Producing automatic “painting” effects in images

• US 6,894,694 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Lapstun, Paul, Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Razavi, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOOD JOHNSON, MOTILEWA
• Application Number:
  US09/112,777
• Time in Patent Office: 2,503 Days
• Field of Search: 345/431, 345/429, 345/432, 345/473, 345/581, 345/589, 345/593, 345/441
• US Class Current: 345/581
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/56 using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

Method is disclosed for the automatic creation of images in a “van Gogh” style. The method comprises locating portions of detail in an image an utilizing the area of detail to propagate brush strokes into areas of the image having lesser details. A number of modifications are also proposed including utilizing refining brush strokes to process those areas of detail in an image.

Claims

1. A method of automatically processing an image comprising the steps of:

locating, within the image, features having a high spatial variance by thresholding and skeletonising the image to produce an image comprising single pixel width definition of features;

discard features of the produced image having a size less than a predetermined size;

fitting curves to the remaining features; and

stroking the image with a series of brush strokes emanating from said remaining features of the produced image in accordance with the fitted curves.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said brush stroke have decreasing sizes near important features of the image.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said brush strokes include opacity and bump maps for added realism.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the position of a predetermined portion of brush strokes undergoes random jittering.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of discarding comprises discarding located features having a size of less than 20 contiguous pixels.