MASKING TOOL

• US 20120287300A1
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• 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: Edwards, Eric, Fisher, Clay Harvey, Jonach, Kurt, Manowitz, Neal Jacob, Tree, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,750,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4092 Image resolution transcoding, e.g. by using client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/00 Image enhancement or restoration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00392 Other manual input means, e.g. digitisers or writing tablets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00424 using a list of graphical elements, e.g. icons or icon bar
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3872 Repositioning or masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/001 Sharing resources, e.g. processing power or memory, with a connected apparatus or enhancing the capability of the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/815 for controlling the resolution by using a single image

Abstract

A system for controlling effects performed on an image includes a digital camera having a display that displays the image. Masking tools position graphical representations on the display to define a portion of the image that is altered when the effects are subsequently applied to the image. The several masking tools may be combined to form a single masking tool.

Claims

1. A device for applying effects on an image, comprising:

a display; and

a masking tool comprising a plurality of graphical representations, wherein a portion of the image is altered when an effect is applied to the image.

2. The device according to claim 1 further comprising a connection to a server, wherein the altered image is copied from the device to the server.

3. The device according to claim 2 further comprising a second connection to at least one additional device, wherein the altered image is copied from the server to the at least one additional device.

4. The device according to claim 2 wherein the effect applied to the image utilizing an image resolution on the display uses a display resolution, further wherein the effect applied to the displayed image using the display resolution is correspondingly performed on the server on the image using the image resolution.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the image resolution is a higher resolution than the display resolution.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the masking tool comprises a plurality of masking tools.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the effect is generated by manually defining at least a portion of the image.

8. The device according to claim 7 wherein the effect is applied inside the manually defined portion of the image.

9. The device according to claim 7 wherein the effect is applied outside the manually defined portion of the image.

10. The device according to claim 1 wherein the effect further adjusts a size and/or shape of the portion of the image.

23. The device according to claim 4, wherein the image resolution is a lower resolution than the display resolution.

11. (canceled)

12. A method of masking comprising:

selecting a masking tool to position a graphical representation on a display of a device;

positioning the masking tool and establishing a masked portion of an image; and

altering a portion of the image when an effect is applied to the image.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the masking tool is translucent.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein the positioning of the masking tool includes positioning the masking tool over the masked portion of the image displayed on the device, the image having an image resolution.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein when the effect is applied to the image having the image resolution, a corresponding effect is applied to the image having a display resolution stored on a server in communication with the device.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the image resolution is a lower resolution than the display resolution.

24. The method according to claim 15, wherein the image resolution is a higher resolution than the display resolution.

17. A system comprising:

a server; and

a connected device in communication with the server, the connected device being adapted to edit an image by controlling a position of a graphical representation to define a portion of the image being altered when an effect is applied to the image.

18. The system according to claim 17 further comprising the server implemented with a software that, when executed, performs masking and application of the effect on the image.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the server is loaded with the image having an image resolution level and the connected device being loaded with the image having a display resolution level lesser in resolution that the image resolution level, wherein the effect applied to the image having the display resolution level under control of the connected device causes a corresponding effect to be performed on the server on the image having the image resolution level.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the portion of the image inside the graphical representation is precluded from being altered.

21. The system according to claim 17, wherein the portion of the image outside the graphical representation is precluded from being altered.

22. The system according to claim 17, further comprising at least one additional device, wherein the altered image is copied from the server to the at least one additional device.