Migration for old image database

• US 8,249,385 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2011
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bhatt, Nikhil M., Bianchi, Curtis A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cunningham, Gregory F
• Application Number:
  US13/037,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20110194775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 348/E3.018, 348/E3.029, 382/162, 382/276
• US Class Current: 382/276
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures

Abstract

Techniques are described for causing digital image data to be interpreted according to a particular technique of a plurality of techniques. According to an embodiment, digital sensor data is received, and user input is received that specifies which technique of a plurality of techniques to use to generate a display that depicts an unmodified image from the sensor data, wherein each technique of the plurality of techniques generates a display from the sensor data in a different manner than each other technique of the plurality of techniques.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

retrieving, by a particular application executing at a computing device, from a plurality of raw image files, raw sensor data that describes light sensed by an image sensor, wherein the raw sensor data conforms to a specific raw format recorded by a specific type of image sensor;

determining that a plurality of different techniques are concurrently available to the particular application for interpreting the specific raw format as pixels in an RGB color space, wherein a first set of executable code implements a first technique for interpreting the specific raw format in the RGB color space, and wherein a second set of executable code implements a second and different technique for interpreting the specific raw format in the RGB color space;

generating, by the particular application, a first set of one or more digital images by invoking the first set of executable code to interpret a first subset of the raw sensor data in the RGB color space in accordance with the first technique; and

generating, by the particular application, a second set of one or more digital images by invoking the second set of executable code to interpret a second subset of the raw sensor data in the RGB color space in accordance with the second technique;

wherein the method is performed by the computing device;

wherein performance of generating the first set of one or more digital images at least partially overlaps in time with performance of generating the second set of one or more digital images.

2. The method of claim 1,

further comprising determining to generate the first set of one or more digital images based on version data associated with the first subset of the raw sensor data, the version data indicating that the first subset of the raw sensor data is to be interpreted using the first technique.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting a user to select between the first technique and the second technique for interpreting a particular portion of raw sensor data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the raw sensor data comprises reading the raw sensor data from a plurality of RAW files, wherein each of generating the first set of one or more digital images and generating the second set of one or more digital images comprises generating at least one of:

an RGB image;

a JPEG image;

a TIFF image;

a bitmap image;

or graphics data for outputting to a display device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the first set of one or more digital images comprises applying one or more modifications to one or more sets of pixels in the RGB color space, the one or more sets of pixels in the RGB color space having been generated by applying the first technique to the first subset of the raw sensor data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subset of the raw sensor data and the second subset of the raw sensor data are the same, the method further comprising:

displaying the first set of one or more digital images at the same time as the second set of one or more digital images;

prompting the user to select between the first technique and the second technique based on said displaying.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

while the first technique is indicated as the most current technique available for interpreting the specific raw format, receiving the second data indicating the second technique;

in response to receiving the second data, prompting the user to select between continuing to use the first technique to interpret a particular portion of the raw sensor data or reinterpreting the particular portion of the raw sensor data using the second technique.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving a third set of executable code implementing a third technique for interpreting the specific raw format in the RGB color space; and

generating, by the particular application, a third set of one or more digital images by invoking the third set of executable code to interpret a third subset of the raw sensor data in the RGB color space in accordance with the third technique;

wherein performance of generating the third set of one or more digital images at least partially overlaps with performance of generating the first set of one or more digital images and at least partially overlaps with performance of generating the second set of one or more digital images.

21. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating the version data in response to a user specifying one or more modifications to the first subset of the raw sensor data while one or more images based on the first subset of the raw sensor data are being displayed to the user using the first technique;

wherein the first technique was the most current technique available for interpreting the specific raw format when the one or more modifications were specified;

wherein the second technique is the most current technique available for interpreting the specific raw format when the first set of one or more digital images and the second set of one or more digital images are generated.

3. A method comprising:

accessing sensor data that describes light sensed by an image sensor, wherein the sensor data conforms to a specific raw format recorded by a specific type of image sensor;

retrieving first data describing a first technique for interpreting the specific raw format;

generating version data in response to a user specifying one or more modifications to a first subset of the raw sensor data while one or more images based on the first subset of the raw sensor data are being displayed to the user using the first technique in accordance with the retrieved first data;

retrieving second data describing a second technique for interpreting the specific raw format;

determining to generate a first set of one or more digital images using the first technique based on the version data associated with the first subset of the sensor data, the version data indicating that the first subset of the sensor data is to be interpreted using the first technique;

responsive to the determining, generating the first set of one or more digital images by interpreting the first subset of the sensor data using the first technique, in accordance with the retrieved first data; and

generating a second set of one or more digital images by interpreting a second subset of the sensor data using the second technique, in accordance with the retrieved second data;

wherein the method is performed by a computing device;

wherein generating the first set of one or more digital images at least partially overlaps with generating the second set of one or more digital images.

4. The method of claim 3,

wherein the first technique was the most current technique available for interpreting the specific raw format when the one or more modifications were specified;

wherein the second technique is the most current technique available for interpreting the specific raw format when the first set of one or more digital images and the second set of one or more digital images are generated.

23. The method of claim 3, wherein retrieving the sensor data comprises reading the sensor data from a plurality of RAW files, wherein each of generating the first set of one or more digital images and generating the second set of one or more digital images comprises generating at least one of:

an RGB image;

a JPEG image;

a TIFF image;

a bitmap image;

or graphics data for outputting to a display device.

24. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the first set of one or more digital images comprises applying the one or more modifications to interpretations of the first subset of sensor data, the interpretations having been generated using the first technique.

25. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

while the first technique is indicated as the most current technique available for interpreting the specific raw format, receiving the second data indicating the second technique;

in response to receiving the second data, prompting the user to select between continuing to use the first technique to interpret a particular portion of the sensor data or reinterpreting the particular portion of the sensor data using the second technique.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, causes performance of:

retrieving, by a particular application executing at a computing device, from a plurality of raw image files, raw sensor data that describes light sensed by an image sensor, wherein the raw sensor data conforms to a specific raw format recorded by a specific type of image sensor;

determining that a plurality of different techniques are concurrently available to the particular application for interpreting the specific raw format as pixels in an RGB color space, wherein a first set of executable code implements a first technique for interpreting the specific raw format in the RGB color space, and wherein a second set of executable code implements a second and different technique for interpreting the specific raw format in the RGB color space;

generating, by the particular application, a first set of one or more digital images by invoking the first set of executable code to interpret a first subset of the raw sensor data in the RGB color space in accordance with the first technique; and

generating, by the particular application, a second set of one or more digital images by invoking the second set of executable code to interpret a second subset of the raw sensor data in the RGB color space in accordance with the second technique;

wherein performance of generating the first set of one or more digital images at least partially overlaps in time with performance of generating the second set of one or more digital images.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

determining to generate the first set of one or more digital images based on version data associated with the first subset of the raw sensor data, the version data indicating that the first subset of the raw sensor data is to be interpreted using the first technique.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

prompting a user to select between the first technique and the second technique for interpreting a particular portion of raw sensor data.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein accessing the raw sensor data comprises reading the raw sensor data from a plurality of RAW files, wherein each of generating the first set of one or more digital images and generating the second set of one or more digital images comprises generating at least one of:

an RGB image;

a JPEG image;

a TIFF image;

a bitmap image;

or graphics data for outputting to a display device.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein generating the first set of one or more digital images comprises applying one or more modifications to one or more sets of pixels in the RGB color space, the one or more sets of pixels in the RGB color space having been generated by applying the first technique to the first subset of the raw sensor data.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the first subset of the raw sensor data and the second subset of the raw sensor data are the same, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

displaying the first set of one or more digital images at the same time as the second set of one or more digital images;

prompting the user to select between the first technique and the second technique based on said displaying.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

while the first technique is indicated as the most current technique available for interpreting the specific raw format, receiving the second data indicating the second technique;

in response to receiving the second data, prompting the user to select between continuing to use the first technique to interpret a particular portion of the raw sensor data or reinterpreting the particular portion of the raw sensor data using the second technique.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

retrieving a third set of executable code implementing a third technique for interpreting the specific raw format in the RGB color space; and

generating, by the particular application, a third set of one or more digital images by invoking the third set of executable code to interpret a third subset of the raw sensor data in the RGB color space in accordance with the third technique;

wherein performance of generating the third set of one or more digital images at least partially overlaps with performance of generating the first set of one or more digital images and at least partially overlaps with performance of generating the second set of one or more digital images.

22. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

generating the version data in response to a user specifying one or more modifications to the first subset of the raw sensor data while one or more images based on the first subset of the raw sensor data are being displayed to the user using the first technique;

wherein the first technique was the most current technique available for interpreting the specific raw format when the one or more modifications were specified;

wherein the second technique is the most current technique available for interpreting the specific raw format when the first set of one or more digital images and the second set of one or more digital images are generated.

13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause performance of:

accessing sensor data that describes light sensed by an image sensor, wherein the sensor data conforms to a specific raw format recorded by a specific type of image sensor;

retrieving first data describing a first technique for interpreting the specific raw format;

generating version data in response to a user specifying one or more modifications to a first subset of the raw sensor data while one or more images based on the first subset of the raw sensor data are being displayed to the user using the first technique in accordance with the retrieved first data;

retrieving second data describing a second technique for interpreting the specific raw format;

determining to generate a first set of one more digital images using the first technique based on the version data associated with the first subset of the sensor data, the version data indicating that the first subset of the sensor data is to be interpreted using the first technique;

responsive to the determining, generating set of one or more digital images by interpreting the first subset of the sensor data using the first technique, in accordance with the retrieved first data; and

generating a second set of one or more digital interpreting a second subset of the sensor data using the second technique, in accordance with the retrieved second data;

wherein generating the first set of one or more digital images at least partially overlaps with generating the second set of one or more digital images.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13,

wherein the first technique was the most current technique available for interpreting the specific raw format when the one or more modifications were specified;

wherein the second technique is the most current technique available for interpreting the specific raw format when the first set of one or more digital images and the second set of one or more digital images are generated.

26. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein retrieving the sensor data comprises reading the sensor data from a plurality of RAW files, wherein each of generating the first set of one or more digital images and generating the second set of one or more digital images comprises generating at least one of:

an RGB image;

a JPEG image;

a TIFF image;

a bitmap image;

or graphics data for outputting to a display device.

27. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein generating the first set of one or more digital images comprises applying the one or more modifications to interpretations of the first subset of sensor data, the interpretations having been generated using the first technique.

28. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more computing devices, further cause performance of:

while the first technique is indicated as the most current technique available for interpreting the specific raw format, receiving the second data indicating the second technique;

in response to receiving the second data, prompting the user to select between continuing to use the first technique to interpret a particular portion of the sensor data or reinterpreting the particular portion of the sensor data using the second technique.