METHOD FOR IMAGE MODIFICATION

• US 20140314318A1
• Filed: 07/01/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovation Asset Collective
• Original Assignee: Tandent Vision Science, Inc.
• Inventors: FRIEDHOFF, Richard Mark, Smith, Casey Arthur, Maxwell, Bruce Allen, Alldrin, Neil, Bushell, Steven Joseph, Rodgers, Timothy King Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 10,043,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20012 Locally adaptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/90 Dynamic range modification of images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/187 involving region growing; involving region merging; involving connected component labelling

Abstract

An automated, computerized method is provided for processing an image. The method includes the steps of providing an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory, performing an image segregation operation on the image file to generate a set of intrinsic images corresponding to the image, modifying a preselected one of the set of intrinsic images according to a set of preselected operations and merging the modified one of the set of intrinsic images relative to the set of intrinsic images to provide a modified output image.

Claims

1. An automated, computerized method for processing an image, comprising the steps of:

providing an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory;

performing an image segregation operation on the image file to generate a set of intrinsic images corresponding to the image;

modifying a preselected one of the set of intrinsic images by a geometric transformation of the preselected on of the set of intrinsic images; and

merging the modified one of the set of intrinsic images relative to the set of intrinsic images to provide a modified output image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of intrinsic images includes an illumination image and a material image.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of modifying a preselected one of the set of intrinsic images is carried out by modifying the illumination image.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of modifying a preselected one of the set of intrinsic images is carried out by modifying the material image.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of modifying a preselected one of the set of intrinsic images is carried out by modifying both the material image and the illumination image, separately, for an overall modification of the image.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of modifying both the material image and the illumination image, separately, for an overall modification of the image is carried out by modifying the material image and the illumination image in a preselected order.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of performing an image segregation operation on the image file to generate a set of intrinsic images corresponding to the image is carried out according to a spatio-spectral operator/constraint/solver model.

8. A computer system which comprises:

a CPU; and

a memory storing an image file containing an image;

the CPU arranged and configured to execute a routine to perform an image segregation operation on the image file to generate a set of intrinsic images corresponding to the image, to modify a preselected one of the set of intrinsic images by a geometric transformation and to merge the modified one of the set of intrinsic images relative to the set of intrinsic images to provide a modified output image.

9. A computer program product, disposed on a non-transitory computer readable media, the product including computer executable process steps operable to control a computer to:

provide an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory, perform an image segregation operation on the image file to generate a set of intrinsic images corresponding to the image, modify a preselected one of the set of intrinsic images by a geometric transformation and merge the modified one of the set of intrinsic images relative to the set of intrinsic images to provide a modified output image.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the set of intrinsic images includes an illumination image and a material image.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the process step of modifying a preselected one of the set of intrinsic images is carried out by modifying the illumination image.

12. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the process step of modifying a preselected one of the set of intrinsic images is carried out by modifying the material image.

13. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the process step of modifying a preselected one of the set of intrinsic images is carried out by modifying both the material image and the illumination image, separately, for an overall modification of the image.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the process step of modifying both the material image and the illumination image, separately, for an overall modification of the image is carried out by modifying the material image and the illumination image in a preselected order.

15. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the process step of performing an image segregation operation on the image file to generate a set of intrinsic images corresponding to the image is carried out according to a spatio-spectral operator/constraint/solver model.

16. A computer program product, disposed on a non-transitory computer readable media, the product including computer executable process steps operable to control a computer to:

provide an image file depicting an image, in a computer memory, perform an image segregation operation on the image file to generate a set of intrinsic images corresponding to the image, wherein each one of the set of intrinsic images comprises a representation of one of material or illumination, expressed as a separate, multi-band representation for the one of material or illumination, independent of the other of the material or illumination, wherein each band corresponds to a segment of the electro-magnetic spectrum, and modify each one of the set of intrinsic images, separately, to accommodate separate intrinsic characteristics of material and illumination, for a more accurate result.