Image alteration techniques

• US 8,933,960 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2009
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lindahl, Aram, Chiu, Kelvin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gray, Ryan M
• Application Number:
  US12/541,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20110037777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability

Abstract

Various techniques relating to the alteration of image data are provided herein. In generally, disclosed embodiments may provide techniques for applying on or more image alteration effects to image data that is displayed on an electronic device. In certain disclosed embodiments, the application of such image alteration effects may be triggered based upon various detected device operation events, which may include audio-related events, motion-related events, location-related events, and/or events relating the imaging properties. The selection of a triggering device event and a corresponding image alteration affect may be defined by a user through a set of user preference settings on the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method for altering image data on an electronic device, comprising:

detecting motion of an object in a subset of a sequence of captured image frames on a display of an electronic device;

applying an image alteration effect to the subset of the sequence of captured image frames to change an appearance of the subset of the sequence of captured image frames in response to the detected motion of the object, wherein the image alteration effect is determined based upon at least one image alteration rule in a set of image alteration rules, the set comprising image alteration rules responsive to at least a motion of an object, and further responsive to one or more of an audio event, a motion event, a location event, and an image capture event; and

displaying the changed subset of the sequence of captured images on the display.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising increasing the intensity of the applied image alteration effect based upon the duration of time over which the detected motion of the object continuously occurs or based upon the velocity of the detected motion of the object, or based upon a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the intensity of the applied image alteration effect gradually subsides when the detected motion of the object ends.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected motion of the object comprises a subject entering the depth of field of a camera on the electronic device.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by a data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to:

display a sequence of captured image frames on a display device;

detect motion of an object in a subset of the sequence of captured image frames;

select an image alteration rule based on the detected motion of the object, wherein the image alteration rule is further responsive to one or more of an audio event, a motion event, a location event, and an image capture event;

apply the selected image alteration rule to the subset of the sequence of captured image frames;

generate an image alteration effect based on application of the selected image alteration rule to the subset of the sequence of captured image frames; and

display the image alteration effect on the display device.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, further comprising instructions that when executed by the data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to increase the intensity of the applied image alteration effect based upon one or more of:

a duration of time over which the detected motion continuously occurs; and

the velocity of the detected motion.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions that cause the data processing apparatus to increase the intensity of the applied image alteration effect comprise instructions that cause the data processing apparatus to gradually decrease the intensity of the applied image alteration effect when the detected motion of the object ends.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the detected motion of the object comprises a subject entering the depth of field of a camera.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the detected motion of the object comprises a subject exiting the depth of field of a camera.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by a data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to:

display a sequence of captured image frames on a display device;

detect motion of an object in a subset of the sequence of captured image frames;

select an image alteration rule based on the detected motion of the object;

apply the selected image alteration rule to the subset of the sequence of captured image frames;

generate an image alteration effect based on application of the selected image alteration rule to the subset of the sequence of captured image frames;

display the image alteration effect on the display device;

increase the intensity of the applied image alteration effect based upon one or more of a duration of time over which the detected motion continuously occurs and the velocity of the detected motion; and

gradually decrease the intensity of the applied image alteration effect when the detected motion of the object ends.