Image processing apparatus, method and program

• US 7,580,158 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2004
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon; King Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhu; Richard Z
• Application Number:
  US10/927,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20050046902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,824 Days
• Field of Search: 358/3.01, 358/3.27, 358518-522, 382166-172, 382/235, 382/243, 382/260, 382/264
• US Class Current: 358/3.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/40 using histogram techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/92 based on global image properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4074 using histograms

Abstract

An image analysis unit analyzes an image on which AE processing has been performed and obtains a coefficient for obtaining a gradient of a compression table for compressing a dynamic range of the image. A compression table creation unit creates a compression table. A correction amount calculation unit judges whether the gradient of the compression table is larger than a predetermined threshold value. If the judgment is YES, loss of fine texture in the image by dynamic range compression is significant. Therefore, the correction amount calculation unit calculates a correction amount by using an unsharp image of the image. If the judgment is NO, loss of fine texture in the image is insignificant, the correction amount calculation unit calculates the correction amount by using the image. A compression processing unit compresses the dynamic range of the image by the correction amount and obtains a processed image data set.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a correction amount calculation means for calculating a correction amount to be added to each pixel of an image to compress a dynamic range of the image by referring to a compression table that defines a relationship between the density of each pixel of the image and the compression amount for compressing the dynamic range of the image;

a processing means for obtaining a processed image of which the dynamic range has been compressed by performing processing for compressing the dynamic range of the image by adding the correction amount to each pixel of the image; and

a judgment means for judging whether an estimated change amount of the image by the processing for compressing the dynamic range, the estimated change amount being obtained from the compression table, is larger than a predetermined threshold value, wherein if the judgment is YES, the correction amount calculation means produces an unsharp image of the image and calculates the correction amount by using the unsharp image and by referring to the compression table, or if the judgment is NO, the correction amount calculation means calculates the correction amount by using the image instead of the unsharp image and by referring to the compression table.

4. An image processing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the correction amount calculations means calculates the correction amount by comparing a highlight density to the minimum density of an image output unit and comparing a shadow density to a maximum density of an image output unit;

and

wherein the highlight density and shadow density are each found at predetermined relative locations on a histogram of densities for the pixels of the image.

7. An image processing apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein the correction amount calculations means further calculates the correction amount by calculating coefficients Ph and Ps;

wherein in Ph=(Dmin-YO)/(Yh-YO);

wherein in Ps=(Dmax-YO)/(Ys-YO);

where Yh is the highlight density, Ys is the shadow density, Dmax is the maximum density of an image output unit, Dmin is the minimum density of an image output unit, and YO is a predetermined standard density.

8. An image processing apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the correction amount calculations means only calculates Ph if Dmin<

Yh, and only calculates Ps if Dmax>

Ys.

9. An image processing apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the correction amount calculations means further calculates the correction amount by creating a compression table with a gradient Ph-1 for densities less than YO, and Ps-1 for densities greater than YO.

10. An image processing apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the compression table has no gradient for densities less than YO if Ph is not calculated, and wherein the compression table has no gradient for densities greater than YO if Ps is not calculated.

11. An image processing apparatus as defined in claim 1, the apparatus further comprising:

a table generation means for generating the compression table based on a comparison result obtained by calculating a density histogram of the image and by comparing a highlight density of the density histogram and a shadow density of the density histogram with a lowest density and a highest density that can be regenerated by an image output apparatus that outputs the processed image, respectively, wherein the correction amount calculation means calculates the correction amount by referring to the compression table generated by the table generation means, and wherein the judgment means uses, as the estimated change amount, the gradient of the compression table generated by the table generation means.

12. An image processing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the judgment means uses, as the estimated change amount, a correction amount based on the compression table, the correction amount corresponding to a lowest density that can be regenerated by an image output apparatus that outputs the processed image.

2. An image processing method to be implement on an image processing apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

calculating a correction amount to be added to each pixel of an image to compress a dynamic range of the image by referring to a compression table that defines a relationship between the density of each pixel of the image and the compression amount for compressing the dynamic range of based the image;

obtaining a processed image of which the dynamic range has been compressed by performing processing for compressing the dynamic range of the image by adding the correction amount to each pixel of the image;

judging whether an estimated change amount of the image by the processing for compressing the dynamic range, the estimated change amount being obtained from the compression table, is larger than a predetermined threshold value; and

if the judgment is YES, producing an unsharp image of the image and calculating the correction amount by using the unsharp image and by referring to the compression table, or if the judgment is NO, calculating the correction amount by using the image instead of the unsharp image and by referring to the compression table.

5. An image processing method as defined in claim 2, wherein calculating a correction amount comprises comparing a highlight density to the minimum density of an image output unit and comparing a shadow density to a maximum density of an image output unit;

and

wherein the highlight density and shadow density are each found at predetermined locations on a histogram of densities for the pixels of the image.

3. A computer readable medium encoded with a program for causing a computer to execute an image processing method, the program comprising the procedures for:

calculating a correction amount to be added to each pixel of an image to compress a dynamic range of an image based on the image by referring to a compression table that defines a relationship between the density of each pixel of the image and the compression amount for compressing the dynamic range of the image;

obtaining a processed image of which the dynamic range has been compressed by performing processing for compressing the dynamic range of the image by adding the correction amount to each pixel of the image;

judging whether an estimated change amount of the image by the processing for compressing the dynamic range, the estimated change amount being obtained from the compression table, is larger than a predetermined threshold value; and

if the judgment is YES, producing an unsharp image of the image and calculating the correction amount by using the unsharp image and by referring to the compression table, or if the judgment is NO, calculating the correction amount by using the image instead of the unsharp image and by referring to the compression table.

6. An computer readable medium encoding a program as defined in claim 3, wherein calculating a correction amount comprises comparing a highlight density to the minimum density of an image output unit and comparing a shadow density to a maximum density of an image output unit;

and

wherein the highlight density and shadow density are each found at predetermined locations on a histogram of densities for the pixels of the image.