Method and apparatus for image processing using a template image

• US 6,441,850 B1
• Filed: 06/11/1998
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Toba, Akira, Toyofuku, Toshiyuki, Yokokawa, Ko, Dotsubo, Nobuhide, Haruki, Toshinobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LUONG TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/096,460
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 348/239, 348/169, 348/586, 348/222, 348/220, 348/218, 348/254, 348/671, 348/677, 348/674, 348/598, 382/209, 382/217, 382/284, 382/233, 382/248, 382/274, 358/909.1, 358/455, 352/85
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3871 the composed originals being of different kinds, e.g. low- and high-resolution originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding

Abstract

A digital camera includes a memory card. The memory card is previously recorded with template image data that has been subjected to conversion of Y-data effective range and JPEG compressing. A CPU expands this template image data by a JPEG method, and then subjects only expanded data greater than a predetermined value to effective-range conversion that is reverse to the above. The CPU composites the template image data thus obtained with photographed image data, thereby creating composite image data.

Claims

1. An image compositing method, comprising the steps of:

(a) preparing a recording medium for holding third template image data created by converting first template image data into second template image data by a first converting method and compressing the second template image data by a first predetermined method;

(b) expanding the third template image data by a second predetermined method which is inverse to the first predetermined method so as to create fourth template image data;

(c) converting the fourth template image data included in a first determined range into fifth template image data by a second converting method which is inverse to the first converting method; and

(d) compositing the fifth template image data with photographed image data;

wherein the first template image data includes at least one image-quality-related data component, the second template image data is created by converting the image-quality-related data component by the first converting method, and

the step (c) includes steps of (c-1) comparing the image-quality-related data component contained in the fourth template image data with a predetermined value, and (c-2) converting the fourth template image data including the image-quality-related data component greater than the predetermined value into the fifth template image data.

2. The image compositing method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value is a minimum value in the first predetermined range.

3. An image compositing method, comprising the steps of:

(a) subjecting to an expanding process template image data created by a first converting process and a compressing process performed in this order;

(b) subjecting to a second converting process template image data created by the expanding process; and

(c) compositing template image data created by the second converting process with photographed image data, wherein the first converting process includes a dividing process for dividing a data value by a first numeral, and an adding process for adding a second numeral to a divided value obtained by the dividing process, and the second converting process includes a subtracting process for subtracting the second numeral from a data value, and a multiplying process for multiplying a subtracted value obtained by the subtracting process by the first value; and

the second converting process further includes a changing process for changing the subtracted value into “

0”

when the subtracted value is smaller than “

0”

.

4. An image compositing method, comprising the steps of:

(a) subjecting to an expanding process template image data created by a first converting process and a compressing process performed in this order;

(b) subjecting to a second converting process template image data created by the expanding process; and

(c) compositing template image data created by the second converting process with photographed image data, wherein the step (b) includes the steps of (b-1) comparing respective pixel data values forming the template image data with a predetermined value, and (b-2) subjecting to the second converting process the pixel data having a data value equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the first converting process includes a dividing process for dividing a data value by a first numeral, and an adding process for adding a second numeral to a divided value obtained by the dividing process, and the second converting process includes a subtracting process for subtracting the second numeral from a data value, and a multiplying process for multiplying a subtracted value obtained by the subtracting process by the first value.