Brush stroke palette feedback method for automatic digital “painting” effects

• US 6,329,990 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Lapstun, Paul, Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Jankus, Almis R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUNNINGHAM, GREGORY F
• Application Number:
  US09/112,805
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 345/430, 345/431, 345/156, 345/150, 345/173, 345/176, 345/179, 345/199, 345/426, 382/162, 382/164, 382/167
• US Class Current: 345/589
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/56 using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

A method of creating an output image rendering of an arbitrary input color image on a computer system. The output image is made up of output brush strokes, and the method includes defining an initial restricted palette and defining a constrained set of brush strokes. The method further includes defining a canvas onto which to render the output image, and creating the output brush strokes of the output image by utilising the constrained set of brush strokes, which are colored from the restricted palette.

Claims

1. A method of creating an output image rendering of an arbitrary input color image in a computer system, said output image being made up of output brush strokes composited with an initial content of the output image, said method comprising the steps of:

a) defining an initial palette of paint colors;

b defining a set of brush strokes;

c) defining the initial content of the output image, the initial content comprising a color image and a bump map;

d) for each brush stroke in the set of brush strokes, creating a stroke color palette, each stroke color palette having a color entry corresponding to each paint color in the initial palette, each color entry created by;

i) coloring the brush stroke with the corresponding paint color of the initial palette;

ii) compositing the colored brush stroke with a copy of the initial content;

iii) computing a color value of the composited stroke; and

iv) storing the color value in the color entry; and

e) creating said output brush strokes by selecting one of said set of strokes, selecting at least one of the paint colors of the initial palette and coloring the selected brush stroke with the at least one selected paint color wherein selection of the paint color is based on at least;

a) an input color, the input color being a color of a region of the input image corresponding to a region of the output image where the output brush stroke is being composited, and

b) the stroke color palette of the output brush stroke.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the brush strokes include an associated opacity and bump map.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the color value of each color entry is the average color of the respective composited stroke.

4. A The method of claim 1 wherein step (e) includes, for each output brush stroke, finding, in the stroke color palette of the output brush stroke, the color nearest the input color of the output brush stroke, and selecting, from an entry of the initial palette corresponding to the color entry of the nearest color, the paint color for the output brush stroke.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 further comprising diffusing the difference between the desired paint color and the selected paint color to surrounding parts of the input or output image.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the brush strokes include multi-colored brush strokes.