Mapping colors of an image

• US 8,644,605 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bao, Sheng Hua, Chen, Jian, Su, Zhong, Yang, Xin Ying
• Primary Examiner(s): TSAI, TSUNG YIN
• Application Number:
  US13/572,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20120308125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/164
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/60 Colour correction or control H04N1/54 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/62 Retouching, i.e. modification of isolated colours only or in isolated picture areas only

Abstract

A method and system for mapping colors of an image. The method including the steps of: segmenting an image into a plurality of regions, so that pixels in each of the plurality of regions have a characteristic that meets a predetermined similarity; determining an initial contrast between adjacent regions in the plurality of regions; and transforming an initial color of each of the plurality of regions into a target color; where a target contrast between the adjacent regions in the plurality of regions is equal to or greater than the initial contrast or a difference between the target contrast and corresponding initial contrast is less than a predetermined threshold; and where at least one of the steps is carried out by a computer device.

Claims

1. A system for mapping colors of an image, the system comprising:

a segmenting module for segmenting an image into a plurality of regions including a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is adjacent the second region, and all pixels corresponding to each the first region and the second region have a characteristic that meets a predetermined similarity;

an initial color determining module for determining a first color of a first representative point of the first region as a first initial color corresponding to the first region and a second color of a second representative point of the second region as a second initial color corresponding to the second region;

a calculating module for calculating a first initial difference between the first initial color and the second initial color; and

a transforming module for transforming the characteristic associated with each pixel corresponding to the first region into a first target characteristic and transforming the characteristic associated with each pixel corresponding to the second region into a second target characteristic, wherein a first target difference between the first target characteristic and the second target characteristic is equal to or greater than the first initial difference.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the determining module further comprises:

an initial texture determining module for determining a first texture of a first representative point of the first region as a first initial texture corresponding to the first region and determining a second texture of a second representative point of the second group as a second initial texture corresponding to the second region; and

the calculating module further calculates a second initial difference between the first initial texture and the second initial texture.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of regions further includes a third region adjacent the second region, the characteristic of all pixels corresponding to the third region meets the predetermined similarity, the initial color determining module further determines a third initial color representative of the third region and calculates a second initial difference between the second initial color and the third initial color, the transforming module further transforms the color associated with each pixel corresponding to the third region into a third target color, a second target difference between the second target color and the third target color being less than the first initial difference, and the transforming module subsequently transforms the color associated with each pixel corresponding to the third region into a fourth target color, a third target difference between the second target color and the fourth target color being equal to or greater than the first initial difference.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the initial color determining module further determines that the first initial color is substantially the same as the third initial color, merges the first initial color with the third initial color, and removes a redundant color.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the color of all pixels corresponding to each of the plurality of regions meets the predetermined similarity, the initial color determining module further determines an additional initial color representative of each of the plurality of regions and calculates an additional initial difference between each additional initial color and a respective initial color representative of a respective adjacent region, and the transforming module further transforms the color associated with each pixel corresponding to each of the plurality of regions into an additional target color, an additional target difference between the additional target color and a respective target color of the respective adjacent region being equal to or greater than the additional initial difference.

6. The system according to claim 5, further comprising a recording and storing unit for recording and storing information associated with the plurality of regions, including at least one selected from the additional initial color, the additional initial difference, and the additional target color associated with at least one of the plurality of regions.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the initial color determining module further determines the first initial color based on a user selection.

