Apparatus, method, and program for editing images

• US 20050168779A1
• Filed: 12/27/2004
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mino, Kazuhiro, Tsue, Takashi, Yamada, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,746,487 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.180
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3875 combined with enlarging or reducing enlarging or reducing per se H04N1/393

Abstract

For generating a photo album of an event such as wedding, images to be inserted in image insertion areas in a template of the photo album can be selected easily. A professional photographer photographs the bride and groom of a wedding. Images are read from a developed film and stored in a file server. An editing screen is displayed including a template display field having the template therein and a catalog display field having a catalog of the images therein. When an operator selects any one of the image insertion areas in the template, a condition specification information set representing a state of the image to be inserted in the selected image insertion area is referred to, and appropriate images that agree with the condition specification information set are sifted from the catalog of the images.

Claims

1. An image editing apparatus comprising:

display means for carrying out various kinds of display;

image display control means for displaying a catalog of images on the display means;

template display control means for displaying a template used as photo album paper on the display means together with the catalog, the template having at least one image insertion area and added with condition specification information specifying a state of an image or respective images to be inserted in the image insertion area or areas;

selection reception means for receiving selection of the image insertion area or any one of the image insertion areas in the template displayed on the display means;

image sifting means for sifting appropriate images agreeing with the condition specification information for the selected image insertion area from the catalog, with reference to the condition specification information for the selected image insertion area; and

image selection means for receiving selection of the image to be inserted in the selected image insertion area from the appropriate images.

2. An image editing apparatus comprising:

display means for carrying out various kinds of display;

image display control means for displaying a catalog of images on the display means;

template display control means for displaying a template used as photo album paper on the display means together with the catalog, the template having at least one image insertion area and added with a plurality of sets of condition specification information specifying a condition of an image or each of images to be inserted in the image insertion area or areas;

selection reception means for receiving selection of the image insertion area or any one of the image insertion areas in the template displayed on the display means;

image sifting means for sifting appropriate images agreeing with at least one of the sets of condition specification information for the selected image insertion area from the catalog, with reference to the set or sets of condition specification information among the sets of condition specification information for the selected image insertion area; and

image selection means for receiving selection of the image to be inserted in the selected image insertion area from the appropriate images.

3. An image editing apparatus comprising:

display means for carrying out various kinds of display;

image display control means for displaying a catalog of images on the display means;

template display control means for displaying a template used as photo album paper on the display means together with the catalog, the template having image insertion areas and added with at least one set of condition specification information specifying a condition of each of images to be inserted respectively in the image insertion areas, the template also added with correspondence information representing correspondence between the sets of condition specification information of the respective image insertion areas for causing the images to be inserted respectively in the image insertion areas with relevance to each other;

selection reception means for receiving selection of any one of the image insertion areas in the template displayed on the display means;

image sifting means for sifting appropriate images agreeing with the set or sets of condition specification information for a predetermined one of the image insertion areas from the catalog with reference to the set or sets of condition specification information for the predetermined image insertion area in the case where the predetermined image insertion area has been selected, and for sifting, in the case where another one of the image insertion areas is selected after selection of the image to be inserted in the predetermined image insertion area, appropriate images agreeing with the set or sets of condition specification information for the selected image insertion area from the catalog according to the correspondence information for referring to the set or sets of condition specification information for the selected image insertion area corresponding to the set of condition specification information for the image to be inserted in the predetermined image insertion area; and

image selection means for receiving selection of the images to be inserted respectively in the image insertion areas from the appropriate images.

4. An image editing method comprising the steps of:

displaying a catalog of images on display means;

displaying a template used as photo album paper on the display means together with the catalog, the template having at least one image insertion area and added with condition specification information specifying a state of an image or respective images to be inserted in the image insertion area or areas;

receiving selection of the image insertion area or any one of the image insertion areas in the template displayed on the display means;

sifting appropriate images agreeing with the condition specification information for the selected image insertion area from the catalog, with reference to the condition specification information for the selected image insertion area; and

receiving selection of the image to be inserted in the selected image insertion area from the appropriate images.

