METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING TOUCH-BASED ADJUSTMENTS WITHIN IMAGING DEVICES

• US 20090256947A1
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lee, Chuen-Chien, Berestov, Alexander, Ciurea, Florian
• Granted Patent: US 8,259,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof

Abstract

A camera and method which selectively applies image content adjustments to elements contained in the image material. By way of example, the method involves registration of user touch screen input and determination of the arbitrary extent of a specific element in the captured image material at the location at which touch input was registered. Once selected, the element can be highlighted on the display, and additional user input may be optionally input to control what type of adjustment is to be applied. Then the element within the captured image material is processed to apply automatic, or user-selected, adjustments to the content of said element in relation to the remainder of the captured image. The adjustments to the image element may comprise any conventional forms of image editing, such as saturation, white balance, exposure, sizing, noise reduction, sharpening, blurring, deleting and so forth.

Claims

1. A method of selectively applying adjustments to elements contained within image material captured by a camera having touch screen input, comprising:

registration of user touch screen input at a location on a display screen at which a specific element in the captured image material is displayed;

selecting a specific element of the captured image in response to registration of user touch screen input, wherein the specific element can have any arbitrary shape; and

processing the image of said specific element to apply adjustments to the content of said element in relation to the remainder of the captured image.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said captured image material comprises a still image or video sequence.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining boundaries for multiple elements contained within the captured image prior to registration of user touch screen input directed at one of those multiple elements.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said adjustments to said element within said image material are selected from the group of image adjustments consisting of:

sizing, brightness, contrast, saturation, white balance, noise reduction, sharpening, blurring, and deleting.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said processing of said image material for said specific element applies to adjustments which were automatically determined in response to characterizing the image aspects of said specific element.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising refining said selecting of the specific element in response to registering continued touch screen input.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising entering finger-moving gestures after selection of said specific element to control editing of the specific element within the captured image material.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the brightness and contrast of the element within the image material is changed in response to said finger-moving gestures comprising right, left, up and down finger sliding.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising resizing the display for the selected element in response to finger moving gestures.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein said resizing is performed in response to a circular finger sliding.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising generating a visual indication that the specific element has been selected.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein said visual indication comprises a highlight surrounding said element within the captured image material.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

capturing and applying adjustments to the image material at a first image resolution; and

storing the image, after the completion of image adjustment processing, at a second image resolution which is equal to or less than said first image resolution;

wherein said second image resolution is user selectable.

14. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

capturing additional image material which is temporally, or spatially separate from the capture of said image material; and

applying adjustments to said image material in response to said additional image material.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, further comprising storing said image material after the completion of image adjustment processing, without storing the associated additional image material.

16. A method of selectively applying adjustments to elements contained within image material captured by a camera having touch screen input, comprising:

capturing image material comprising a still image or video sequence;

registration of user touch screen input at a location on a display screen at which a specific element in the captured image material is displayed;

selecting a specific element of the captured image in response to registration of user touch screen input on that object, wherein the specific element can have any arbitrary shape;

generating a highlight surrounding said specific element to indicate the selection of said specific element;

refining said selecting of the specific element in response to registering persistent touch screen input;

controlling the application of adjustments to said specific element of the captured image material in response to registration of additional touch screen input in the form of finger-moving gestures; and

processing the image of said specific element to apply adjustments to the content of said element in relation to the remainder of the captured image.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

capturing and applying adjustments to the image material at a first image resolution; and

storing the image, after the completion of image adjustment processing, at a second image resolution which is equal to or less than said first image resolution;

wherein said second image resolution is user selectable.

18. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

capturing additional image material which is temporally, or spatially separate from the capture of said image material;

applying adjustments to said image material in response to said additional image material; and

storing said image material after the completion of image adjustment processing, without storing associated additional image material.

19. A camera, comprising:

an optical imager configured for capturing image material;

an optical display for visually displaying captured image material;

a touch screen coupled to said optical display for registering the position of user contact upon the display of said captured image material;

a computer coupled to said optical imager, said optical display and said touch screen for capturing and displaying image content and selectively applying adjustments to elements contained within the image material; and

programming executable on said computer for,

registration of user touch screen input at a location on a display screen at which a specific element in the captured image material is displayed,

selecting a specific element of the captured image in response to registration of user touch screen input, wherein the specific element can have any arbitrary shape, and

processing the image of said specific element to apply adjustments to the content of said element in relation to the remainder of the captured image.

20. A computer-readable media containing a computer program executable on a computer within a camera configured with a display and associated touch screen for capturing and displaying image content and selectively applying image content adjustments to elements contained within the image material, comprising:

registration of user touch screen input at a location on a display screen at which a specific element in the captured image material is displayed;

selecting a specific element of the captured image in response to registration of user touch screen input, wherein the specific element can have any arbitrary shape; and

processing the image of said specific element to apply adjustments to the content of said element in relation to the remainder of the captured image.