DISTORTION OF DIGITAL IMAGES USING SPATIAL OFFSETS FROM IMAGE REFERENCE POINTS

• US 20100303379A1
• Filed: 08/12/2010
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nik Software, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kokemohr, Nils
• Granted Patent: US 7,970,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/274
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/12 Classification; Matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/18 Image warping, e.g. rearranging pixels individually
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/00 Image enhancement or restoration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/90 Dynamic range modification of images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/622 with simulation on a subsidiary picture reproducer

Abstract

A method for distorting a digital image comprising receiving the coordinates of one or more than one image reference point defined by a user within the digital image, receiving one or more than one spatial offset assigned by the user and associated with the coordinates of the one or more than one defined image reference point, providing a mixing function algorithm embodied on a computer-readable medium for distorting the digital image, calculating an offset matrix by applying the mixing function algorithm based on the one or more than one spatial offset and the coordinates of the one or more than one defined image reference point; and distorting the digital image by application of the offset matrix. A graphic tag may be associated with each of the defined image reference points and displayed over the digital image, and the assignment of the spatial offset may be accomplished by movement of the graphic tag with the pointing device. Abstract image reference points may be used to limit distortion.

Claims

1. A method for applying enhancements to a digital image, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing an interface to display a preview of an image to the user;

b) selecting at least one image reference point;

c) overlaying a graphical mark over the displayed image for each of the at least one image reference point;

d) determining a number representative of an effect strength for a plurality of pixels in the image for each of said graphical marks, said number representative of an effect strength being calculated as a function of the pixel location and pixel color at the location of the graphical mark and the pixel location and pixel color of each of the pixels of the plurality of pixels using a soft classification method;

e) receiving parameters for one or more than one image modification functions; and

f) selectively modifying the plurality of pixels identified in step d) with the one or more than one image modification functions.

2. The method of claim 1, where the step of receiving is performed by a user.

3. The method of claim 1, where the image modification functions are selected from the group comprising darkening, lightening, saturation change, hue, sharpening and noise reduction.

4. The method of claim 1, where the pixel attributes used in the soft classification method include pixel color, pixel coordinates or both pixel color and pixel coordinates.

5. The method of claim 4, where the pixel characteristics used in the soft classification method include saturation, x-coordinate, y-coordinate, hue, luminance or any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, where the at least one image reference point is selectable by the user for individual adjustment.

7. The method of claim 1, where more than one of the at least one image reference point is selectable by the user for multiple adjustments.

8. The method of claim 1, where the step of selecting at least one image reference point graphically modifies the selected at least one image reference point.

9. The method of claim 8, where the graphical modified image reference point is a filled circle indicating an active state.

10. The method of claim 8, where the graphical modified image reference point is an empty circle indicating a non-active state.

11. The method of claim 8, where the graphical modified image reference point is a partially filled circle indicating a modified state.

12. The method of claim 1, where determining the number representative of an effect strength for a plurality of pixels in the image is a mixing function using an expanding areas method.

13. The method of claim 1, where determining the number representative of an effect strength for a plurality of pixels in the image is a mixing function using a difference function.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the enhanced image to a storage medium.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of outputting the enhanced image to a printer.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of outputting the enhanced image to a display.

17. The method of claim 1, where the number of image reference points is a plurality.

18. The method of claim 1, where the number of image modification functions is a plurality.

19. The method of claim 1, where the number of image modification functions and image reference points is the same.

20. The method of claim 1, where the number of image modification functions and image reference points are not the same.

21. A method for image processing of a digital image comprising the steps of:

providing one or more than one image processing filter;

setting the coordinates of one or more than one image reference point within the digital image;

providing a mixing function algorithm embodied on a computer-readable medium for modifying the digital image; and

processing the digital image by applying the mixing function algorithm based on the one or more than one image processing filter and the coordinates of the one or more than one set image reference point.

22. A method for image processing of a digital image comprising the steps of:

determining one or more sets of pixel characteristics;

determining for each pixel characteristic set, an image editing function;

providing a mixing function algorithm embodied on a computer-readable medium for modifying the digital image; and

processing the digital image by applying the mixing function algorithm based on the one or more pixel characteristic sets and determined image editing functions.