Nonlinearly modifying a rendered digital image

• US 6,760,485 B1
• Filed: 05/20/1999
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Collette, Robert P., Hamilton, John F., Gilman, Paul B., Parulski, Kenneth A., Spaulding, Kevin E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRINICH, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US09/315,278
• Time in Patent Office: 1,874 Days
• Field of Search: 382/266-274, 358/527
• US Class Current: 382/274
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10144 Varying exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/92 based on global image properties

Abstract

A method for correcting for exposure in a digital image, captured by an image capture device, including rendering such captured digital image suitable for display and displaying such captured digital image as a first displayed digital image; and using an adjustable exposure setting to nonlinearly modify the rendered captured digital image to effect an exposure change and displaying the exposure modified rendered captured digital image as a second digital image simultaneous with the first displayed digital image.

Claims

1. A method for changing exposure in a digital image, captured by an image capture device using an exposure level, comprising:

rendering such captured digital image suitable for display and displaying such captured digital image as a first displayed digital image; and

using a single user adjustable exposure setting to select an exposure modification curve used to modify the rendered captured digital image to effect a change which accounts for the rendering and appears as if a different exposure level was used by the image capture device and displaying the exposure modified rendered captured digital image as a second digital image simultaneous with the first displayed digital image.

2. The method of claim 1 further including:

iteratively changing the adjustable exposure setting, thereby iteratively selecting non-linear curves and changing the second displayed digital image until a desired exposure modified rendered captured digital image is produced.

3. The method of claim 2 further including:

using such desired exposure modified rendered captured digital image to cause a printer to produce a print.

4. The method of claim 2 further including:

storing the exposure modified rendered captured digital image.

5. The method of claim 2 further including:

storing the adjustable exposure setting.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the using further includes using an adjustable contrast setting to select a non-linear contrast adjustment curve used to modify the rendered digital image to effect a contrast change.

7. A method for changing exposure in a rendered digital image having an exposure level, comprising:

displaying the rendered digital image as a first image on a first area of a display screen;

using a single user adjustable exposure setting to select an exposure modification curve used to modify the rendered captured digital image to effect a change which accounts for rendering used to produce the rendered digital image and which appears as if a different exposure level was used to capture the rendered digital image and displaying the exposure modified rendered digital image as a second digital image on a second area of the display screen.

8. The method of claim 7 further including:

iteratively changing the adjustable exposure setting, thereby iteratively selecting non-linear curves and changing the second image until a desired exposure modified rendered digital image is produced.

9. The method of claim 8 further including:

using such desired exposure modified rendered digital image to cause a printer to produce a print.

10. The method of claim 7 further including:

storing the exposure modified rendered captured digital image.

11. The method of claim 7 further including:

storing the adjustable exposure setting.

12. The method of claim 7 further including:

using an adjustable contrast setting to select a non-linear contrast adjustment curve used to modify the rendered digital image to effect a contrast change.

13. A digital image system for changing exposure in a digital image, captured by an image capture device using an exposure level, comprising:

means for rendering such captured digital image suitable for display and displaying such captured digital image as a first displayed digital image; and

adjustable exposure setting means for using a single user adjustable exposure setting to select an exposure modification curve for modifying the rendered captured digital image to effect a change which accounts for the rendering and appears as if a different exposure level was used by the image capture device and displaying the exposure modified rendered captured digital image as a second digital image relative to the first displayed digital image.

14. The digital image system of claim 13 further including:

means for iteratively changing the adjustable exposure setting, thereby iteratively selecting non-linear curves and changing the second displayed digital image until a desired exposure modified rendered captured digital image is produced.

15. The digital image system of claim 14 further including:

means for using such desired exposure modified rendered captured digital image to cause a printer to produce a print.

16. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage having a computer program for changing exposure in a digital image having an exposure level, comprising:

rendering such captured digital image suitable for display and displaying such captured digital image as a first displayed digital image; and

using a single user adjustable exposure setting to select an exposure modification curve used to modify the rendered captured digital image to effect a change which accounts for the rendering and appears as if a different exposure level was used to capture the digital image and displaying the exposure modified rendered captured digital image as a second digital image simultaneous with the first displayed digital image.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage having a computer program for changing exposure in a digital image, comprising:

displaying a rendered digital image as a first image on a first area of a display screen;

using a single user adjustable exposure setting to select an exposure modification curve used to modify the rendered digital image to effect a change which accounts for a rendering used to produce the rendered digital image and which appears as is a different exposure level was used to capture the digital image and displaying the exposure modified rendered digital image as a second digital image on a second area of the display screen.

18. A method for correcting for exposure in a digital image captured by a digital camera, comprising:

using an image sensor in the digital camera to capture an image of a scene using an exposure level

rendering such captured digital image suitable for display and displaying such captured digital image as a first displayed digital image;

providing a user interface to permit a user to adjust an exposure setting value to be a particular number;

responsive to the particular number of the exposure setting value, providing an exposure modification function, the exposure modification function being adapted to effect an exposure change in the rendered captured digital image;

using the non-linear function to modify the rendered captured digital image to produce an exposure modified rendered captured digital image such that the exposure modified rendered captured digital image accounts for the rendering and appears as if a different camera exposure level was used to expose the image sensor; and

displaying the exposure modified rendered captured digital image as a second digital image simultaneous with the first displayed digital image.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a display displaying a rendered image having an exposure level and a control allowing a single user adjustable parameter to be changed; and

a processor, responsive to the parameter, selecting an exposure modification curve to be used to modify the image, using the exposure modification curve to process the image to effect a change which accounts for a rendering used to produce the rendered image and which appears as if a different exposure level was used to capture the image and displaying the transformed image as the control is operated.

20. A method for processing a rendered image, comprising:

allowing a single user adjustable exposure setting to be changed;

selecting a shape of an exposure modification transform responsive to changes in the exposure setting the shape accounting for a rendering used to produce the rendered image and effecting a change that appears as if a different exposure level was used to capture the image; and

using an exposure modification transform with the selected shape to transform the rendered image.

21. A method for processing a rendered image, comprising:

allowing a single user adjustable exposure setting to be changed;

selecting an exposure modification transform responsive to changes in the exposure setting the transform accounting for a rendering used to produce the rendered image and effecting a change that appears as if a different exposure level was used to capture the image; and

using the selected exposure modification transform to transform the rendered image.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

a display displaying a rendered image having an exposure level and a control allowing a single user adjustable parameter to be changed; and

a processor, responsive to the parameter, selecting an exposure modification transform to be used to modify the image the transform accounting for a rendering used to produce the rendered image and effecting a change that appears as if a different exposure level was used to capture the image, using the selected exposure modification transform to process the rendered image and displaying the transformed image as the control is operated.