Image processing method and apparatus

• US 6,862,373 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2002
• Issued: 03/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Enomoto, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas D
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRINICH, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US10/201,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20020196472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 382260-269, 382/275
• US Class Current: 382/263
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20192 Edge enhancement; Edge preservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/73 Deblurring; Sharpening
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/80 Geometric correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/387 Composing, repositioning or otherwise geometrically modifying originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/58 Edge or detail enhancement; Noise or error suppression, e.g. colour misregistration correction H04N1/62 takes precedence

Abstract

The image processing method and apparatus acquire input image data from the image recorded optically with a taking lens, acquire the information about the lens used to record the image and perform image processing schemes on the input image data using the acquired lens information, provided that the type of the lens used is identified from the acquired lens information and the intensity of sharpness enhancement of the corresponding image is altered in accordance with the identified lens type. The characteristics of the taking lens may also be acquired from the lens information and using the obtained lens characteristics as well as the position information for the recorded image, the input image data is subjected to aberration correction for correcting the deterioration in image quality due to the lens characteristics, provided that the information about the focal length of the taking lens effective at the time of image recording is additionally used, or image processing schemes are performed in two crossed directions of the recorded image, or parameters for correcting aberrations in the imaging plane of the taking lens are scaled such that they are related to the output image data on a pixel basis. High-quality prints reproducing high-quality images can be obtained from original images that were recorded with compact cameras, digital cameras and other conventional inexpensive cameras using low-performance lenses.

Claims

1. An image processing method that acquires not only input image data from an image recorded optically with a taking lens but also a lens information about the taking lens used to record said image and which performs image processing schemes on said input image data using the obtained lens information, thereby producing output image data, comprising the steps of:

acquiring not only an information about focal length effective at the time of recording said image but also lens characteristics of said taking lens from said lens information

correcting aberrations in the image derived from the taking lens used to record said image using the obtained lens characteristics, a position information for said recorded image and the information about said focal length; and

acquiring an information about a diaphragm used to record said image and correcting deterioration of marginal lumination of the input image data as said aberration taking account of said diaphragm information.

2. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein said aberrations comprise at least one of chromatic aberration of magnification, distortion, deterioration of marginal lumination and defocusing.

3. An image processing method that acquires not only input image data from an image recorded optically with a taking lens but also a lens information about the taking lens used to record said image and which performs image processing schemes on said input image data using the obtained lens information, thereby producing output image data, comprising the steps of:

acquiring not only an information about focal length effective at the time of recording said image but also lens characteristics of said taking lens from said lens information; and

correcting aberrations in the image derived from the taking lens used to record said image using the obtained lens characteristics, a position information for said recorded image and the information about said focal length;

wherein the characteristics of said taking lens are calculated in terms of the focal length effective at image recording using preliminarily obtained lens characteristics of said taking lens at a plurality of focal lengths.

4. The image processing method according to claim 3, wherein said aberrations comprise at least one of chromatic aberration of magnification, distortion, deterioration of marginal lumination and defocusing.

5. An image processing method that acquires not only input image data from an image recorded optically with a taking lens but also a lens information about the taking lens used to record said image and which performs image processing schemes on said input image data using the obtained lens information, thereby producing output image data, comprising the steps of:

acquiring not only an information about focal length effective at the time of recording said image but also lens characteristics of said taking lens from said lens information; and

correcting aberrations in the image derived from the taking lens used to record said image using the obtained lens characteristics, a position information for said recorded image and the information about said focal length;

wherein said correction of aberrations includes distortion and chromatic aberration of magnification and comprises the steps of assigning one of three primary colors as a reference color, calculating offsets in image positions of the other colors from the image position of the reference color derived from said chromatic aberration of magnification, calculating appropriate positions of the respective images as corrected for both said distortion and said chromatic aberration of magnification by using said offsets derived from the chromatic aberration of magnification and the offset in the image position of said reference color derived from said distortion, and performing either the correction of said distortion and said chromatic aberration of magnification or electronic scaling or both by using said appropriate positions.

6. The image processing method according to claim 5, wherein said aberrations comprise at least one of chromatic aberration of magnification, distortion, deterioration of marginal lumination and defocusing.

