Selective image editing in a browser

• US 7,631,253 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2006
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rosenstein, Justin, Hertzfeld, Andrew, Sites, Richard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): RIES, LAURIE ANNE
• Application Number:
  US11/484,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20080225057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 715/201, 715/209, 715/731, 382/254, 382/276
• US Class Current: 715/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

Methods, tools, and systems are provided for editing an image in a browser. One method includes presenting an image in a browser, receiving a selection identifying an area of an image to transform and a transformation and transforming the area of the image in the browser without interaction with the server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing an image in a browser, the browser executing on a client device;

triggering an invocation of an editor in the browser;

displaying an editor in the browser, the editor including a control for invoking a transformation operation;

receiving user input to transform the image including receiving from a user in the browser a definition of an area of the image to transform and an effect to apply to the area;

transforming the image in the browser without interacting with a server;

determining that transforming the image is complete; and

providing transformation data to the sewer including a uniform resource locator (URL) that includes an identification of the image and information defining the transformation.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising

receiving a modified image at the browser after providing the transformation data, the modified image having the uniform resource locator (URL) and being transformed in accordance with the information defining the transformation.

3. The method of claim 1 where providing an image includes selecting an image using a web page creation tool.

4. The method of claim 1 where displaying an editor includes displaying a dialog box including the control.

5. A method comprising:

providing an image in a browser, the browser executing on a client device;

triggering an invocation of an editor in the browser;

displaying an editor in the browser, the editor including a control for invoking an effect on the image;

receiving user input to apply the effect to the image including receiving from a user a definition of an area of the image to apply the effect;

applying the effect to the image in the browser without interaction with a server; and

after applying the effect to the image presented in the browser, providing a uniform resource locator (URL) to the server identifying the image and describing the effect.

6. The method of claim 5 where the effect is a blend, the method further comprising:

blending the area with either a color or a second image in the browser, the second image or color associated with the effect;

receiving user input to define the amount of blending;

blending the first image and the second image or the color in the browser in accordance with the user input.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

determining that editing the image is complete; and

providing effect data to the server including information defining the effect, the area and the blend amount.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising receiving a modified image at the browser after providing the effect data, the modified image having a uniform resource locator (URL) and with an effect applied in accordance with the effect data.

9. The method of claim 6 where applying the effect includes determining the second image based on the effect.

10. The method of claim 6 where applying the effect includes executing a script to define a blend layer including the second image and combining the blend layer with the image.

11. The method of claim 10 where combining the blend layer and the image includes determining an opacity of the blend layer.

12. The method of claim 6 where the effect is brightness and the second image is an image that is substantially white or the color is white.

13. The method of claim 6 where the effect is darkness and the second image is substantially black or the color is black.

14. The method of claim 6 where the effect is color desaturation and the second image is a color desaturated representation of the image.

15. The method of claim 6 further comprising requesting a grayscale image from the server and providing the grayscale image to the browser as the second image.

16. The method of claim 6 where the effect is sharpness and the second image is a sharpened version of the image.

17. The method of claim 6 where the effect is enhancement and the second image is an enhanced version of the image.

18. The method of claim 5 where providing an image includes selecting an image using a web page creation tool.

19. The method of claim 5 where displaying an editor includes displaying a dialog box including the control.

20. The method of claim 5 where applying the effect to the image in the browser does not require interaction with the server.

21. The method of claim 5 where the effect combines two distinct images and where the method includes receiving user input to select the second image from among a plurality of images that are available to the browser, and combining the image and the second image includes defining an opacity of the second image to be used in the blend, and blending the image and the second image at the defined opacity level.

22. An apparatus comprising:

means for providing an image in a browser, the browser executing on a client device;

means for triggering an invocation of an editor in the browser;

means for displaying an editor in the browser, the editor including a control for invoking a transformation operation;

means for receiving user input to identify an area of the image and transform the area of the image;

means for transforming the area of the image in the browser without interaction with a server; and

means for providing transformation data to the server including a uniform resource locator (URL) that includes information defining the image, the area and the transformation.

23. A computer program product stored in a computer memory device including instructions for causing a computer to:

provide an image in a browser, the browser executing on a client device;

trigger an invocation of an editor in the browser;

display an editor in the browser, the editor including a control for invoking a transformation operation;

receive user input to identify an area of the image and transform the area of the image;

transform the area of the image in the browser without interaction with a server; and

provide transformation data to the server including a uniform resource locator (URL)) that includes information defining the image, the area and the transformation.

24. A method comprising:

presenting an image in a browser, the browser executing on a client device;

receiving a selection identifying an area of an image to transform and a transformation;

transforming the area of the image in the browser without interaction with a server; and

generating, by the client device, a uniform resource locator identifying the image and the transformation.

25. The method of claim 24 where generating the URL includes generating first data that identifies the image and generating second data, the second data including an identifier for a transformation and parameter data defining information for how to apply the transformation.

26. A method comprising:

selecting an image for editing, the image being presented in a browser, the browser executing on a client device;

editing the image in accordance with user instructions including identifying an area of the image to edit, selecting edits to apply to the area and presenting an edited version of the image in the browser; and

after editing the image in the browser, providing data to a server including a uniform resource locator (URL) that includes an image identifier and transformation data indicative of the edits made in the browser and in accordance with the user instructions.

27. An apparatus comprising:

means for presenting an image in a browser on a client device;

means in the browser for receiving a selection from a user to transform the image including an indication of an area of the image to transform;

means in the browser for transforming the area of the image in the browser without interaction with a server; and

means in the browser for generating a uniform resource locator identifying the image and the transform.

28. An apparatus comprising:

means for selecting an image for editing, the image being presented in a browser;

means for editing the image in accordance with user instructions including instructions identifying an area of the image to edit and selecting edits to apply to the area;

means for presenting an edited version of the image in the browser; and

after presenting the edited version of the image in the browser, means for providing data to a server including a uniform resource locator (URL) that includes an image identifier and transformation data indicative of the edits made in the browser and in accordance with the user instructions.

29. A method comprising:

selecting an image for editing, the image being presented in a browser;

receiving from a user in the browser a definition of an area of the image to edit and an effect to apply to the area;

transmitting area and effect data to a server in the form of a uniform resource locator (URL); and

responsive to the transmitting, receiving and displaying in the browser an edited image in accordance with the area and effect data, the edited image having the associated URL.