Image processing device and method

• US 7,092,122 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2001
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwaki, Yasuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Madeleine A V
• Application Number:
  US09/906,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20020080379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,854 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.9, 358/520, 358/521, 358/518, 358/538, 382/167, 382/162, 348/256, 348/603, 348/645, 348/703
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6005 with luminance or chrominance signals, e.g. LC1C2, HSL or YUV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6027 Correction or control of colour gradation or colour contrast H04N1/6058 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/62 Retouching, i.e. modification of isolated colours only or in isolated picture areas only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/628 Memory colours, e.g. skin or sky

Abstract

In order to achieve to adjust saturation of an image without leading to a deterioration in image quality, there is provided an image processing device and method in which a conversion data has a conversion characteristic which suppresses a change in saturation in a visible image for pixels belonging to a predetermined color region, and in order to achieve that changes in image quality which accompany conversion of gradation of an image data can be accurately corrected, there is provided an image processing device and method in which one of reconverting the image data which is converted or controlling a conversion characteristic is performed, such that changes in a ratio of a difference, of each of color components, with respect to gray of each pixel of the image data, which changes accompany conversion of the gradation of the image data, are corrected.

Claims

1. An image processing device including a storing section which stores conversion data of a conversion characteristic which changes, in units of respective pixels and by a predetermined amount, saturation, in a visible image, of image data used in output of the visible image;

and a converting section which converts the image data used in output of the visible image in accordance with the conversion data stored in the storing section,

wherein the conversion data stored in the storing section has a conversion characteristic which suppresses a change in saturation in the visible image for pixels belonging to a predetermined color region and in a vicinity of a border of the predetermined color region, the degree of suppression of change in saturation is greater the closer to a center of the predetermined color region than at the edge of the border.

2. An image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined color region is a region in which a hue angle in the visible image falls within a predetermined range.

3. An image processing device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined range is a range corresponding to skin color.

4. An image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined color region includes at least one of a low saturation region where saturation in the visible image is low, and a high saturation region where saturation in the visible image is high.

5. An image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined color region includes at least one of a high lightness region where lightness in the visible image is high, and a low lightness region where lightness in the visible image is low.

6. An image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the conversion data is data which makes correspond a color value before a saturation change and a color value after the saturation change, when color values in the image data are changed such that saturation in the visible image changes.

7. An image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the conversion characteristic of the conversion data is set, on the basis of a color reproduction gamut in an output form of the visible image, such that a change in saturation is not saturated.

8. An image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an instructing section for instructing a saturation change amount,

wherein a plurality of types of conversion data having respectively different saturation change amounts are stored in the storing section, and

the converting section converts image data by using, among the plurality of types of conversion data, conversion data which corresponds to a saturation change amount which is instructed via the instructing section.

9. An image processing device according to claim 8, wherein the saturation change amounts of the plurality of types of conversion data are respectively different by greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and

in a case in which the saturation change amount instructed via the instructing section is a substantially intermediate value of saturation change amounts corresponding to any of the plurality of types of conversion data, the converting section, on the basis of conversion data corresponding to a saturation change amount which approximates the instructed saturation change amount, determines, by interpolation, conversion data corresponding to the instructed saturation change amount, and converts the image data by using the determined conversion data.

10. An image processing device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of types of output forms having respectively different color reproduction gamut of the visible image are prepared as output forms of the visible image, and

on the basis of the color reproduction ranges of the plurality of types of output forms, the storing section stores a plurality of types of conversion data whose conversion characteristics are set such that a change in saturation does not become saturated, and

the converting section converts the image data by using conversion data corresponding to an output form which is used.

11. An image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a designating section for designating a color region for which a change in saturation is to be suppressed; and

a generating section for generating conversion data of a conversion characteristic which suppresses a change in saturation in the visible image, for pixels belonging to at least one of the predetermined color region and a color region designated via the designating section.

12. An image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display section for displaying an image; and

a display control section for making the display section display an image expressed by image data which is converted by the converting section.

13. An image processing method in which conversion data of a conversion characteristic which changes, in units of respective pixels and by a predetermined amount, saturation, in a visible image, of image data used in output of the visible image, is stored, and the image data used in output of the visible image is converted in accordance with the stored conversion data,

wherein the stored conversion data has a conversion characteristic which suppresses a change in saturation in the visible image for pixels belonging to a predetermined color region and in a vicinity of a border of the predetermined color region, the degree of suppression of change in saturation is greater the closer to a center of the predetermined color region than at the edge of the border.