Image processing method and apparatus

• US 6,323,934 B1
• Filed: 12/04/1998
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Enomoto, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Adams, Russell
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Khaled
• Application Number:
  US09/205,292
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 355/32, 355/38, 355/40, 355/52, 358/487, 358/506, 382/298, 382/299, 382/300
• US Class Current: 355/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/20 using local operators
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/80 Geometric correction

Abstract

An image processing method in which at least one aberration of an optically recorded image selected from among lateral chromatic aberration, distortion, decrease in the brightness of the edge of image field and image blurring is corrected based on lens characteristics of a taking lens and position information of the image. Additionally, an image processing apparatus comprises an acquiring section for acquiring information identifying a taking lens; a storage section for storing lens characteristics associated with the type of the taking lens; and a correcting section which receives the corresponding lens characteristics of the taking lens from the storage section and corrects at least one aberration selected from among lateral chromatic aberration, distortion, decrease in the brightness of the edge of image field and image blurring. High-quality images that are free from color mismatch, distortion, uneven brightness, blurring and any other defects, or both vignetting and distortion can be outputted consistently. These high-quality images can be also displayed on an image display device, thus allowing the operator to perform verification and achieve consistent outputting of image-carrying prints.

Claims

1. An image processing method, comprising:

obtaining input image data from an image which is recorded optically with a taking lens; and

applying specified image processing to the obtained input image data to produce output image data that can be reproduced as a visible image,

wherein at least one aberration of said optically recorded image selected from among lateral chromatic aberration, distortion, decrease in the brightness of the edge of image field and image blurring, is corrected based on lens characteristics of said taking lens and position information of said image.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said position information is pixel position information of said recorded image.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said position information is referenced to an optical axis of said taking lens used in recording of said image.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said lens characteristics are obtained from separately acquired information about the taking lens.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein correction of said distortion is accompanied by electronic scaling at a higher-than-steady ratio.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said higher-than-steady ratio cancels image dropout resulting from the correction of said distortion.

7. The method according to claim 1,

wherein said visible image is both a printed image and a displayed image,

wherein said output image data includes image data for outputting said printed image from a printer, and image data for display on an image display device, and

wherein both of said image data for output and display is subjected to the correction of said at least one aberration.

8. An image processing method, comprising:

obtaining input image data from an image which is recorded optically with a taking lens; and

applying specified image processing to the obtained input image data to produce output image data,

wherein at least one aberration characteristic selected from lateral chromatic aberration and distortion characteristics of said taking lens is detected based on said input image data, and

wherein at least one aberration selected from said lateral chromatic aberration and distortion is corrected based on the detected aberration characteristic and on position information of said image.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of detecting an aberration characteristic further includes:

displaying said image on an image display device based on said input image data;

obtaining at least two points of position information which specifies a subject to be corrected for said selected at least one aberration;

extracting said subject between said at least two points based on said input image data;

acquiring the position information of said subject before said at least one aberration is corrected, wherein the corrected position information of said subject is predictably acquired between said at least two points; and

calculating an aberration equation based on said position information before said at least one aberration and said position information is corrected, wherein said at least one aberration is corrected based on said position information and in accordance with said aberration equation.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the position information of said subject before said at least one aberration is corrected, and the corrected position information, both of which are extracted from said input image data, are the position information for an edge of said subject.

11. An image processing apparatus that applies specified image processing to input image data obtained from an image recorded optically with a taking lens, so as to produce output image data that can be reproduced as a visible image, comprising:

an acquiring means for acquiring information that identifies said taking lens;

an image reading means for reading position information of said image;

a storage means for storing lens characteristics associated with a type of said taking lens; and

a correcting means which, in response to the acquired identifying information, receives the corresponding lens characteristics from said storage means, and which corrects at least one aberration of said optically recorded image which is selected from among lateral chromatic aberration, distortion, decrease in the brightness of the edge of image field and image blurring, based on said lens characteristics and said position information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said position information is pixel position information of said recorded image.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the position information is referenced to an optical axis of said taking lens.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said correcting means has correction equations associated with a plurality of types of said taking lens, and

wherein said storage means stores correction coefficients for said correction equations as lens characteristics in accordance with the type of taking lens.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said correcting means calculates corrected image positions for the lateral chromatic aberration of a reference color for three primaries to correct the lateral chromatic aberration of the image, or, calculates corrected image positions for the distortion of the three primaries to correct the distortion of the image, or calculates corrected image positions for the lateral chromatic aberration and distortion of the three primaries for other colors of the image to correct the lateral chromatic aberration and distortion of the image.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said correcting means, using the corrected image positions for the lateral chromatic aberration of said three primaries, or the corrected image positions for the distortion of said three primaries, performs electronic scaling using interpolation to perform correction of the lateral chromatic aberration and electronic scaling, and wherein correction of distortion and electronic scaling, or wherein correction of lateral chromatic aberration, distortion and electronic scaling are performed simultaneously.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the identifying information is information about said taking lens which is recorded either optically or magnetically on a film for optically recording said image, or which is on a film cartridge.

18. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising an apparatus for outputting a print reproducing said output image data as said visible image.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said correcting means, based on the acquired identifying information, determines whether it is necessary to correct the distortion of said images,

wherein if correction of distortion is determined necessary, receives the lens characteristics of the associated taking lens from said storage means, corrects the distortion based on said position information and said lens characteristics and performs image processing under conditions, different from when said correction of distortion is determined unnecessary.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said image processing further includes performing electronic scaling at a specified ratio associated with the output image, when distortion correction is not effected, but performs said electronic scaling at a higher scaling ratio when distortion correction is effected than when said correction of distortion is not effected.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said higher scaling ratio cancels image dropout resulting from said correction of distortion.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the electronic scaling ratio is adjusted based on the type of taking lens when said distortion correction is effected.

23. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein electronic scaling is performed at a specified ratio irrespective of the type of taking lens when said distortion correction is effected.

24. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said correcting means corrects distortion by calculating appropriate positions of the respective three primaries based on offsets of the image positions due to said distortion.

25. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said correcting means calculates appropriate positions of the respective three primaries based on offsets of the image positions due to distortion, and performs electronic scaling of the image using information about said appropriate positions.

26. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said correcting means, prior to calculating the appropriate positions of said respective three primaries, calculates offsets from a reference color for said three primaries of the image positions of other colors in the images which are subject to lateral chromatic aberration and, using the offsets, calculates the appropriate positions of the respective three primaries as corrected for both distortion and lateral chromatic aberration.

27. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said electronic scaling ratio differs between vertical and horizontal directions of the image.

28. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising an image display device which displays said optically recorded image as a verification image based on the recorded image,

wherein said visible image is a printed image,

wherein said output image data is image data for outputting said printed image from the printer, wherein said correcting means corrects at least one aberration of said optically recorded image selected from among lateral chromatic aberration, distortion, decrease in the brightness of the edge of image field and image blurring for both the image data for printing and the verification image for display, and

wherein, prior to outputting said printed image as corrected by said correcting means, a corrected image for producing said printed image is displayed on said image display device based on display image data as corrected by said correcting means.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein said corrected display image data is based on low-resolution, prescanned image data, on image data obtained by removing portions of high-resolution, fine scanned image data, or on image data obtained by reducing its size.

30. The image processing apparatus according to claim 28, wherein said corrected display image data and a print area for said printed image are displayed simultaneously on said image display device.

31. An image processing apparatus which obtains input image data from an image recorded optically with a taking lens, and which applies specified image processing to the obtained input image data to produce output image data, comprising:

an image reading device for reading position information of said image;

an image display device for displaying said image;

a detecting means which specifies a subject to be corrected for aberrations that is selected from the displaying image, and which detects at least one aberration characteristic selected from either a lateral chromatic aberration characteristic or a distortion characteristic due to said taking lens; and

a correcting means which, based on both said detected aberration characteristic and said read position information, corrects at least the lateral chromatic aberration or the distortion of said optically recorded image.

32. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said detecting means obtains at least two points of position information specifying a subject to be corrected for aberrations which is selected from the displayed image displayed, extracts said subject between said at least two points based on said input image data, acquires the position information of said subject before it is corrected for aberrations, said acquired corrected position information being predictable between said at least two points, and calculates an aberration equation based on that position information which has yet to be corrected for aberrations, and based on said corrected position information.

33. The apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the position information to be corrected is position information for an edge of said subject.

34. An image processing apparatus which obtains input image data from an image recorded optically with a taking lens, and which applies specified image processing to the obtained input image data to produce output image data, comprising:

an image reading device for reading position information at said image;

an image display device for displaying said image;

an acquiring means for acquiring at least one aberration characteristic selected from a lateral chromatic aberration characteristic or a distortion characteristic of said taking lens;

a correcting means for correcting the lateral chromatic aberration or the distortion of said recorded image based on both the acquired aberration characteristic and the read position information of said image; and

an adjusting means for adjusting correction intensity or aberration pattern of said aberration characteristic used by said correcting means,

wherein said image display device displays the image corrected by said correcting means,

wherein said adjusting means adjusts different levels of said correction intensity or aberration pattern, wherein a desired correction to the input image data is determined from among a plurality of displayed images that have been corrected by said correcting means in accordance with said adjusted correction intensity or aberration pattern, and

wherein the desired corrected image data is output as said output image data.

35. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said image display device displays at least one image that has been corrected for aberrations by said correcting means for each adjustment of said correction intensity or aberration pattern by said adjusting means, and wherein said display is repeated for more than one level of said correction intensity and aberration pattern to determine the desired amount of correction.

36. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said image display device displays a plurality of images as they have been corrected for aberrations by said correcting means simultaneously for each adjustment of said correction intensity or aberration pattern to determine the desired amount of aberrational correction from among the displayed corrected images.

37. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said acquiring means selects an aberration characteristic from among a plurality of preliminarily provided aberration characteristics which have specified aberration patterns and intensities of aberrational correction.

38. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said acquiring means further includes a detecting means which specifies said subject to be corrected for aberrations from the displayed image, and detects the lateral chromatic aberration characteristic on the distortion characteristic due to said taking lens.

39. The apparatus according to claim 38, wherein said detecting means obtains at least two points of position information that specify the subject to be corrected, extracts said subject between said at least two points based on said input image data, acquires the position information of said subject before it is corrected for aberrations, said acquired corrected position information being predictable between said at least two points, and calculates an aberration equation based on that position information which has yet to be corrected for aberrations, and based on said acquired corrected position information.

40. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein the position information of said subject to be corrected for aberrations is position information for an edge of said subject to be corrected.