Mixed but indistinguishable raster and vector image data types
First Claim
Patent Images
1. In a computer having memory wherein is stored raster data corresponding to a raster image and vector data corresponding to a vector image, a method of executing an image manipulation operation comprising the steps of:
- receiving user input requesting performance of an image manipulation operation on a selected one of the raster and vector images, the operation being selected by the user from a plural group consisting of all operations available for image manipulation within a single user interface for application to both raster and vector image types, with user input steps required to apply the operation to raster data being the same as user input steps required to apply the operation to vector data, wherein the selected image is the raster image and the requested image manipulation operation is one which resizes at least a portion of the selected image;
automatically executing the requested image manipulation operation on the selected image, whereby the image manipulation operation is executed in substantially the same amount of time regardless of the data type of the selected image without regard to which image manipulation operation is requested;
resampling the selected image, prior to the step of receiving user input requesting performance of an image manipulation operation, thereby producing at least one pre-calculated image having a different resolution than the selected image, wherein the resolution of the pre-calculated image varies from the resolution of the selected image by a predetermined multiplicative factor, wherein the resolution of the pre-calculated image varies from the resolution of the selected image by a factor of an integral power of two;
storing in the memory the pre-calculated image; and
using the stored pre-calculated image when performing the step of automatically executing the requested image conversion operation.
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Abstract
An image processing application employs the concept of integral pre-multiplied alpha channel, and combines the techniques of multi-resolution representation, graph-structured representation, and automatic and intelligent data type conversion in order to permit a computer user to mix and manipulate both raster and vector based images in a single user interface while remaining unaware of the different data types underlying the images.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. In a computer having memory wherein is stored raster data corresponding to a raster image and vector data corresponding to a vector image, a method of executing an image manipulation operation comprising the steps of:
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receiving user input requesting performance of an image manipulation operation on a selected one of the raster and vector images, the operation being selected by the user from a plural group consisting of all operations available for image manipulation within a single user interface for application to both raster and vector image types, with user input steps required to apply the operation to raster data being the same as user input steps required to apply the operation to vector data, wherein the selected image is the raster image and the requested image manipulation operation is one which resizes at least a portion of the selected image; automatically executing the requested image manipulation operation on the selected image, whereby the image manipulation operation is executed in substantially the same amount of time regardless of the data type of the selected image without regard to which image manipulation operation is requested; resampling the selected image, prior to the step of receiving user input requesting performance of an image manipulation operation, thereby producing at least one pre-calculated image having a different resolution than the selected image, wherein the resolution of the pre-calculated image varies from the resolution of the selected image by a predetermined multiplicative factor, wherein the resolution of the pre-calculated image varies from the resolution of the selected image by a factor of an integral power of two; storing in the memory the pre-calculated image; and using the stored pre-calculated image when performing the step of automatically executing the requested image conversion operation.
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2. In a computer having memory wherein is stored raster data corresponding to a raster image and vector data corresponding to a vector image, a method of executing an image manipulation operation comprising the steps of:
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receiving user input requesting performance of an image manipulation operation on a selected one of the raster and vector images, the operation being selected by the user from a plural group consisting of all operations available for image manipulation within a single user interface for application to both raster and vector image types, with user input steps required to apply the operation to raster data being the same as user input steps required to apply the operation to vector data; automatically executing the requested image manipulation operation on the selected image, whereby the image manipulation operation is executed in substantially the same amount of time regardless of the data type of the selected image without regard to which image manipulation operation is requested; and eliminating at least some transparent pixels from the raster data corresponding to the raster image to form a raster sprite, wherein the raster data comprises a premultiplied alpha channel.
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3. In a computer having memory wherein is stored raster data corresponding to a raster image and vector data corresponding to a vector image, a method of executing an image manipulation operation comprising the steps of:
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receiving user input requesting performance of an image manipulation operation on a selected one of the raster and vector images, the operation being selected by the user from a plural group consisting of all operations available for image manipulation within a single user interface for application to both raster and vector image types, with user input steps required to apply the operation to raster data being the same as user input steps required to apply the operation to vector data; automatically executing the requested image manipulation operation on the selected image, whereby the image manipulation operation is executed in substantially the same amount of time regardless of the data type of the selected image without regard to which image manipulation operation is requested; storing in the memory a graph, the graph comprising nodes representing ordered image manipulation operations which have been executed on the selected image in processing the selected image; and automatically inserting in the graph a third node at a location between a first node and a second node, wherein said third node corresponds to at least one of a rasterization operator, a vectorization operator and a conversion operator. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. In a computer having memory wherein is stored raster data corresponding to a raster image and vector data corresponding to a vector image, a method of executing an image manipulation operation comprising the steps of:
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receiving user input requesting performance of an image manipulation operation on a selected one of the raster and vector images, the operation being selected by the user from a plural group consisting of all operations available for image manipulation within a single user interface for application to both raster and vector image types, with user input steps required to apply the operation to raster data being the same as user input steps required to apply the operation to vector data; automatically executing the requested image manipulation operation on the selected image, whereby the image manipulation operation is executed in substantially the same amount of time regardless of the data type of the selected image without regard to which image manipulation operation is requested; storing in the memory a graph, the graph comprising nodes representing ordered image manipulation operations which have been executed on the selected image in processing the selected image; determining whether an alteration of the order of the nodes representing image manipulation operations in the graph to create an alternative graph would yield an alternative graph which is more efficiently executable than the graph, wherein each of the graph and the alternative graph has an output; if the alteration would yield an alternative graph which is more efficiently executable than the graph, determining whether the output of the graph is the same as output of the alternative graph would be; and if the output of the graph is the same as the output of the alternative graph would be, automatically altering the order of the nodes representing image manipulation operations in the graph to yield the alternative graph.
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Specification