Image capture apparatus and method

• US 6,621,938 B1
• Filed: 09/16/1999
• Issued: 09/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ueno, Hitoshi, Watanabe, Mikio, Tanaka, Keisuke, Shiimori, Yoshiko
• Primary Examiner(s): COUSO, YON JUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/397,768
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 382/276, 382/295, 382/296, 382/293, 382/162, 345/619, 345/473
• US Class Current: 382/276
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

In an apparatus for capturing the image of a user, transforming the image and then printing the transformed image, the user is notified of the manner in which the image will be transformed before the image is printed. To accomplish this, the transformed image of the user is displayed on a monitor display unit before it is printed. Thus the user can verify how the transformed image will look before it is printed. According to another aspect of the invention, when a captured image is transformed and displayed, the user is allowed to set the method of transformation and the degree thereof. To this end, the image of the user is captured and loaded into the image capture apparatus. A screen for setting shape and color transformations is displayed on the display unit of the image capture apparatus. By pressing buttons on the apparatus, the user changes the position and size of a small circle in a setting chart displayed in an area of the display screen. On the basis of intersections between the circumference of the small circle and three lines, defocusing of the captured image of the user, a sepia-tone color conversion and the degree of conversion of the eyes of the image are set.

Claims

1. An image capture apparatus comprising:

an image capture device for capturing an image of interest;

a setting device for setting at least one of processing relating to shape transformation and processing relating to color transformation of the image of interest captured by said image capture device;

an image shape/color transformation device for subjecting the image of interest captured by said image capture device to the processing set by said setting device;

an output device for outputting image data representing the image processed by said image shape/color transformation device;

a command input device for inputting a processing command concerning processing relating to at least one of shape transformation and color transformation, said setting device making the setting based upon said processing command; and

a storage device for storing, in advance, overlapped-setting prohibited processing, which is processing relating to shape transformation and color transformation that cannot be set to overlap other processing.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a command-input invalidation device which invalidates, from commands entered from said command input device, input of a command calling for execution of a stored overlapped-setting prohibited processing.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said command input device sets at least two processing operations, by a single operating device, of the processing relating to shape transformation and the processing relating to color transformation.

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

a display unit for displaying, in each of prescribed areas, settable processing of the processing relating to shape transformation and processing relating to color transformation,

wherein said command input device has coordinate input device for inputting coordinates on said area, and

wherein at least one processing operating of processing relating to shape transformation and processing relating to color transformation is set based upon the coordinates input from said coordinate input device.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a timer for measuring time,

wherein on the basis of the result of time measurement by said timer, said setting device sets at least one of the processing relating to shape transformation and processing relating to color transformation of the image of interest captured by said image capture device.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a random-number generating device for generating a random number,

wherein on the basis of the random number generated by said random-number generating device, said setting device sets at least one of the processing relating to shape transformation and processing relating to color transformation of the image of interest captured by said image capture device.

4. An image capture apparatus comprising:

an image capture device for capturing an image of interest;

a setting device for setting at least one of processing relating to shape transformation and processing relating to color transformation of the image of interest captured by said image capture device;

an image shape/color transformation device for subjecting the image of interest captured by said image capture device to the processing set by said setting device;

an output device for outputting image data representing the image processed by said image shape/color transformation device;

command input device for inputting a processing command concerning at least one of processing relating to shape transformation and processing relating to color transformation, said setting device making the setting based upon the command input from said command input device;

a storage device in which there is stored, in advance, overlapped-setting prohibited processing, which is processing in the processing relating to shape transformation and processing relating to color transformation that cannot be set to overlap other processing; and

a command-input invalidation device which, on the basis of the overlapped-setting prohibited processing stored in advance, invalidates, from commands entered from said command input device, input of a command calling for execution of the overlapped-setting prohibited processing that has been stored in said storage device.

8. An image capture method comprising:

capturing an image of interest;

setting at least one of processing relating to shape transformation and processing relating to color transformation of the captured image of interest;

applying the set processing to the captured image of interest;

outputting image data representing the processed image,

inputting a processing command concerning at least one of processing relating to shape transformation and processing relating to color transformation;

storing, in advance, overlapped-setting prohibited processing which is processing in the processing relating to shape transformation and processing relating to color transformation that cannot be set to overlap other processing; and

invalidating, on the basis of the overlapped-setting prohibited processing stored in advance, input of a command calling for execution of the overlapped-setting prohibited processing that has been stored.

9. An image transformation apparatus comprising:

an image capture device for capturing an image;

a setting device for setting processing relating to at least one of shape transformation and color transformation of said image;

an image shape/color transformation device for transforming said image based on the processing set by said setting device;

an output device for outputting image data representing the image transformed by said image shape/color transformation device;

a command input device for inputting a processing command concerning processing relating to at least one of shape transformation and color transformation, said setting device making the setting based upon said processing command; and

a storage device for storing, in advance, overlapped-setting prohibited processing comprising processing relating to shape transformation and color transformation that cannot be set to overlap other processing.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a command-input invalidation device which invalidates, from commands entered from said command input device, input of a command calling for execution of a stored overlapped-setting prohibited processing.