Image processing method, image processing apparatus and image processing program

• US 6,973,220 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2002
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Sakurai, Mikio, Horie, Daisaku
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, KANJIBHAI B
• Application Number:
  US10/109,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20020140823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 382/173, 382/190, 382/255, 382/260, 382/264, 382/266, 382/275, 382/284, 382/312, 348/207.99, 348/208.99, 348/208.4, 358/3.26, 358/533, 396/52
• US Class Current: 382/266
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20012 Locally adaptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/20 using local operators
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/70 Denoising; Smoothing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/194 involving foreground-background segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability

Abstract

An image processing method includes the steps of obtaining an image in which a first area including a first image and a second area including a second image are discriminated with each other, and a control step for performing a blur control to a second image using a filter to obtain a blur-controlled second image while accompanying processing for reducing an influence of the first area at a boundary between the first area and the second area and therearound when the blur control is performed to the second image.

Claims

1. An image processing method, comprising the steps of:

obtaining an image in which a first area including a first image and a second area including a second image are discriminated; and

a control step for performing a blur control to a second image using a filter to obtain a blur-controlled second image while accompanying processing for reducing an influence of said first area at a boundary between said first area and said second area and therearound when said blur control is performed to said second image, wherein said control step includes;

a step for assigning a pixel value of a pixel in said second area near said boundary at a periphery of said second image to said first area; and

a step for performing said blur control to said second image by using said filter.

2. The image processing method as recited in claim 1, wherein said obtaining step includes a step for cutting out said first image from an entire image, and said method further comprising a step for composing the cut-out first image and the blur controlled second image.

3. The image processing method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step of assigning said pixel values in said second area to said first area is performed along the boundary in a strip-shaped manner at predetermined intervals.

4. An image processing method, comprising the steps of:

obtaining an image in which a first area including a first image and a second area including a second image are discriminated; and

a control step for performing a blur control to a second image using a filter to obtain a blur-controlled second image while adjusting processing for reducing an influence of said first area at a boundary between said first area and said second area and therearound when said blur control is performed to said second image, wherein said control step includes a step for changing a configuration of said filter near said boundary corresponding to a contour of said second area.

5. The image processing method as recited in claim 4, wherein said obtaining step includes a step for cutting out said first image from an entire image, and said method further comprising a step for composing the cut-out first image and the blur controlled second image.

6. An image processing method comprising:

obtaining an image in which a first area including a first image and a second area including a second image are discriminated and

a control step for performing a blur control to a second image using a filter to obtain a blur-controlled second image while adjusting processing for reducing an influence of said first area at a boundary between said first area and said second area and therearound when said blur control is performed to said second image, wherein said control step includes;

a step for arranging a pixel value of a pixel to be processed in place of a pixel value of a pixel not to be processed when said pixel not to be processed is included within a range of said filter; and

a step for performing said blur control to said second image in said second area by using said filter.

7. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

a processor for obtaining an image in which a first area including a first image and a second area including a second image are discriminated with each other; and

a blur controller for performing a blur control to a second image using a filter to obtain a blur-controlled second image while adjusting processing for reducing an influence of said first area at a boundary between said first area and said second area and therearound when said blur control is performed to said second image, wherein said blur controller performs said blur control to said second image by using said filter after associating a pixel value of a pixel in said second area near said boundary at a periphery of said second image with said first area.

8. The image processing apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein said processor cuts out said first image from said entire image and composes the cut-out first image and the blur controlled second image.

9. The image processing method as recited in claim 7, wherein associating said pixel values in said second area with said first area is performed along the boundary in a strip-shaped manner at predetermined intervals.

10. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a processor for obtaining an image in which a first area including a first image and a second area including a second image are discriminated with each other; and

a blur controller for performing a blur control to a second image using a filter to obtain a blur-controlled second image while accompanying processing for reducing an influence of said first area at a boundary between said first area and said second area and therearound when said blur control is performed to said second image, wherein said blur controller performs said blur control to said second image by using said filter while changing a configuration of said filter near said boundary corresponding to a contour of said second area.

11. The image processing apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said processor cuts out said first image from said entire image and composes the cut-out first image and the blur controlled second image.

12. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a processor for obtaining an image in which a first area including a first image and a second area including a second image are discriminated with each other; and

a blur controller for performing a blur control to a second image using a filter to obtain a blur-controlled second image while accompanying processing for reducing an influence of said first area at a boundary between said first area and said second area and therearound when said blur control is performed to said second image, wherein said blur controller performs said blur control to said second image by using said filter after arranging a pixel value of a pixel to be processed in place of a pixel value of a pixel not to be processed when said pixel not to be processed is included within a range of said filter.

13. A computer readable program embodied in a computer readable medium for attaining the following functions:

obtaining an image in which a first area having a first image and a second area having a second image are discriminated with each other; and

performing a blur control to a second image using a filter to obtain a blur-controlled second image while altering the processing to reduce an influence of said first area at a boundary between said first area and said second area and therearound when said blur control is performed to said second image, wherein said performing a blur control includes;

arranging a pixel value of a pixel to be processed in place of a pixel value of a pixel not to be processed when said pixel not to be processed is included within a range of said filter; and

performing said blur control to said second image in said second area by using said filter.

14. The computer readable program as recited in claim 13, wherein said processing to reduce an influence of said first area is performed by associating a pixel value of a pixel in said second area near said boundary at a periphery of said second image with said first area.

15. The computer readable program as recited in claim 14, wherein said first image is cut out from an entire image, and the cut-out first image and the blur controlled second image are composed.

16. The image processing method as recited in claim 14, wherein said step of associating said pixel values in said second area with said first area is performed along the boundary in a strip-shaped manner at predetermined intervals.

17. The computer readable program as recited in claim 13, wherein said first image is cut out from an entire image, and the cut-out first image and the blur controlled second image are composed.