Image editing via grid elements

• US 6,844,885 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Issued: 01/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Dentel, Stephen D, Heiles, Lainye, Staas, David, Anderson, Jeff M.
• Primary Examiner(s): BRIER, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US10/010,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20030103060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 345650-654, 345661-665, 345676-680
• US Class Current: 345/650
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3873 defined only by a limited number of coordinate points or parameters, e.g. corners, centre; for trimming

Abstract

An image editing program includes a user interface for displaying a work area and receiving image edit inputs; and an engine for overlaying a grid on the work area, and using grid elements to generate commands in response to the image edit inputs.

Claims

1. Means for generating a user interface for displaying a work area, and receiving image edit inputs;

and

an engine wherein the engine uses the grid elements to compute distances as percentages; and

wherein the commands specify distances as percentages.

2. The program of claim 1, further comprising a cropping tool.

3. The program of claim 2, wherein specified grid elements are turned off in response to cropping of the image.

4. The program of claim 1, wherein precision of image editing is determined by granularity of the grid elements.

5. An image editing program comprising:

a user interface for displaying a work area, and receiving image edit inputs; and

an engine for overlaying a grid on the work area, and using grid elements to compute distances as percentages and generate commands in response to the image edit inputs, the commands also specifying distances as percentages;

precision of image editing determined by granularity of the grid elements.

6. An article for a computing apparatus, the article comprising:

computer memory; and

a program stored in the computer memory, the program, when executed, instructing the computing apparatus to display a digital image;

overlay a grid on the image;

receive image edit inputs; and

use elements of the grid to compute commands in response to the image edit inputs, wherein the grid elements are used to compute distances as percentages; and

wherein the commands specify distances as percentages.

7. The article of claim 6, the program providing a cropping tool.

8. The article of claim 7, wherein specified grid elements are turned off in response to cropping of the image.

9. The article of claim 6, wherein precision of image editing is determined by granularity of the grid elements.

10. A computing apparatus programmed to display a digital image;

overlay a grid on the image;

receive image edit inputs; and

use elements of the grid to compute commands in response to the image edit inputs, wherein the grid elements are used to compute distances as percentages; and

wherein the commands specify distances as percentages.

11. The computing apparatus of claim 10, programmed with a cropping tool for using the grid elements to compute commands in response to the image edit inputs.

12. The computing apparatus of claim 11, wherein grid elements are turned off in response to cropping of the image.

13. The computing apparatus of claim 10, wherein precision of image editing is determined by granularity of the grid elements.

14. Computing apparatus comprising:

means for displaying a digital image and receiving image edit inputs; and

means for overlaying a grid on the digital image, and using elements of the grid to compute image edit commands in response to the image edit inputs, wherein the grid elements are used to compute distances as percentages; and

wherein the commands specify distances as percentages.

15. A method of editing a digital image, the method comprising:

displaying the image;

overlaying grid elements on the displayed image;

receiving inputs representing edits on the image; and

using the grid elements to compute image edit commands in response to the image edit inputs; and

using the grid elements to compute distances as percentages;

the commands specifying distances as percentages.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising performing image cropping by turning off grid elements to at least partially obscure portions of the image that have been cropped.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein precision of image editing is determined by granularity of the grid elements.