Method of image processing and electronic camera

• US 7,024,053 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konica Corporation (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Corporation (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Enomoto, Hiromichi
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, KANJIBHAI B
• Application Number:
  US09/998,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20020071042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 382274-275, 382/284, 382/312, 348/36, 348/222.1, 345/629, 355/43, 358/1.9, 396/55, 359/211
• US Class Current: 382/284
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing

Abstract

An image processing method to make a composite image by pasting an image including a marked photographic object into another image, comprises the steps of, obtaining a degree of agreement between image data corresponding to a background image of the marked photographic object and image data corresponding to a background image of the other image, and a step of pasting an image of the marked photographic object into the other image in a state that the degree of agreement is highest.

Claims

1. An image processing method of making a composite image from a first photographic image comprising a marked photographic object and a first background and a second photographic image comprising a second photographic object and a second background, wherin the first background and the second background include a common third object, said image processing method comprising:

calculating a degree of agreement between image data corresponding to the first background and image data corresponding to the second background; and

pasting an image of the marked photographic object into the second photographic image at a position at which the degree of agreement is highest.

2. The image processing method of claim 1, further comprising designating a domain in the first photographic image, wherein the domain includes the marked photographic object to be pasted.

3. The image processing method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the composite image.

4. The image processing method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

moving a pasting position of the image of the marked photographic object in the second photographic image; and

enlarging/reducing a domain in the first photographic image, the domain including the marked photographic object to be pasted.

5. The image processing method of claim 1, further comprising processing at least one of image data of the first photographic image and image data of the second photographic image to make an average brightness and color balance of the first photographic image to agree with an average brightness and color balance of the second photographic image.

6. The image processing method of claim 1, further comprising correcting distortion caused by a photographic optical system.

7. An electronic camera, comprising:

a photographing section to photograph a first photographic image comprising a first object and a first background and a second photographic image comprising a second object and a second background, wherein the first background and the second background include a common third object; and

a display section to display semi-transparently the first photographic image and the second photographic image such that the second photographic image is superposed on the first photographic image.

8. The electronic camera of claim 7, further comprising:

an obtaining section to obtain a composite position of the first photographic image and the second photographic image at which the first background and the second background agree with each other;

wherein the display section superposes the second photographic image on the first photographic image based on the composite position.

9. The electronic camera of claim 7, further comprising:

a section to obtain a degree of agreement of the first background and the second background; and

a notifying section to notify when the degree of agreement of the first background and the second background is higher than a specified value.

10. The electronic camera of claim 9, wherein the notifying section emits a sound when the degree of agreement of the first background and the second background is higher than the specified value.

11. The electric camera of claim 7, wherein when a plurality of images are photographed for pasting, information is recorded in a header of at least one of the photographic images to identify the image corresponding to the header and another image as objects of pasting.