7. An image processing apparatus which acquires input image data from the image recorded optically with a taking lens of variable focal length and performs image processing schemes on the input image data to produce output image data, comprising:

first acquisition means for acquiring an information about the taking lens used to record said image, second acquisition means for acquiring an information about the focal length of said taking lens effective at the time of recording said image, storage means for storing lens characteristics of the lens used to record said image, and aberration correcting means which, in accordance with the lens information acquired by said first acquisition means obtains the lens characteristics of the corresponding lens from said storage means and which uses the obtained lens characteristics, a position information for said image and the information about the focal length of said lens acquired by said second acquisition means, thereby correcting the aberrations in the image derived from the taking lens used to record said image;

wherein, if said aberration correcting means is to correct deterioration of marginal lumination, said second acquisition means also acquires an information about diaphragm used to record the image and said aberration correcting means corrects the marginal lumination deterioration taking account of the diaphragm information.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said aberrations comprise at least one of chromatic aberration of magnification, distortion, deterioration of marginal lumination and defocusing.

9. An image processing apparatus which acquires input image data from the image recorded optically with a taking lens of variable focal length and performs image processing schemes on the input image data to produce output image data, comprising:

first acquisition means for acquiring an information about the taking lens used to record said image, second acquisition means for acquiring an information about the focal length of said taking lens effective at the time of recording said image, storage means for storing lens characteristics of the lens used to record said image, and aberration correcting means which, in accordance with the lens information acquired by said first acquisition means, obtains the lens characteristics of the corresponding lens from said storage means and which uses the obtained lens characteristics, a position information for said image and the information about the focal length of said lens acquired by said second acquisition means, thereby correcting the aberrations in the image derived from the taking lens used to record said image;

wherein said storage means stores, as said lens characteristics, characteristics of said lens at a plurality of focal lengths and said aberration correcting means calculates said lens characteristics at said plurality of focal lengths in terms of the focal length effective at the time of recording the image that was acquired by said second acquisition means, thereby determining the lens characteristics of said lens at the focal length effective at the time of image recording.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said aberrations comprise at least one of chromatic aberration of magnification, distortion, deterioration of marginal lumination and defocusing.

11. An image processing apparatus which acquires input image data from the image recorded optically with a taking lens of variable focal length and performs image processing schemes on the input image data to produce output image data, comprising:

first acquisition means for acquiring an information about the taking lens used to record said image, second acquisition means for acquiring an information about the focal length of said taking lens effective at the time of recording said image, storage means for storing lens characteristics of the lens used to record said image and aberration correcting means which, in accordance with the lens information acquired by said first acquisition means obtains the lens characteristics of the corresponding lens from said storage means and which uses the obtained lens characteristics, a position information for said image and the information about the focal length of said lens acquired by said second acquisition means, thereby correcting the aberrations in the image derived from the taking lens used to record said image;

wherein said aberration correcting means assigns one of three primary colors as a reference color, calculates offsets in image positions of the other colors from the image positions of the reference color derived from chromatic aberration of magnification, calculates the appropriate positions of the respective images as corrected for both distortion and chromatic aberration of magnification by using said offsets derived from chromatic aberration of magnification and the offset in the image position of said reference color derived from distortion, and corrects the distortion and chromatic aberration of magnification based on said appropriate positions or performs electronic scaling by using said appropriate positions.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said aberrations comprise at least one of chromatic aberration of magnification, distortion, deterioration of marginal lumination and defocusing.

13. An image processing method which acquires input image data from an optically recorded image and performs image processing schemes on the input image data to produce output image data, comprising the steps of:

scaling preset parameters for correcting the aberrations which the lens used to record said image causes in the plane where said image is focused by means of at least one of an electronic scaling ratio for producing said output image data, number of input pixels in said input image data, a size of the input image and a size of the output image to produce aberration correction parameters that are related to said output image data on a pixel basis; and

correcting the aberrations in said image derived from the lens used to record the image by using said aberration correction parameters on the pixel basis.

14. An image processing apparatus which acquires input image data from an optically recorded image and performs image processing schemes on the input image data to produce output image data, comprising:

acquisition means for acquiring an information about taking lens used to record said image;

storage means for storing parameters for correcting the aberrations which the lens used to record said image causes in an imaging plane where said image is focused;

selection means by which a parameter for correcting the aberrations which the related lens causes on said imaging plane is selected from said storage means in accordance with the lens information acquired by said first acquisition means;

conversion means by which the parameter for correcting the aberrations on the imaging plane as selected by said selection means is scaled with at least one of an electronic scaling ratio for producing said output image data, number of input pixels in said input image data, a size of the input image and a size of the output image, whereby said parameter is converted to an aberration correcting parameter that is related to said output image data on a pixel basis; and

aberration correcting means which corrects the image aberrations derived from the image taking lens by using the aberration correcting parameter on the pixel basis converted by said conversion means.

15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said image is one that is recorded on a photographic film and the size of said input image is equal to a size of the image as it is read from said photographic film.

16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said aberration comprises at least one of chromatic aberration of magnification, distortion, deterioration of marginal lumination and defocusing.