Image processing method capable of correcting red eye problem

• US 6,577,751 B2
• Filed: 06/11/1999
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Hiroyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Samir
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bali, Vikkram
• Application Number:
  US09/330,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20020122588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/116, 382/117, 382/298, 382/309, 345/328, 345/349, 345/355, 345/431, 358/1.6, 358/1.9, 358/1.18, 358/451, 358/506, 358/449, 358/500, 396/18, 396/287, 396/299, 351/206
• US Class Current: 382/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00416 Multi-level menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/622 with simulation on a subsidiary picture reproducer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/624 Red-eye correction control of camera based on recognised facial parts H04N23/611
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0408 Scanning film strips or rolls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0416 Performing a pre-scan

Abstract

The image processing method performs prescan for capturing an image of a frame on a film at low resolution, determines image processing conditions using image data obtained by the prescan, represents the image captured with the prescan on a display, selects the frame or frames to be subjected to red eye correction by using the represented image captured with the prescan, performs fine scan for capturing the image on the film at high resolution, obtains output image data by processing fine scanned image data in accordance with the image processing conditions, sets red eye correcting conditions for the thus selected frame or frames by using the fine scanned data, and subjects the fine scanned data of the image of the selected frame to the red eye correction in accordance with the red eye correcting conditions. As a result, the method is capable of effective red eye correction during the making of simultaneous prints so that high-quality images without the red-eye problem can be output in a consistent manner.

Claims

1. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

performing prescan for capturing an image on a film at low resolution;

determining image processing conditions using image data obtained by prescan;

performing fine scan for capturing the image on the film at high resolution; and

obtaining output image data by processing fine scanned image data in accordance with said image processing conditions;

wherein the image captured with said prescan is represented on a display and used to select a frame or frames to be subjected to red eye correction, red eye correcting conditions for a particular frame among the thus selected frame or frames are set based on the fine scanned data of said particular frame and said particular frame among said selected frame or frames are subjected to said red eye correction in accordance with said red eye correcting conditions.

2. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein said fine scan is performed after all frames of the film have ended prescan and the frame or frames designated for said red eye correction are subjected to fine scan before any other frames or, alternatively, all frames are fine scanned consecutively.

3. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein either the fine scanned image data or the prescanned image data or both are used to represent a result of said red eye correction on the display.

4. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein image data for index prints is prepared using the prescanned data and the prescanned data that has been subjected to said red eye correction is used to prepare the index prints for the frame or frames that have been designated for said red eye correction.

5. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein the image data represented on the display is changed from the prescan image data to the fine scanned data for a particular frame.