Displaying images

• US 20080005771A1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Salvador, Richard H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,859,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• 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 1/00151 with selective access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00169 Digital image input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00175 from a still image storage medium H04N1/00172, H04N1/0018 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 1/00198 Creation of a soft photo presentation, e.g. digital slide-show

Abstract

Displaying an image is described. A method for displaying an image includes determining, for each of multiple images, metric associated with the image. The multiple images are displayed in a view in which each of the multiple images is associated with at least one visually perceivable attribute that reflects at least the determined metric. The attributes that reflect the metrics are logically independent of the metrics. In one implementation, the metric relates to a significance value associated with the image. In one implementation, the visually perceivable attribute relates to a size with which the multiple images are displayed in relation to each other.

Claims

1. A method for displaying images, comprising:

determining, for each image of a plurality of images, a value associated with said image, wherein said value is associated with a metric;

concurrently displaying a plurality of display-images that correspond to said plurality images;

wherein each display-image possesses a visually perceivable attribute that reflects the value of the metric for the image that corresponds to the display-image; and

wherein said at least one attribute is logically independent of said at least one metric.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said metric comprises significance ratings associated with said plurality of images.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein said visually perceivable attribute is display size.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said visually perceivable attribute is display size.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 the display sizes of the plurality of display-images reflect both the significance ratings and inherent sizes of the corresponding images.

6. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein the display-images, of images that have relatively higher the significance ratings, have relative larger display sizes.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said metric comprises metadata stored in relation to plurality of images.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said metric comprises at least one of:

an objective rating of said image, wherein said objective rating comprises a user-assigned value corresponding to a photographic quality associated with said image; and

a subjective rating of said image wherein said subjective rating comprises a user-assigned value corresponding to one or more of an aesthetic merit and a personal preference associated by said user with said image.

9. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said metric comprises at least one of:

Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) data associated with said image; and

International Press Telecommunications Council ((IPTC) data associated with said image.

10. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said metric comprises at least one of:

caption text associated with said image;

keywords associated with said image;

version enumeration values associated with said image; and

at least one of a file name and a file size associated with said image.

11. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said metric comprises at least one camera setting with which said image was captured.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said at least one camera setting comprises at least one of:

a shutter speed;

an aperture opening;

a focal length;

an exposure;

information relating to a flash used in exposing said image;

a metering pattern; and

at least one of a date and a time of exposure of said image.

13. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said metric comprises at least one embedded data associated with said image with an editing function.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said at least one embedded data comprises at least one of:

a caption;

at least one of a place and a date at which said image was captured;

at least one of a transparency, an opacity, a contrast, a brightness, a clarity, a fuzziness and a frame size with which said image was recorded;

a photographic identity; and

copyright information associated with said image.

15. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said visually perceivable attribute is one of brightness, clarity, contrast, tone, coloration, fuzziness, trim enhancements, border enhancements, transparency, opacity, and shape.

21. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 1.

22. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 2.

23. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 3.

24. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 4.

25. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 5.

26. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 6.

27. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 7.

28. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 8.

29. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 9.

30. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 10.

31. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 11.

32. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 12.

33. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 13.

34. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 14.

35. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 15.

16. A method for displaying electronically stored images, comprising:

determining, for each image of a plurality of images, a significance rating; and

displaying display-images of said plurality images in a view, wherein each display-image possesses at least one visually perceivable attribute, that

(a) is logically unrelated to the significance rating, and

(b) reflects the significance rating,

wherein the at least one visually perceivable attributes of the display-images allow viewers to visually distinguish between said images based on said significance rating.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 wherein said visually perceivable attribute comprises display size of said display-images.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein the higher the significance value associated with an image, the larger the display size of the display-image of the image.

19. The method as recited in claim 16 wherein said significance values are stored in relation to said plurality of images.

36. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 16.

37. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 17.

38. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 18.

39. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 19.

20. A method for displaying a plurality of electronically stored images, comprising:

determining, for each image of the plurality of electronically stored images, a significance rating; and

concurrently displaying display-images of each image of said plurality of electronically stored images in a display;

wherein the step of concurrently displaying includes displaying each display-image with a display size that is based, at least in part, on the significance rating of the image to which the display-image corresponds.

40. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 20.

41. A computer-based system for displaying images, comprising:

an image array module for accessing multiple stored images for display in a view as an array of display images associated therewith;

a metric determiner module coupled to said image array module, for accessing metadata associated with each of said stored images and determining therefrom at least one metric that is associated with a significance level corresponding to each thereof;

an attribute assigner module coupled to said metric determiner module, for assigning to each of said display images at least one visually perceivable attribute that reflects said metric and is logically independent thereof; and

a display image arranging module coupled to said attribute assigner module, for controlling a display of said view wherein each of said display images is arranged therein such that each of said display images is visually distinguishable from the others according to said visually perceivable attribute wherein said arrangement reflects said metric.

42. The system as recited in claim 41, further comprising a selection input interface module for selecting at least one of said metric and said visually discernable attribute.

43. The system as recited in claim 42 wherein said selection input interface module further comprises at least one of:

a metric selector module coupled to said metric determiner module, for selecting said metric from a plurality thereof; and

an attribute selector module coupled to said attribute assigner module, for selecting said visually perceivable attribute from a plurality thereof.

45. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to configure one or more components of a computer system with a configuration that corresponds to the system recited in claim 41.

46. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to configure one or more components of a computer system with a configuration that corresponds to the system recited in claim 42.

47. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to configure one or more components of a computer system with a configuration that corresponds to the system recited in claim 43.

44. A graphical user interface (GUI), comprising:

a display for displaying a plurality of display images in a view wherein at least one visually perceivable attribute of each said display image allows each said display image to be distinguished from each of the other said display images wherein said visually perceivable attributes reflects at least one metric that is associated with each of a plurality of stored images to be rendered with said display images and wherein said visually perceivable attribute is logically independent of said metric;

a controller for controlling a cursor displayed on said display and for receiving an input therefrom wherein said input allows selection of at least one of said metrics and a weight associated therewith; and

wherein said controller is configured to render said display images in response to said input.

48. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to configure one or more components of a computer system with a configuration that corresponds to the GUI recited in claim 44.