Image processing apparatus and method

• US 6,044,173 A
• Filed: 11/04/1997
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kumada, Shuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): MEHTA, BHAVESH M
• Application Number:
  US08/964,413
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 382/162, 382/166, 382/167, 382/302, 358/518-523, 358/401, 358/501, 395/109, 345/153, 345/154, 345/418, 345/431
• US Class Current: 382/167
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6058 Reduction of colour to a range of reproducible colours, e.g. to ink- reproducible colour gamut
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6094 depending on characteristics of the input medium, e.g. film type, newspaper

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes storing means for storing a plurality of profiles, selecting means for selecting a profile from the plurality of profiles based on profile indication information, and processing means for performing a color matching process on color image data using a selected profile. Informing means informs a user that the profile corresponding to the profile indication information has not been stored in the storing means in a case that the profile corresponding to the profile indication information has not been stored in the storing means.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

storing means for storing a plurality of profiles;

searching means for searching, from among the plurality of profiles, for a profile corresponding to the profile indication information;

informing means for informing a user that the profile corresponding to the profile indication information has not been stored in said storing means, in a case where the profile corresponding to the profile indication information could not be found by said searching means; and

input means for inputting a user instruction concerning whether or not the color matching process is to be performed by using a profile different from the profile corresponding to the profile indication information.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selected profile is a destination profile, and the profile indication information is described in a source profile.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the source profile is added to the color image data to produce an added profile.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processing means performs the color matching process based on the source profile and the destination profile.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

judging means for judging whether the source profile has been added to the color image data; and

setting means for setting the added profile as the source profile in a case that the source profile has been added to the color image data, and setting a system profile as the source profile in a case that the source profile has not been added to the color image data.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the system profile is a profile which has been previously designated by a user.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the system profile is a profile which corresponds to a monitor.

8. An image processing apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting color image data;

setting means for setting, based on a manual instruction from a user,

a process type for a color matching process from among a plurality of process types having different respective degrees of accuracy, and

a color matching method for the color matching process from among a plurality of color matching methods having different respective characteristics; and

processing means for performing the color matching process in accordance with the set process type and the set color matching method.

9. An image processing apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting color image data;

setting means for setting, based on a manual instruction from a user,

a process type for a color matching process from among a plurality of process types having different respective degrees of speed, and

a color matching method for the color matching process from among a plurality of color matching methods having different respective characteristics; and

processing means for performing the color matching process in accordance with the set process type and the set color matching method.

10. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of profiles;

searching, from among the plurality of profiles, for a profile corresponding to profile indication information;

performing a color matching process by using the searched profile corresponding to the profile indication information;

informing a user that the profile corresponding to the profile indication information was not stored in said storing step, in a case where the profile corresponding to the profile indication information could not be found in said searching step; and

inputting a user instruction concerning whether or not the color matching process is to be performed by using a profile different from the profile corresponding to the profile indication information.

11. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting color image data;

setting, based on a manual instruction from a user, a process type for a color matching process from among a plurality of process types having different respective degrees of accuracy, and

a color matching method for the color matching process from among a plurality of color matching methods having different respective characteristics; and

performing the color matching process in accordance with the set process type and the set color matching method.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of setting a profile according to the process type for the color matching method designated in the designating step;

wherein the step for performing a color matching process performs the color matching process using the profile set in the setting step.

13. An image processing method according to claim 11, wherein data which has been processed by the color matching process is output to a color output device.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein the color matching process includes a first mode which uses a matrix calculation process and second mode which uses a look-up table (LUT) and an interpolation process;

and

wherein a speed of the first mode is greater than a speed of the second mode.

15. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting color image data;

setting, based on a manual instruction from a user, a process type for a color matching process from among a plurality of process types having different respective degrees of speed, and

a color matching method for the color matching process from among a plurality of color matching methods having different respective characteristics; and

performing the color matching process in accordance with the set process type and the set color matching method.

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising a step of setting a profile according to the process type for the color matching method designated in the designating step;

wherein the step of performing a color matching process performs the color matching process using the profile set in the setting step.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein data which has been processed by the color matching process is output to a color output device.

18. A method according to claim 15, wherein the color matching process includes a first mode which uses a matrix calculation process and second mode which uses a look-up table (LUT) and an interpolation process;

and

wherein an accuracy of the second mode is higher than an accuracy of the first mode.