5. An image editing method comprising the steps of:

displaying a catalog of images on display means;

displaying a template used as photo album paper on the display means together with the catalog, the template having at least one image insertion area and added with a plurality of sets of condition specification information specifying a condition of an image or each of images to be inserted in the image insertion area or areas;

receiving selection of the image insertion area or any one of the image insertion areas in the template displayed on the display means;

sifting appropriate images agreeing with at least one of the sets of condition specification information for the selected image insertion area from the catalog, with reference to the set or sets of condition specification information among the sets of condition specification information for the selected image insertion area; and

receiving selection of the image to be inserted in the selected image insertion area from the appropriate images.

6. An image editing method comprising the steps of:

displaying a catalog of images on display means;

displaying a template used as photo album paper on the display means together with the catalog, the template having image insertion areas and added with at least one set of condition specification information specifying a condition of each of images to be inserted respectively in the image insertion areas, the template also added with correspondence information representing correspondence between the sets of condition specification information of the respective image insertion areas for causing the images to be inserted respectively in the image insertion areas with relevance to each other;

receiving selection of any one of the image insertion areas in the template displayed on the display means;

sifting appropriate images agreeing with the set or sets of condition specification information for a predetermined one of the image insertion areas from the catalog with reference to the set or sets of condition specification information for the predetermined image insertion area in the case where the predetermined image insertion area has been selected, and for sifting, in the case where another one of the image insertion areas is selected after selection of the image to be inserted in the predetermined image insertion area, appropriate images agreeing with the set or sets of condition specification information for the selected image insertion area from the catalog according to the correspondence information for referring to the set or sets of condition specification information for the selected image insertion area corresponding to the set of condition specification information for the image inserted in the predetermined image insertion area; and

receiving selection of the images to be inserted respectively in the image insertion areas from the appropriate images.

7. A program for causing a computer to execute an image editing method comprising the steps of:

displaying a catalog of images on display means;

displaying a template used as photo album paper on the display means together with the catalog, the template having at least one image insertion area and added with condition specification information specifying a state of an image or respective images to be inserted in the image insertion area or areas;

receiving selection of the image insertion area or any one of the image insertion areas in the template displayed on the display means;

sifting appropriate images agreeing with the condition specification information for the selected image insertion area from the catalog, with reference to the condition specification information for the selected image insertion area; and

receiving selection of the image to be inserted in the selected image insertion area from the appropriate images.

8. A program for causing a computer to execute an image editing method comprising the steps of:

displaying a catalog of images on display means;

displaying a template used as photo album paper on the display means together with the catalog, the template having at least one image insertion area and added with a plurality of sets of condition specification information specifying a condition of an image or each of images to be inserted in the image insertion area or areas;

receiving selection of the image insertion area or any one of the image insertion areas in the template displayed on the display means;

sifting appropriate images agreeing with at least one of the sets of condition specification information for the selected image insertion area from the catalog, with reference to the set or sets of condition specification information among the sets of condition specification information for the selected image insertion area; and

receiving selection of the image to be inserted in the selected image insertion area from the appropriate images.

9. A program for causing a computer to execute an image editing method comprising the steps of:

displaying a catalog of images on display means;

displaying a template used as photo album paper on the display means together with the catalog, the template having image insertion areas and added with at least one set of condition specification information specifying a condition of each of images to be inserted respectively in the image insertion areas, the template also added with correspondence information representing correspondence between the sets of condition specification information of the respective image insertion areas for causing the images to be inserted respectively in the image insertion areas with relevance to each other;

receiving selection of any one of the image insertion areas in the template displayed on the display means;

sifting appropriate images agreeing with the set or sets of condition specification information for a predetermined one of the image insertion areas from the catalog with reference to the set or sets of condition specification information for the predetermined image insertion area in the case where the predetermined image insertion area has been selected, and for sifting, in the case where another one of the image insertion areas is selected after selection of the image to be inserted in the predetermined image insertion area, appropriate images agreeing with the set or sets of condition specification information for the selected image insertion area from the catalog according to the correspondence information for referring to the set or sets of condition specification information for the selected image insertion area corresponding to the set of condition specification information for the image inserted in the predetermined image insertion area; and

receiving selection of the images to be inserted respectively in the image insertion areas from the appropriate images.