Image processing apparatus

• US 7,038,713 B1
• Filed: 09/09/1998
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matama, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Ngoc-Yen
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LUONG TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/150,010
• Time in Patent Office: 2,792 Days
• Field of Search: 348/96, 348/97, 348/98, 348/207.2, 348/333.12, 348/223.1, 348/221.1, 358/530, 358/452, 358/1.9, 358/453
• US Class Current: 348/207.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4072 dependent on the contents of the original
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/60 Colour correction or control H04N1/54 takes precedence

Abstract

The improved image processing apparatus comprises a device for receiving image data; image processor for performing necessary image processing on the received image data to produce output image data; a display for displaying an image carried by the image data supplied from a source of image data supply; a designating device for designating at least one principal part of the image displayed by the display; and a setting device for setting image processing conditions in accordance with the at least one principal part of the image designated by the designating device. The image processor performs the necessary image processing under the image processing conditions set by the setting device. The image processing apparatus allows the principal part of an image to be designated easily so that image processing conditions optimal for that principal part can be set. In digital photoprinters and like machines, high-quality prints reproducing images of high quality can be produced with high efficiency.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

means for receiving image data from a source of image data supply;

image processing means for performing image processing on the received image data to produce output image data;

display means for displaying an image carried by the image data supplied from said source of image data supply;

designating means for designating at least one principal part of the image displayed by said display means; and

setting means for setting image processing conditions in accordance with information about said at least one principal part of the image designated by said designating means;

wherein said setting means calculates said image processing conditions using image data within said at least one principal part designated by said designating means and image data within an entire image area of said image, and sets said calculated image processing conditions in accordance with said information about said at least one principal part and information about said entire image area of said image, and

said image processing means performs said image processing on said image data within said entire image area of said image under said image processing conditions set by said setting means.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said designating means comprises a mouse or a keyboard to designate at least one point of said image displayed by said display means.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein extracting means automatically extracts a region containing said at least one principal part in view of image continuity, in accordance with an information about at least one point in said at least one principal part designated by a point designating means.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said designating means comprises a light pen to designate at least one point of said image displayed by said display means and said display means is a display for inputting with said light pen.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said designating means comprises a touch panel.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein extracting means automatically extracts a region containing the thus designated one principal part and a region containing at least one other principal part in a plurality of principal parts in view of an image continuity, based on an information about one point in said one principal part designated by a point designating means.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said designating means comprises means for obtaining camera shooting information corresponding to said image data supplied from said source of image data supply.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said designating means comprises means for inputting a position of at least one point of said image displayed by said display means by an operator'"'"'s line of vision.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said designating means comprises point designating means for designating at least one point in said at least one principal part, and extracting means for automatically extracting said at least one principal part based on an information about said at least one point in said at least one principal part designated by said point designating means, and said setting means sets the image processing conditions in accordance with a region containing said at least one principal part extracted by said extracting means.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said display means also displays at least one of said at least one principal part having one point designated by said point designating means and said at least one principal part automatically extracted by said extracting means, and said image processing apparatus further includes modifying means that cancels an unwanted one of said at least one principal part displayed by said display means that is unsuitable as a principal part, adds a principal part to be designated by said designating means on said image displayed by said display means to said at least one principal part, or modifies a position, size or both of said at least one principal part displayed by said display means.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said extracting means automatically extracts said region containing said at least one principal part in view of image continuity, in accordance with said information about said at least one point in said at least one principal part designated by said point designating means.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said display means also displays the region of said at least one principal part automatically extracted by said extracting means and said image processing apparatus further includes modifying means that cancels an unwanted region unsuitable as a principal part in said at least one principal part displayed by said display means, adds a region to be extracted as a principal part by said extracting means on said image displayed by said display means to said at least one principal part, or modifies a position, size or both of the region containing said at least one principal part displayed by said display means.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said at least one principal part of said image comprises a plurality of principal parts and said point designating means is of a type that designates one point in one of said plurality of principal parts and said extracting means automatically extracts at least one other principal part in said plurality of principal parts, based on said information about said one point in said one principal part designated by said point designating means.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said display means also displays at least one of said one principal part having one point designated by said point designating means, and at least one other principal part in said plurality of principal parts automatically extracted by said extracting means, and said image processing apparatus further includes modifying means that cancels an unwanted region unsuitable as a principal part in said at least one principal part displayed by said display means, adds a region to be designated as a principal part by said designating means on said image displayed by said display means to said at least one principal part, or modifies a position, size or both of the region containing said at least one of said plurality of principal parts displayed by said display means.

15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said extracting means automatically extracts the region containing the thus designated one principal part and the region containing at least one other principal part in said plurality of principal parts in view of said image continuity, based on said information about said one point in said one principal part designated by said point designating means.

16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said display means also displays at least one of the region containing the thus designated one principal part and the region containing at least one other principal part in said plurality of principal parts and said image processing apparatus further includes modifying means that cancels an unwanted region unsuitable as a principal part in said at least one principal part displayed by said display means, adds a region to be designated as a principal part by said designating means on said image displayed by said display means to said at least one principal part, or modifies a position, size or both of the region containing said at least one principal part displayed by said display means.

17. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one principal part of said image comprises a plurality of principal parts and a point designating means is of a type that designates one point in one of said plurality of principal parts and extracting means automatically extracts at least one other principal part in said plurality of principal parts, based on an information about said one point in said one principal part designated by said point designating means.

18. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display means is of a type that displays the image as it is divided into a plurality of regions and said designating means is of a type that designates at least one of the thus divided plurality of regions and said setting means sets the image processing conditions in accordance with the thus designated at least one region.

19. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display means also displays said at least one principal part designated by said designating means and said image processing apparatus further includes modifying means that cancels an unwanted one of said at least one principal part displayed by said display means that is unsuitable as a principal part, adds a principal part to be designated by said designating means on said image displayed by said display means to said at least one principal part, or modifies a position, size or both of said at least one principal part displayed by said display means.

20. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image processing means performs at least one image processing selected from the group consisting of sharpness enhancement, dodging, contrast correction and color modification as said image processing.