Edge anti-aliasing

• US 7,849,414 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Gies, Sean, Swift, Michael J. E., Niederauer, Christopher, Brichter, Loren, Kan, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US11/770,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20080320414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 715762-765, 715837-839, 715767-768, 715/502, 715/744, 715851-854, 715711-715
• US Class Current: 715/768
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/503 Blending, e.g. for anti-aliasing

Abstract

Techniques for anti-aliasing of graphical objects. A graphical object to be displayed on a display image may be modified to include a border region at least partially surrounding the object. The color of the border region may be selected based on the color of the background over which the graphical object is to be displayed. The graphical object is linearly filtered. The linearly filtered graphical object is displayed on a display device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

modifying a graphical object to be displayed on a display image to include a border region having a transparency and a texture at least partially surrounding the object, wherein a color of the border region is selected based, at least in part, on a color of a background over which the graphical object is to be displayed and the texture is from a texture palette;

linearly filtering the graphical object; and

causing the linearly filtered graphical object to be displayed on a display device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing alpha blending on the graphical object.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical object comprises an artistic facsimile.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the artistic facsimile comprises album artwork.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the color of the border region is approximately the same as the color of the background.

6. An article of manufacture comprising a tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:

modify a graphical object to be displayed on a display image to include a border region having a transparency and a texture at least partially surrounding the object, wherein a color of the border region is selected based, at least in part, on a color of a background over which the graphical object is to be displayed and the texture is from a texture palette;

linearly filter the graphical object; and

cause the linearly filtered graphical object to be displayed on a display device.

7. The article of claim 6 further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform alpha blending on the graphical object.

8. The article of claim 6 wherein the graphical object comprises an artistic facsimile.

9. The article of claim 8 wherein the artistic facsimile comprises album artwork.

10. The article of claim 6 wherein the border region comprises a texture from a texture palette.

11. The article of claim 6 wherein the color of the border region is approximately the same as the color of the background.

12. An apparatus comprising:

means for modifying a graphical object to be displayed on a display image to include a border region having a transparency and a texture at least partially surrounding the object, wherein a color of the border region is selected based, at least in part, on a color of a background over which the graphical object is to be displayed and the texture is from a texture palette;

means for linearly filtering the graphical object; and

means for causing the linearly filtered graphical object to be displayed on a display device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising means for performing alpha blending on the graphical object.

14. A system comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors coupled with the memory to generate a graphical object for display, wherein the graphical object is modified by the one or more processors to include a border region having a transparency and a texture at least partially surrounding the object, wherein a color of the border region is selected based, at least in part, on a color of a background over which the graphical object is to be displayed and the texture is from a texture palette, and further wherein the one or more processors perform linear filtering on the modified graphical object; and

a display device coupled with the one or more processors to display the linearly filtered graphical object.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising performing alpha blending on the graphical object.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the graphical object comprises album artwork.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the border region comprises a texture from a texture palette.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the color of the border region is approximately the same as the color of the background.