Video image creation

• US 5,289,566 A
• Filed: 05/28/1993
• Issued: 02/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Quantel Limited (Belden Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Quantel Limited (Belden Inc.)
• Inventors: Walker, Ian C., Taylor, Richard J., Searby, Anthony D., Kellar, Paul R. N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Envall, Jr., Roy N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brutman, Laura
• Application Number:
  US08/068,750
• Time in Patent Office: 270 Days
• Field of Search: 395/131, 395/132, 395/129, 340/707, 340/703, 340/798
• US Class Current: 345/592
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory

Abstract

A video image creation system provides intensity or color data from one or more stores. The image is created under manual control which effectively defines the coordinates of the artists implement at any given time.

A processor receives the incoming image data and previously derived data from a frame store and modifies this data in dependance on a parameter available from another store. The created image can be viewed on a monitor.

The parameter controls the contribution made from any adjacent, previously created, parts of the image and can be such as to simulate different pencil or brush shapes or types of paint for example. Additional facilities such as pressure sensitivity and blurring can be provided.

Claims

1. A process comprising:

using a pen-tablet unit and a circuit coupled to said unit and responsive to a user'"'"'s actions on at least the pen to generate progressively varying position and blend information;

providing first brush information identifying at least one of a selected color and a selected intensity, second brush information identifying a selected size, and third brush information related to a distribution of a selected parameter related to said size;

providing an image store for pixel data representing image pixels;

carrying out processing operations in response to said position information comprising retrieving from the image store pixel data for image pixels which are in a selected image area identified through use of said position information and said second brush information, calculating new pixel data for the selected image pixels by using the retrieved pixel data and the first brush information in proportions which are determined in accordance with the third brush information and blend information and vary at least over a peripheral portion of said selected image area such that the proportions of color/intensity information used in calculating new pixel generally increases in moving from the periphery over a selected distance toward the center of said selected image area, and writing the calculated new pixel data into the image stores in place of the retrieved pixel data;

wherein the pixel data retrieved from the image store and used in the calculation of new pixel data in each successive processing operation includes pixel data calculated and written into the image store in the course of the preceding processing operation; and

displaying an image corresponding to pixel data in the store on a raster scan display screen.

2. A process as in claim 1 including converting pixel data from the image store into a hard copy image.

3. A process as in claim 2 in which the converting step comprises using a photoplotter to generate said hard copy image.

4. A process as in claim 1 in which the step of using the circuit responsive to pen position comprises generating pen position information to a resolution substantially higher than that of the image data.

5. A process as in claim 4 in which the step of using the circuit responsive to pen position comprises generating pen position information to a resolution which is 8 times higher along each of two orthogonal directions than that of the image data.

6. A process as in claim 1 in which the color/intensity information and the image pixels are in component video format and the step of carrying processing operations carries out respective processing operations in at least two processing channels for respective color components of component video.

7. An image creation apparatus comprising:

a pen and a tablet for use by an artist in creating an image and a circuit coupled to at least one of the pen and the tablet and responsive to artist'"'"'s actions on the pen during pen stroke on the tablet to generate pen position information and blend information variable over a range between a minimum and a maximum blend;

a circuit providing first brush information related to at least one of a selected color and a selected intensity, a second brush information related to a selected size, and a third brush information related to a distribution of a selected parameter in a space;

an image store for pixel data representing image pixels;

a processor coupled to said circuits to receive said pen position and blend information as well as said first, second and third brush information, and coupled with said image store to retrieve pixel data from the store and to write pixel data into the store;

said processor comprising processing circuits carrying out processing operations in response to said position information in which the processor retrieves from the image store pixel data for selected image pixels which are in a selected image area identified through use of said pen position information and said second brush information, calculates new pixel data for the selected image pixels by using the retrieved pixel data and the color/intensity information in proportions which are determined in accordance with the third brush information and the blend information and vary at least over a peripheral portion of said selected image area such that the proportions of color/intensity information used in calculating new pixel data generally increases in moving from the periphery over a selected distance toward the center of said selected image area, and writes the calculated new pixel data into the image store in place of the retrieved pixel data;

wherein the pixel data which the processor retrieves from the image store and uses in the calculation of new pixel data in each successive processing operation includes pixel data which the processor has calculated and written into the image store in the course of at least one preceding processing operation; and

a display screen coupled to said store to display an image corresponding to pixel data in the store.

8. An apparatus as in claim 7 including a hard copy generating device coupled to said store to produce a hard copy image corresponding to pixel data in the image store.

9. An apparatus as in claim 7 in which said hard copy device comprises a photoplotter.