Albuming images

• US 20060103891A1
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Atkins, Clayton Brian
• Granted Patent: US 7,656,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00196 Creation of a photo-montage, e.g. photoalbum H04N1/0019 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods, machines, systems, and machine-readable media for albuming images are described. In one aspect, a first partition of a page corresponding to a first layout of a first set of images on the page is selected from a first set of candidate page partitions. Each candidate page partition corresponds to a respective layout of the first set of images on the page. In response to a user command to modify the first layout, a second partition of the page is selected. The second partition corresponds to a second layout of a second set of images on the page. In another aspect, a first layout of a first set of images is presented on a page and, in response to a user command to modify the first layout, an area in the presentation of the first layout where an image is insertable is indicated. In another aspect, a first layout of a first set of images is presented on a page and, in response to a user command to modify the first layout, sizes and positions of images in the presentation of the first layout are changed.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method of albuming images, comprising:

selecting a first partition of a page corresponding to a first layout of a first set of images on the page, wherein the first page partition is selected from a first set of candidate page partitions each corresponding to a respective layout of the first set of images on the page; and

selecting a second partition of the page corresponding to a second layout of a second set of images on the page in response to a user command to modify the first layout.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the second set of images in accordance with a user command to modify the number of images in the first set of images.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising setting the second set of images equal to a union of the first set of images and a user-selected image in response to a user command to add the user-selected image to the first layout.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, in response to the user command to add the user-selected image to the first layout, the second partition is selected from a second set of candidate page partitions each corresponding to a respective layout of the second set of images.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising setting the selected second partition equal to a modified version of the first partition that includes a division of the page for the user-selected image in response to the user command to add the user-selected image to the first layout.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising setting the second set of images equal to the first set of images minus a user-selected one of the images in the first set in response to a user command to remove the user-selected image from the first layout.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, in response to the user command to remove the user-selected image from the first layout, the second partition is selected from a second set of candidate page partitions each corresponding to a respective layout of the second set of images.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting the selected second partition equal to a modified version of the first partition in which regions of the page respectively assigned to first and second user-selected images are swapped in response to a user command to swap in the first layout locations of the first user-selected image with the second user-selected image.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting the selected second partition equal to a modified version of the first partition in which a region of the page for a user-selected image in the first partition is relocated in accordance with a user-selected location in the layout corresponding to the first partition in response to a user command to move in the first layout a location of the user-selected image.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying a stored relative area proportion value of a user-selected image in response to a user command to resize the user-selected image.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying a stored aspect ratio value of a user-selected image in response to a user command to crop the user-selected image.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each page partition is represented by a respective tree structure having leaf nodes corresponding to respective images in the partition and interior nodes corresponding to respective divisions of the page.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising modifying the number of leaf nodes in the tree structure in accordance with a user command to modify the number of images in the first set of images.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a leaf node corresponding to a user-selected image is added to the tree structure in response to the user command to add the user-selected image to the first layout.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a leaf node corresponding to the user-selected image is added to the tree structure at a location corresponding to a location in the first layout designated by the user.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising swapping locations of first and second leaf nodes in the tree structure in response to a user command to swap in the first layout locations of a first user-selected one of the images in the first set corresponding to the first leaf node with a second user-selected one of the images in the first set corresponding to the second leaf node.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising relocating a given leaf node in the tree structure in response to a user command to move in the first layout a location of a user-selected one of the images in the first set corresponding to the given leaf node.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein each leaf node stores a relative area proportion value for a respective image, and further comprising modifying a stored relative area proportion value of a leaf node corresponding to a user-selected image in response to a user command to resize the user-selected image.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein each leaf node stores an aspect ratio value for a respective image, and further comprising modifying a stored aspect ratio value of a leaf node corresponding to a user-selected image in response to a user command to crop the user-selected image.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the first layout of images.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising indicating an area in the presentation of the first layout where an image is insertable in response to the user command to modify the first layout.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein indicating the area comprises highlighting the area in response to a user command dragging an image near the area.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising changing sizes and positions of images in the presentation of the first layout in response to the user command to modify the first layout.

