Image correction apparatus and method of controlling same

• US 20060082847A1
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Masahiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,646,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/518
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/20 visible in viewfinder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/62 Retouching, i.e. modification of isolated colours only or in isolated picture areas only

Abstract

Whether the image of a subject contains a redeye-image area is detected. If the image contains a redeye-image area, this area is corrected. In order that a user can ascertain that a redeye-corrected image area has been corrected, a frame is displayed around this corrected image area. The fact that the image area within the frame has undergone the redeye-image correction can be ascertained owing to display of the frame. The user can ascertain which area in the image of the subject has been subjected to redeye-image correction processing.

Claims

1. An image correction apparatus comprising:

a correction target area detection device for detecting a correction target area in the image of a subject;

a correction device for applying at least one correction of a color correction and brightness correction to the correction target area detected by said correction target area detection device; and

a first display control device for controlling a display device in such a manner that the image of the subject in which the correction target area has been corrected by said correction device will be displayed on a display screen with the corrected area pointed out explicitly.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction target area is a redeye area.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first display control device controls the display device in such a manner that the corrected area is pointed out explicitly and displayed on the display screen by at least one of marking and flashing that indicate the correction target area.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first display control device controls the display device in such a manner that the corrected area is pointed out explicitly and displayed on the display screen by at least one of a color correction, brightness correction, marking and flashing of non-correction target areas, which are areas other than the correction target area.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first input device for inputting a pre-correction display command; and

a second display control device for controlling the display device, in response to input of the pre-correction command from said first input device, in such a manner that the image of a subject that prevails prior to correction of the correction target area will be displayed on the display screen.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second input device for inputting an explicit-display halt command;

wherein said first display control device halts the explicit display in response to the halt command that has been input from said second input device.

7. An image correction apparatus comprising:

a correction target area detection device for detecting a correction target area in the image of a subject;

a correction device for applying at least one correction of a color correction and brightness correction to the correction target area detected by said correction target area detection device; and

a display control device for controlling a display device in such a manner that the image of the subject in which the correction target area has been corrected by said correction device and the image of the subject that prevailed before the correction will be displayed on the same display screen simultaneously.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the correction target area is a redeye area.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the image of the subject after the correction and the image of the subject before the correction displayed on the display screen is a portion of the image of the subject that contains the correction area.

10. A method of controlling an image correction apparatus, comprising the steps of:

detecting a correction target area in the image of a subject;

applying at least one correction of a color correction and brightness correction to the detected correction target area; and

controlling a display device in such a manner that the image of the subject in which the correction target area has been corrected will be displayed on a display screen with the corrected area pointed out explicitly.

11. A method of controlling an image correction apparatus, comprising the steps of:

detecting a correction target area in the image of a subject;

applying at least one correction of a color correction and brightness correction to the detected correction target area; and

controlling a display device in such a manner that the image of the subject in which the correction target area has been corrected and the image of the subject that prevailed before the correction will be displayed on the same display screen simultaneously.