Method and apparatus for the analysis and correction of the image gradation in image originals
First Claim
1. A method for analysis and correction of an image gradation characteristic of an image original, comprising the steps of:
- generating image values relating to the image original by point-by-point and line-by-line, optoelectronic scanning with an image processing input device;
geometrically subdividing the image original into a plurality of sub-images, each sub-image having corresponding image values;
for each sub-image, separately identifying frequency distributions of the image values in the corresponding sub-images as a sub-image histogram for every sub-image;
evaluating the sub-image histograms of the individual sub-images and identifying sub-images critical for image gradation since they are identified as being high in structure wherein relatively large image value changes occur as compared to other of the sub-images which are lower, in structure wherein relatively smaller image value changes occur;
generating an aggregate histogram comprising a summation of frequency distributions of the image values in the critical sub-images from the sub-image histograms of the critical sub-images; and
generating a correction curve function from the aggregate histogram for correction of the image gradation characteristic of the image original for contrast correction.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for the analysis and correction of the image gradation of an image original to be reproduced by evaluating image values acquired by point-by-point and line-by-line, optoelectronic scanning with an input device in apparatus and systems for image processing. The image original is geometrically subdivided into a plurality of sub-images. The frequency distribution of the image values or, respectively, of the luminance components of the color values in a corresponding sub-image is separately identified as a sub-image histogram. The sub-image histograms of the individual sub-images are evaluated and the sub-images relevant for the image gradation are identified by means of the evaluation. An aggregate histogram that corresponds to the frequency distribution of the image values or, respectively, of the luminance component of the color values in the relevant sub-images is calculated from the sub-image histograms of the relevant sub-images. Correction values for the correction of the image gradation characteristic of the image original are subsequently calculated from the aggregate histogram according to the method of histogram modification.
87 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for analysis and correction of an image gradation characteristic of an image original, comprising the steps of:
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generating image values relating to the image original by point-by-point and line-by-line, optoelectronic scanning with an image processing input device; geometrically subdividing the image original into a plurality of sub-images, each sub-image having corresponding image values; for each sub-image, separately identifying frequency distributions of the image values in the corresponding sub-images as a sub-image histogram for every sub-image; evaluating the sub-image histograms of the individual sub-images and identifying sub-images critical for image gradation since they are identified as being high in structure wherein relatively large image value changes occur as compared to other of the sub-images which are lower, in structure wherein relatively smaller image value changes occur; generating an aggregate histogram comprising a summation of frequency distributions of the image values in the critical sub-images from the sub-image histograms of the critical sub-images; and generating a correction curve function from the aggregate histogram for correction of the image gradation characteristic of the image original for contrast correction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 12, 24, 25)
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4. A method for analysis and correction of an image gradation characteristic of an image original, comprising the steps of:
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generating image values relating to the image original by point-by-point and line-by-line, optoelectronic scanning with an image processing input device; geometrically subdividing the image original into a plurality of sub-images, each sub-image having corresponding image values; for each sub-image, separately identifying frequency distributions of the image values in the corresponding sub-images as a sub-image histogram for every sub-image; evaluating the sub-image histograms of the individual sub-images by use of statistical histogram parameters and identifying critical sub-images for image gradation based on the evaluation; for identifying the sub-images which are critical, calculating a histogram parameter "scatter" (SDev) and a histogram parameter "relative area proportion of the most frequent image values" (FLAnt) for each of the sub-image histograms and utilizing them for the evaluation of the sub-image histograms, the histogram parameter "scatter" (SDev) and the histogram parameter "relative area proportion of the most frequent image values" (FLAnt) being measures of an amount of details present in a given sub-image; generating an aggregate histogram comprising a summation of frequency distributions of the image values in the critical sub-images from the sub-image histograms of the critical sub-images; and generating a correction curve function from the aggregate histogram for correction of the image gradation characteristic of the image original for contrast correction. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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13. A method for analysis and correction of an image gradation characteristic of an image original, comprising the steps of:
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generating image values relating to the image original by point-by-point and line-by-line, optoelectronic scanning with an image processing input device, the image values being color values each of which comprises a luminance component; geometrically subdividing the image original into a plurality of sub-images, each sub-image having corresponding image values; for each sub-image, separately identifying frequency distributions for the luminance component of the image values in the corresponding sub-images as a sub-image histogram for every sub-image; evaluating the sub-image histograms of the individual sub-images and identifying sub-images critical for image gradation since they are identified as being high in structure wherein relatively large image value changes occur as compared to other of the sub-images which are lower in structure wherein relatively small image value changes occur; generating an aggregate histogram comprising a summation of frequency distributions of the image values in the critical sub-images from the sub-image histograms of the critical sub-images, and wherein for each luminance value which is an image value of a black/white image or luminance component of a color image, functionally corresponding frequency distribution values and the individual sub-image histograms of the identified critical sub-images of the image original are added, the added frequency distribution values calculated for each luminance value defining a new histogram in the form of said aggregate histogram; and generating a correction curve function G=f(L) from the aggregate histogram for correction of the image gradation characteristic of the image original for contrast correction, the correction curve G=f(L) being calculated according to a histogram modification method by accumulating histogram values (H(i)) of the aggregate histogram of the image-critical sub-images according to the following equation;
##EQU25## and wherein the accumulation is undertaken between a minimum value (LMin) and a value (L) of a luminance value range of the image original. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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26. A method for analysis and correction of image gradation of an image original in apparatus and systems for image processing, comprising the steps of:
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geometrically subdividing the image original to be analyzed into a plurality of sub-images; acquiring image values or color values by point-by-point and line-by-line, optoelectronic scanning of the image original with an input apparatus; identifying a frequency distribution of the image values or of luminance components of the color values in the corresponding sub-image for every sub-image so as to form a corresponding sub-image histogram; evaluating the sub-image histograms of the individual sub-images, and identifying the sub-images that are image-critical for the image gradation since they are identified as being high in structure wherein relatively large image value changes occur as compared to other of the sub-images which are lower in structure wherein relatively small image value chances occur; calculating an aggregate histogram from the sub-image histograms of the image-critical sub-images, said aggregate histogram corresponding to a frequency distribution of the image values or of the luminance components of the color values in the image-critical sub-images; and employing the calculated aggregate histogram for calculating a correction curve (G=f(L)) for contrast correction of the image original.
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Specification