Method for creating photo cutouts and collages

• US 8,135,182 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2008
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Luo, Jiebo, Arnold, Kenneth A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tucker, Wesley
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woldemariam, Aklilu
• Application Number:
  US12/107,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20090263038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 382/118, 382/128, 382/132, 382/149, 382/171, 382/195, 382/203, 382/204, 382/205
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/23213 with fixed number of clusters, e.g. K-means clustering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/16 using multiple overlapping images; Image stitching
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/24 Aligning, centring, orientation detection or correction of the image
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/763 Non-hierarchical techniques, e.g. based on statistics of modelling distributions

Abstract

A method for automatically producing a new digital image from a first digital image that includes regions of interest, includes obtaining a main subject belief map including an array of belief values indicating the location and relative importance of subject matter in the first digital image; producing a mask for each privileged object in the first digital image, each such mask including margins around its corresponding privileged object; overlaying the mask(s) onto the belief map; and producing a first convex hull that includes the mask(s) with margin(s) and regions of the highest belief values from the belief map.

Claims

1. A method for automatically producing a new digital image from digital images that includes regions of interest, comprising:

(a) using a processor to obtain a main subject belief map including an array of belief values that indicate the location and relative importance of subject matter in each of at least two digital images;

(b) using one or more thresholds along with the belief maps to locate one or more privileged objects in each digital image;

(c) producing a mask for each privileged object, each such mask including margins around its corresponding privileged object;

(d) producing a convex hull for each mask that includes the mask with margin(s) and regions of highest belief values from the associated belief map; and

(e) producing the new digital image including portions of each digital image based upon each associated convex hull.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) is performed before step (a).

3. The method of claim 1 further including expanding the first convex hull to include regions of medium belief values intersecting with the first convex hull.

4. The method of claim 3 further including producing a second convex hull that includes the first convex hull and the regions of medium belief values intersecting with the first convex hull.

5. The method of claim 1 further including using the first convex hull on the first digital image to produce a first cutout and using such first cutout to produce the second digital image.

6. The method of claim 5 further including repeating steps a-d on a another digital image to produce a second cutout and using the first and second cutouts to produce the second digital image as a collage.

7. The method of claim 3 further including using the expanded first convex hull on the first digital image to produce a first cutout and using such first cutout to produce the second digital image.

8. The method of claim 7 further including repeating the method of claim 3 on another digital image to produce a second cutout and using the first and second cutouts to produce the second digital image as a collage.

9. The method of claim 6 further including using the second convex hull on the first digital image to produce a first cutout and using such first cutout to produce the second digital image.

10. The method of claim 9 further including repeating the method of claim 4 on another digital image to produce a second cutout and using the first and second cutouts to produce the second digital image as a collage.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the producing of the second digital image includes scaling of the cutout image, and combining with a background image using one of the following edge treatments for the cutout:

(I) using a hard edge with a simulated mat to appear as a matted image for framing,

(II) using a hard edge with a white border to simulate a photograph, or

(III) blending the edge into the background.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein second digital image is produced without overlapping the cutout images and including scaling of the cutout images, with a background image using one of the following edge treatments for the cutout:

(I) using a hard edge with a simulated mat to appear as a matted image for framing,

(II) using a hard edge with a white border and drop shadow to simulate a photograph, or

(III) blending the edge into the background.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein second digital image is produced, without overlapping the cutout images and including scaling of the cutout images, with a background image using one of the following edge treatments for the cutout:

(I) using a hard edge with a simulated mat to appear as a matted image for framing,

(II) using a hard edge with a white border and drop shadow to simulate a photograph, or

(III) blending the edge into the background.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein further comprising:

(f) using the main subject belief map to determine least important area outside the convex hulls in first digital image and the another digital image; and

(g) overlaying the image cutouts at the determined areas.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein, further comprising:

(f) using the main subject belief map to determine least important area outside the convex hulls in first digital image and the another digital image; and

(g) overlaying the image cutouts at the determined areas.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein the second digital image is produced with partial overlapping among the image cutouts, further comprising:

(f) using the main subject belief map to determine less important area along the border of the convex hull of each image cutout; and

(g) overlapping the image cutouts at the determined areas.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the second digital image is produced, with partial overlapping among the image cutouts, further comprising:

(f) using the main subject belief map to determine less important area along the border of the convex hull of each image cutout; and

(g) overlapping the image cutouts at the determined areas.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the second digital is produced where non-privileged image areas can be overlapped with other images, using one of the following edge treatments for the cutout:

(h) using intelligent overlap with edge treatment, or

(i) blending the edge of each cutout image into the background or into the other cutout images they overlap.