8. A system for mapping colors of an image, the system comprising:

a segmenting module for segmenting an image into a plurality of regions including a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is adjacent the second region, and all pixels corresponding to each the first region and the second region have a characteristic that meets a predetermined similarity;

an initial color determining module for determining a first color of a first representative point of the first region as a first initial color corresponding to the first region and a second color of a second representative point of the second region as a second initial color corresponding to the second region;

a calculating module for calculating a first initial difference between the first initial color and the second initial color; and

a transforming module for transforming the characteristic associated with each pixel corresponding to the first region into a first target characteristic and transforming the characteristic associated with each pixel corresponding to the second region into a second target characteristic, wherein a first target difference between the first target characteristic and the second target characteristic is within a predetermined threshold of the first initial difference.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of regions further includes a third region adjacent the second region, the color of all pixels corresponding to the third region meets the predetermined similarity, the initial color determining module further determines a third initial color representative of the third region and calculates a second initial difference between the second initial color and the third initial color, the transforming module further transforms the color associated with each pixel corresponding to the third region into a third target color, a second target difference between the second target color and the third target color being outside the predetermined threshold of the first initial difference, and the transforming module subsequently transforms the color associated with each pixel corresponding to the third region into a fourth target color, a third target difference between the second target color and the fourth target color being within the predetermined threshold of the first initial difference.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the characteristic of all pixels corresponding to each of the plurality of regions meets the predetermined similarity, the initial color determining module further determines an additional initial color representative of each of the plurality of regions and calculates an additional initial difference between each additional initial color and a respective initial color representative of a respective adjacent region, and the transforming module further transforms the color associated with each pixel corresponding to each of the plurality of regions into an additional target color, an additional target difference between the additional target color and a respective target color of the respective adjacent region being within the predetermined threshold of the additional initial difference.

11. The system according to claim 10, further comprising a recording and storing unit for recording and storing information associated with the plurality of regions, including at least one selected from the additional initial color, the additional initial difference, and the additional target color associated with at least one of the plurality of regions.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the initial color determining module further determines the first initial color based on a user selection.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing the following computer instruction:

first program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to segment an image into a plurality of regions including a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is adjacent the second region, and all pixels corresponding to each the first region and the second region have a characteristic that meets a predetermined similarity;

second program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to determine a first color of a first representative point of the first region as a first initial color corresponding to the first region and a second color of a first representative point of the second region as a second initial color corresponding to the second region;

third program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to calculate a first initial difference between the first initial color and the second initial color; and

fourth program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to transform the characteristic associated with each pixel corresponding to the first region into a first target characteristic and transforming the characteristic associated with each pixel corresponding to the second region into a second target characteristic, wherein a first target difference between the first target characteristic and the second target characteristic is equal to or greater than the first initial difference or is within a predetermined threshold of the first initial difference.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium storing the following computer instruction according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of regions further includes a third region adjacent the second region, the characteristic of all pixels corresponding to the third region meets the predetermined similarity, the computer readable storage medium further having stored thereon:

fifth program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to determine a third initial color representative of the third region and calculate a second initial difference between the second initial color and the third initial color; and

sixth program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to transform the color associated with each pixel corresponding to the third region into a third target color, a second target difference between the second target color and the third target color being less than the first initial difference or outside the predetermined threshold of the first initial difference, and transform the color associated with each pixel corresponding to the third region into a fourth target color, a third target difference between the second target color and the fourth target color being equal to or greater than the first initial difference or within the predetermined threshold of the first initial difference.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium storing the following computer instruction according to claim 13, wherein the characteristic of all pixels corresponding to each of the plurality of regions meets the predetermined similarity, the computer readable storage medium further having stored thereon:

fifth program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to determine an additional initial color representative of each of the plurality of regions and calculate an additional initial difference between each additional initial color and a respective initial color representative of a respective adjacent region; and

sixth the computer readable storage medium further having stored thereon program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to transform the color associated with each pixel corresponding to each of the plurality of regions into an additional target color, an additional target difference between the additional target color and a respective target color of the respective adjacent region being equal to or greater than the additional initial difference or within the predetermined threshold of the additional initial difference.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium storing the following computer instruction according to claim 15, having stored thereon fifth program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to record and store information associated with the plurality of regions, including at least one selected from the additional initial color, the additional initial difference, and the additional target color associated with at least one of the plurality of regions.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium storing the following computer instruction according to claim 13, having stored thereon fifth program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to determine the first initial color based on a user selection.