Image producing method and apparatus

• US 20070133022A1
• Filed: 10/24/2006
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahira, Masayuki
• Application Number:
  US11/585,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20070133022A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.900
• 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 1/00135 Scanning of a photographic original
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00193 to a portable storage medium, e.g. a read-writable compact disk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3875 combined with enlarging or reducing enlarging or reducing per se H04N1/393
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6011 with simulation on a subsidiary picture reproducer H04N1/622 takes precedence; matching two or more picture reproducers H04N1/6052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/603 controlled by characteristics of the picture signal generator or the picture reproducer

Abstract

The image producing method and apparatus obtain an input image that has a region covering all of the different output images and has a resolution corresponding to one output image of the different output images whose resolution is highest, subject the input image to at least one color conversion process, or a first scaling in accordance with the one output image whose resolution is highest and the at least one color conversion process to produce an intermediate image and subject the intermediate image to at least one of cropping appropriate to each output image, a second scaling based on a difference in resolution between the intermediate image and each output image, and color conversion into a color space of each output image to thereby produce the different output images.

Claims

1. An image producing method for producing different output images from an input image having been obtained, comprising the steps of:

obtaining said input image that has a region covering all of said different output images and has a resolution corresponding to one output image of said different output images whose resolution is highest;

subjecting said obtained input image to at least one color conversion process, or a first scaling in accordance with said one output image whose resolution is highest and said at least one color conversion process to produce an intermediate image; and

subjecting said intermediate image to at least one of cropping appropriate to each output image, a second scaling based on a difference in resolution between said intermediate image and each output image, and color conversion into a color space of each output image to thereby produce said different output images.

2. The image producing method according to claim 1, wherein said input image is obtained by photoelectrically reading an original.

3. The image producing method according to claim 2, wherein a minimum region of said original covering all of said different output images is photoelectrically read in a resolution of said one output images whose resolution is highest.

4. The image producing method according to claim 1, wherein said intermediate image is an image whose color space is identical to that of a first output image whose color space is largest or for which highest image quality is required.

5. The image producing method according to claim 1, wherein said input image is converted to a first image having a specified color space, said first image is then subjected to image processing that has no input-output dependence to obtain a second image, and said second image obtained by said image processing is used to produce said intermediate image.

6. The image producing method according to claim 1, wherein said intermediate image is an image obtained by performing a first sharpening in accordance with a second output image whose noise is most readily noticeable.

7. The image producing method according to claim 6, wherein, when a third output image that does not conform to said first sharpening said intermediate image has undergone is to be produced, a second sharpening is performed in accordance with said third output image when said third output image is produced from said intermediate image.

8. The image producing method according to claim 1, wherein, when said second scaling is performed on said intermediate image to produce a fourth output image, said second scaling is followed by said second sharpening for compensating for degradation in image sharpness caused by said second scaling.

9. The image producing method according to claim 8, wherein, when said intermediate image is an image obtained by performing said first sharpening in accordance with said second output image whose noise is most readily noticeable, said second sharpening for compensating for said degradation in said image sharpness caused by said second scaling and a third sharpening corresponding to one of other output images than said second output image are performed in combination to thereby produce said one of said other output images.

10. An image producing apparatus, comprising:

a scanner for photoelectrically reading an image from an original; and

an image processor for processing said image read with said scanner to obtain different output images,

wherein, when said different output images are produced, said scanner reads a region of said original covering all of said different output images in a resolution corresponding to one output image of said different output images whose resolution is highest, and

wherein said image processor subjects said image read with said scanner to at least one color conversion process, or a first scaling in accordance with said one output image whose resolution is highest and said at least one color conversion process to produce an intermediate image, which is then subjected to at least one of cropping appropriate to an output region of each output image, a second scaling based on a difference in resolution between said intermediate image and each output image, and color conversion into a color space of each output image to thereby produce said different output images.