REGISTRATION OF SEPARATIONS

• US 20080056614A1
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.), Warner Bros Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.), Warner Bros Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Perlmutter, Keren, Klamer, Paul, Cookson, Christopher, Perlmutter, Sharon, Wang, Eric, Gasparri, Massimiliano
• Granted Patent: US 7,486,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/294
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20064 Wavelet transform [DWT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20192 Edge enhancement; Edge preservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/403 Edge-driven scaling; Edge-based scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4084 in the transform domain, e.g. fast Fourier transform [FFT] domain scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/003 Deblurring; Sharpening vibration or motion blur correction for cameras comprising an electronic image sensor H04N23/682
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/10 using non-spatial domain filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/73 Deblurring; Sharpening
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/38 Registration of image sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/24 Aligning, centring, orientation detection or correction of the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/58 Edge or detail enhancement; Noise or error suppression, e.g. colour misregistration correction H04N1/62 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/15 Image signal generation with circuitry for avoiding or correcting image misregistration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/11 Scanning of colour motion picture films, e.g. for telecine

Abstract

Separations or images relating to film or other fields may be registered using a variety of features, such as, for example: (1) correcting one or more film distortions; (2) automatically determining a transformation to reduce a film distortion; (3) applying multiple criteria of merit to a set of features to determine a set of features to use in determining a transformation; (4) determining transformations for areas in an image or a separation in a radial order; (5) comparing areas in images or separations by weighting feature pixels differently than non-feature pixels; (6) determining distortion values for transformations by applying a partial distortion measure and/or using a spiral search configuration; (7) determining transformations by using different sets of features to determine corresponding transformation parameters in an iterative manner; and (8) applying a feathering technique to neighboring areas within an image or separation.

Claims

1. A method of performing registration of digitized images, the method comprising:

dividing a selected component image into a set of areas;

grouping the areas into multiple rings; and

determining transformations for at least two areas in the set of areas in an order that begins with at least one area within an innermost ring and proceeds to at least one area within a ring other than the innermost ring.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of areas are arranged such that a center of at least one area of the set of areas and a center of at least one other area of the set of areas are in different proximity to a center of the selected component image.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining transformations comprises:

determining an initial alignment vector for a particular area of the set of areas based on a previously determined alignment vector corresponding to at least one neighboring area, where the neighboring area is defined as an area that shares a common border or at least one pixel with the particular area and the neighboring area belongs to either an inner ring or to a same ring as the particular area; and

determining an alignment vector for the particular area based on the initial alignment vector for the particular area.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the initial alignment vector is based on a previously determined alignment vector that provides a minimum distortion measure for the particular area among previously determined alignment vectors for at least two neighboring areas.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the initial alignment vector is based on a previously determined alignment vector for an inward radial neighboring area.

6. A computer program for performing registration of digitized images, the computer program residing on a computer-readable medium and comprising instructions for causing a computer to perform operations including:

dividing a selected component image into a set of areas;

grouping the areas into multiple rings; and

determining transformations for at least two areas in the set of areas in an order that begins with at least one area within an innermost ring and proceeds to at least one area within a ring other than the innermost ring.

7. A method of performing registration of digitized images, the method comprising:

dividing a selected component image into a set of areas; and

determining a transformation for a particular area in the set of areas based on at least one previously determined transformation for at least one other area, where a center of the other area is not farther in proximity to a center of the selected component image than is a center of the particular area.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

grouping the set of areas into multiple rings that form at least one inner ring and at least one outer ring; and

determining transformations for at least two areas of the set of areas in an order that begins with at least one area within the inner ring and proceeds to at least one area within the outer ring.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein determining transformations comprises:

determining an initial alignment vector for a particular area of the set of areas based on a previously determined alignment vector corresponding to at least one neighboring area, where the neighboring area is defined as an area that shares a common border or at least one pixel with the particular area; and

determining an alignment vector for the particular area based on the initial alignment vector for the particular area.