System and method for displaying an image composition template

• US 20050088542A1
• Filed: 10/27/2003
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Stavely, Donald J., Battles, Amy E., Stockton, Kenneth R., Miner, Kathy Louise, Barrios, Sarah J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,349,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• 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 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

A system and method for displaying image composition templates with preview images is described. One embodiment comprises analyzing at least one characteristic of a preview image, determining a nature of the preview image based upon the analyzed characteristic, selecting an image composition template corresponding to the determined nature of the preview image and displaying the selected image composition template concurrently with the preview image.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one image composition template corresponding to a predefined subject matter;

a photosensor configured to sense an image;

a display configured to display a preview image corresponding to the sensed image; and

a processor configured to analyze at least one characteristic of the preview image, determine a nature of the preview image, and select the image composition template when the nature of the preview image corresponds to the image composition template.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of image composition templates, each of the image composition templates associated with at least one of a plurality of preview image natures, a corresponding one of the image composition templates being selected when one of the preview images natures are determined.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of image composition templates, each of the image composition templates uniquely associated with the nature of the preview image.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a controller configured to select one of the plurality of image composition templates associated with the nature of the preview image.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising a menu displayed on the display, the menu configured to select one of the plurality of image composition templates associated with the nature of the preview image.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store logic configured to analyze the nature of the preview image.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store the image composition template.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a viewfinder, the viewfinder configured to display a view of the preview image concurrently with the image composition template.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the preview image is concurrently displayed with the image composition template on the display.

10. A method comprising the steps of:

analyzing at least one characteristic of a preview image;

determining a nature of the preview image based upon the analyzed characteristic;

selecting an image composition template corresponding to the determined nature of the preview image; and

displaying the selected image composition template concurrently with the preview image.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of receiving data corresponding to the preview image from a photosensor.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of displaying comprises displaying the selected image composition template concurrently with the preview image on a display.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of displaying comprises displaying the selected image composition template concurrently with a view corresponding to the preview image on a viewfinder.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

capturing an image corresponding to the preview image with an image capture device; and

saving captured image data corresponding to the captured image.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of saving the selected image composition template as part of the captured image data.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

associating the selected image composition template with the captured image data; and

saving the selected image composition template.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of saving image data corresponding to the preview image.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of associating the image composition template and the preview image.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of associating a plurality of image composition templates uniquely with a plurality of preview images.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of retrieving the selected image composition template from a memory.

21. A system for displaying image composition templates with preview images, comprising:

means for displaying a preview image on a display;

means for analyzing at least one characteristic of the preview image;

means for determining a nature of the preview image based upon the analyzed characteristic;

means for selecting an image composition template corresponding to the determined nature of the preview image; and

means for displaying the selected image composition template concurrently with the preview image.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising means for displaying the selected image composition template concurrently with the preview image on the display.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising means for displaying the selected image composition template concurrently with a view corresponding to the preview image on a viewfinder.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

means for capturing an image corresponding to the preview image with an image capture device; and

means for saving captured image data corresponding to the captured image.

25. A computer readable medium having a program for displaying image composition templates with preview images, the program comprising logic configured to perform the steps of:

receiving data corresponding to a preview image from a photosensor;

analyzing at least one characteristic of a preview image;

determining a nature of the preview image based upon the analyzed characteristic;

selecting an image composition template corresponding to the determined nature of the preview image; and

displaying the selected image composition template concurrently with the preview image.