, as a still image, a second image obtained successive to the first image in response to said operating mechanism;

a composing mechanism for composing said region image stored by said extracting mechanism and said still image stored at said still image storing storage locations;

a composite image display mechanism which displays on said image display a composite image composed by said composing mechanism;

an evaluating mechanism which extracts feature data of the photographed image from optical information of the photographed image obtained by said imager, and evaluates said feature data; and

a deforming mechanism which deforms said region image according to said evaluating mechanism, wherein

said composing mechanism, when said region image is deformed according to said deforming mechanism, composes said deformed region image and said still image, and displays it on said image display.