Distortion of digital images using spatial offsets from image reference points

• US 9,008,420 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kokemohr, Nils
• Primary Examiner(s): Alavi, Amir
• Application Number:
  US14/050,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20140056538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 382/162, 382/164, 382/165, 382/167, 382/224, 382/254, 382274-276, 382/278, 382/282, 382/298, 345/156, 345/173, 345/581, 345/582, 345/619, 345/620, 345/626, 345/629, 345/630, 345/639, 345/647, 345/660, 358/1.9, 358/296, 358/401, 358/443, 358/448, 358/450, 715/777, 715/778, 715/808, 715/814, 715/839, 715/856, 348/333.02
• US Class Current: 382/167
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/12 Classification; Matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/18 Image warping, e.g. rearranging pixels individually
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/00 Image enhancement or restoration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/90 Dynamic range modification of images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/622 with simulation on a subsidiary picture reproducer

Abstract

A method for distorting a digital image comprising receiving the coordinates of one or more than one image reference point defined by a user within the digital image, receiving one or more than one spatial offset assigned by the user and associated with the coordinates of the one or more than one defined image reference point, providing a mixing function algorithm embodied on a computer-readable medium for distorting the digital image, calculating an offset matrix by applying the mixing function algorithm based on the one or more than one spatial offset and the coordinates of the one or more than one defined image reference point; and distorting the digital image by application of the offset matrix. A graphic tag may be associated with each of the defined image reference points and displayed over the digital image, and the assignment of the spatial offset may be accomplished by movement of the graphic tag with the pointing device. Abstract image reference points may be used to limit distortion.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

a) providing an interface to display a preview of an image from a plurality of images to a user;

b) receiving a selection of at least one image reference point of the image;

c) overlaying a graphical mark over the displayed preview of the image for the at least one image reference point;

d) determining a number representative of an effect strength for a plurality of pixels in the image for the graphical mark, said number representative of the effect strength being calculated as a function of the pixel location and pixel color at the location of the graphical mark and the pixel location and pixel color of each of the pixels of the plurality of pixels using a mixing function;

e) receiving parameters for one or more image modification functions;

f) storing the parameters for the one or more image modification functions and the at least one image reference point; and

g) batch processing each of the plurality of images by;

applying to each of the plurality of images, the at least one image reference point; and

selectively modifying the plurality of images with the one or more image modification functions.

2. The method of claim 1, where the step of receiving is performed by a user.

3. The method of claim 1, where the one or more image modification functions are selected from the group comprising darkening, lightening, saturation change, hue, sharpening and noise reduction, and any combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, where pixel attributes used in a soft classification method include pixel color, pixel location or both pixel color and pixel location.

5. The method of claim 4, where pixel attributes used in the soft classification method include saturation, x-coordinate, y-coordinate, hue, luminance or any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, where the at least one image reference point is selectable by the user for individual adjustment.

7. The method of claim 1, where more than one of the at least one image reference point is selectable by the user for multiple adjustments.

8. The method of claim 1, where the step of selecting at least one image reference point graphically modifies the selected at least one image reference point.

9. The method of claim 8, where the graphical modified image reference point is a filled circle indicating an active state.

10. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory for storing executable instructions, the processor executing the

instructions to;

provide an interface to display a preview of an image from a plurality of images to a user;

receive a selection of at least one image reference point of the image;

overlay a graphical mark over the displayed preview of the image for the at least one image reference point;

determine a number representative of an effect strength for a plurality of pixels in the image for the graphical mark, said number representative of the effect strength being calculated as a function of the pixel location and pixel color at the location of the graphical mark and the pixel location and pixel color of each of the pixels of the plurality of pixels using a mixing function;

receive parameters for one or more image modification functions;

store the parameters for the one or more image modification functions and the at least one image reference point; and

batch process each of the plurality of images by;

applying to each of the plurality of images, the at least one image reference point; and

selectively modify the plurality of images with the one or more image modification functions.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein selection of the at least one image reference point causes the system to graphically modify the selected at least one image reference point, where the graphical modified image reference point is an empty circle indicating a non-active state.

12. The system of claim 11, where a number of image modification functions and image reference points is the same.

13. The system of claim 11, where a number of image modification functions and image reference points are not the same.

14. The system of claim 10, where the graphical modified image reference point is a partially filled circle indicating a modified state.

15. The system of claim 10, where the processor executes the instructions to determine the number representative of the effect strength for a plurality of pixels in the image using a mixing function that comprises either an expanding areas method or a difference function.

16. The system of claim 10, where the processor executes the instructions to store the selectively modified plurality of images to a storage medium.

17. The system of claim 10, where the processor executes the instructions to output the selectively modified plurality of images to a printer.

18. The system of claim 10, where the processor executes the instructions to output the selectively modified plurality of images to a display.

19. The system of claim 10, where a number of image reference points is a plurality and a number of image modification functions is a plurality.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program executable by a process for providing a method , the method comprising:

providing an interface to display a preview of an image from a plurality of images to a user;

receiving a selection of at least one image reference point of the image;

overlaying a graphical mark over the displayed preview of the image for the at least one image reference point;

determining a number representative of an effect strength for a plurality of pixels in the image for the graphical mark, said number representative of the effect strength being calculated as a function of the pixel location and pixel color at the location of the graphical mark and the pixel location and pixel color of each of the pixels of the plurality of pixels using a mixing function;

receiving parameters for one or more image modification functions;

storing the parameters for the one or more image modification functions and the at least one image reference point; and

batch processing each of the plurality of images by;

applying to each of the plurality of images, the at least one image reference point; and

selectively modifying the plurality of images with the one or more image modification functions.