USING A CAPTURED BACKGROUND IMAGE FOR TAKING A PHOTOGRAPH

• US 20090175609A1
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: TAN, Kally Shi Yi
• Granted Patent: US 7,991,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/77
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/00 Special procedures for taking photographs; Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay

Abstract

A device may receive a background image, capture the background image, receive a subject image, modify the background image, superimpose the modified background image on the subject image to obtain a composite image, display the composite image, and capture the subject image.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a lens assembly;

a display to present a first image that is being received via the lens assembly; and

a processor to;

receive a second image via the lens assembly;

transform the second image;

superimpose the transformed second image on the first image that is being presented on the display;

provide the superimposed images on the display; and

capture the first image.

2. The device of claim 1, where the processor is further configured to:

receive user input selecting the second image from a plurality of images.

3. The device of claim 1, where the transformed second image includes one of:

a faded version of the second image;

or

a plurality of outlines extracted from the second image.

4. The device of claim 1, where the processor is further configured to:

receive user input for selecting a transformation technique to transform the second image.

5. The device of claim 1, where the processor is further configured to:

adjust a zoom associated with the lens assembly to match portions of the first image to portions of the second image.

6. The device of claim 1, where the processor is further configured to:

automatically match portions of the first image to the transformed second image.

7. The device of claim 6, where the processor is further configured to:

automatically capture the first image when the portions of the first image match or align with the transformed second image.

8. The device of claim 1, where the device comprises:

a camera phone;

or

a camera.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a background image;

capturing the background image;

receiving a subject image;

modifying the background image;

superimposing the modified background image on the subject image to obtain a composite image;

displaying the composite image; and

capturing the subject image.

10. The method of claim 9, where modifying the background image includes at least one of:

fading the background image;

or

extracting features from the background image.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

automatically obtaining a match between the modified background image and at least portions of the subject image.

12. The method of claim 11, where automatically obtaining a match includes at least one of:

modifying a zoom associated with capturing the subject image;

translating the subject image;

or

rotating the subject image.

13. The method of claim 12, where automatically obtaining a match further includes:

determining an overall match of the background image to the subject image by calculating similarities between the background image and the subject image.

14. The method of claim 13, where determining the overall match includes:

extracting features from the subject image; and

comparing the extracted features to the modified background image.

15. The method of claim 12, where capturing the subject image includes:

automatically capturing the subject image when the match between the modified background image and the subject image meets a predefined level.

16. The method of claim 15, where automatically capturing the subject image includes:

automatically adjusting a focus, white balance, and shutter speed that are associated with capturing the subject image.

17. The method of claim 9, where capturing the subject image includes:

capturing the subject image in response to a user input for taking a photograph.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

selecting the background image from a plurality of images.

19. The method of claim 9, where modifying the background image is performed before capturing the background image.

20. A device comprising:

means for receiving one or more images through a lens assembly;

means for fading each of the one or more images;

means for storing the faded one or more images;

means for selecting one of the faded one or more images as a background image;

means for receiving a subject image through the lens assembly;

means for overlaying the background image on the subject image;

means for displaying the background image overlaid on the subject image; and

means for capturing the subject image.