24. A machine-implemented method of albuming images, comprising:

presenting a first layout of a first set of images on a page; and

indicating an area in the presentation of the first layout where an image is insertable in response to a user command to modify the first layout.

25. A machine-implemented method of albuming images, comprising:

presenting a first layout of a first set of images on a page; and

changing sizes and positions of images in the presentation of the first layout in response to a user command to modify the first layout.

26. A machine for albuming images, comprising at least one data processing module configured to:

select a first partition of a page corresponding to a first layout of a first set of images on the page, wherein the first page partition is selected from a first set of candidate page partitions each corresponding to a respective layout of the first set of images on the page; and

select a second partition of the page corresponding to a second layout of a second set of images on the page in response to a user command to modify the first layout.

27. The machine of claim 26, wherein the at least one data processing module is configured to select the second set of images in accordance with a user command to modify the number of images in the first set of images.

28. The machine of claim 26, wherein the at least one data processing module is configured to set the selected second partition equal to a modified version of the first partition in which regions of the page respectively assigned to first and second user-selected images are swapped in response to a user command to swap in the first layout locations of the first user-selected image with the second user-selected image.

29. The machine of claim 26, wherein the at least one data processing module is configured to set the selected second partition equal to a modified version of the first partition in which a region of the page for a user-selected image in the first partition is relocated in accordance with a user-selected location in the layout corresponding to the first partition in response to a user command to move in the first layout a location of the user-selected image.

30. The machine of claim 26, wherein the at least one data processing module is configured to modify a stored relative area proportion value of a user-selected image in response to a user command to resize the user-selected image.

31. The machine of claim 26, wherein the at least one data processing module is configured to modify a stored aspect ratio value of a user-selected image in response to a user command to crop the user-selected image.

32. The machine of claim 26, wherein each page partition is represented by a respective tree structure having leaf nodes corresponding to respective images in the partition and interior nodes corresponding to respective divisions of the page.

33. The machine of claim 32, wherein the at least one data processing module is configured to modify the number of leaf nodes in the tree structure in accordance with a user command to modify the number of images in the first set of images.

34. The machine of claim 32, wherein the at least one data processing module is configured to swap locations of first and second leaf nodes in the tree structure in response to a user command to swap in the first layout locations of a first user-selected one of the images in the first set corresponding to the first leaf node with a second user-selected one of the images in the first set corresponding to the second leaf node.

35. The machine of claim 32, wherein the at least one data processing module is configured to relocate a given leaf node in the tree structure in response to a user command to move in the first layout a location of a user-selected one of the images in the first set corresponding to the given leaf node.

36. The machine of claim 32, wherein each leaf node stores a relative area proportion value for a respective image, and wherein the at least one data processing module is configured to modify a stored relative area proportion value of a leaf node corresponding to a user-selected image in response to a user command to resize the user-selected image.

37. The machine of claim 32, wherein each leaf node stores an aspect ratio value for a respective image, and wherein the at least one data processing module is configured to modify a stored aspect ratio value of a leaf node corresponding to a user-selected image in response to a user command to crop the user-selected image.

38. The machine of claim 26, wherein the at least one data processing module is configured to present the first layout of images.

39. The machine of claim 38, wherein the at least one data processing module is configured to indicate an area in the presentation of the first layout where an image is insertable in response to the user command to modify the first layout.

40. The machine of claim 38, wherein the at least one data processing module is configured to change sizes and positions of images in the presentation of the first layout in response to the user command to modify the first layout.

41. A system for albuming images, comprising:

means for selecting a first partition of a page corresponding to a first layout of a first set of images on the page, wherein the first page partition is selected from a first set of candidate page partitions each corresponding to a respective layout of the first set of images on the page; and

means for selecting a second partition of the page corresponding to a second layout of a second set of images on the page in response to a user command to modify the first layout.

42. A machine-readable medium storing machine-readable instructions for causing a machine to:

select a first partition of a page corresponding to a first layout of a first set of images on the page, wherein the first page partition is selected from a first set of candidate page partitions each corresponding to a respective layout of the first set of images on the page; and

select a second partition of the page corresponding to a second layout of a second set of images on the page in response to a user command to modify the first layout.