Image analysis based color suggestions

• US 9,824,291 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2016
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Maloney, Christopher Michael, Apodaca Aragon, Gilberto Aristides
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Application Number:
  US15/081,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20170140241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 382164
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10121 Fluoroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/187 involving region growing; involving region merging; involving connected component labelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/56 relating to colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/162 using pixel segmentation or colour matching

Abstract

Systems, components, devices, and methods for generating suggestions based on extracting colors from an image are provided. A non-limiting example is a method for generating suggestions for arranging content based on matching colors in an image. The method includes the step of receiving a content file. The content file includes a content region and an image. The method also includes the step of analyzing the image to identify candidate colors in the image. Additionally, the method includes the step of generating a suggestion for the content region. The suggestion includes the image and a suggested design element. The suggested design element matches one of the identified candidate colors.

Claims

1. A system for generating suggestions for arranging content based on matching colors in an image, the system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory, operatively connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the at least processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method for generating suggestions for arranging content based on matching colors in an image, the method comprising;

receiving a content file, the content file including a content region and an image;

analyzing the image to identify candidate colors in the image;

analyzing the content file to select a blueprint for the content region, wherein the blueprint comprises an image placeholder, a template design element, and a tag associated with the template design element, the tag indicating an association between the template design element and the image placeholder; and

generating a suggestion for the content region, the suggestion including the image and a suggested design element, the suggested design element matching one of the identified candidate colors, wherein the suggestion is generated based on the blueprint.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the image includes the image positioned according to the image placeholder and the suggested design element generated based on the template design element.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the tag further specifies a color type for the template design element and the suggested design element matches one of the identified candidate colors of the specified color type.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the tag further specifies a hue for the template design element and the suggested design element matches one of the identified candidate colors of the specified hue.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising identifying a theme based on the identified candidate colors;

wherein the generated suggestion uses the identified theme.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying candidate colors in the image comprises:

comparing a plurality of image colors from the image to a plurality of target colors; and

identifying a candidate color from the plurality of image colors based on similarity to a target color from the plurality of target colors.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the target colors comprise at least one target accent color, at least one target intense color, at least one target dark color, and at least one target very dark color.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein comparing a plurality of image colors to a plurality of target colors comprises calculating a distance between an image color from the plurality of image colors and a target color from the plurality of target colors, wherein the distance is based on a difference between a hue of the image color and a hue of the target color, and a difference between a saturation of the image color and a saturation of the target color.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein identifying a candidate color from the plurality of image colors based on similarity to a target color from the plurality of target colors comprises:

comparing the calculated distance between an image color and a target color to a threshold; and

when the distance satisfies the threshold, identifying the image color as a candidate color.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein identifying a candidate color from the plurality of image colors based on similarity to a target color from the plurality of target colors comprises:

comparing the calculated distance between an image color and a target color to a threshold; and

when the distance satisfies the threshold, identifying the image color as a potential candidate color; and

when multiple potential candidate colors are identified, selecting a candidate color from the identified potential candidate colors based on a percentage of the image associated with the potential candidate colors.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein an image color is identified as a candidate color based on determining that the calculated distance value between the image color and a target color is lower than the calculated distance values for any of the other image colors that are compared to a shorter distance from the target color than.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying candidate colors in the image comprises:

sorting the plurality of image colors into hue buckets, wherein each of the hue buckets is associated with a particular hue;

determining saturation values for at least some of the image color values; and

identifying at least one candidate color from each of the hue buckets based on a saturation value of the identified image color.

13. A method for generating suggestions for arranging content based on matching colors in an image, the method comprising:

receiving a content file, the content file including a content region and an image, wherein the image comprises a two-dimensional array of pixels and each pixel is associated with a value corresponding to a visual property of the pixel;

comparing color values of the pixels in the two-dimensional array of pixels to target color values, wherein the target color values comprise at least one target accent color and one target dark color;

selecting a dark color value from the color values of the pixels in the two-dimensional array of pixels, the selected dark color value being similar to a target dark color from the at least one target dark color;

selecting an accent color value from the color values of the pixels in the two-dimensional array of pixels, the selected accent color being similar to a target accent color from the at least one target accent color; and

generating a suggestion for the content region, the suggestion including the image and a suggested design element, the suggested design element using the selected accent color value, wherein the suggestion for the content region further includes a second suggested design element, the second suggested design element using the selected dark color value.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising identifying a salient region of the image and wherein the selected accent color is from pixels in the identified salient region.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the accent color is further selected based on being associated with pixels in proximity to pixels associated with colors that contrast with the accent color.

16. A system for generating suggestions for arranging content based on matching colors in an image, the system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory, operatively connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the at least processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method for generating suggestions for arranging content based on matching colors in an image, the method comprising;

receiving a content file, the content file including a content region and an image;

comparing a plurality of image colors from the image to a plurality of target colors, wherein the plurality of target colors comprises a target accent color and a target dark color, the target accent color being different than the target dark color; and

identifying candidate colors from the plurality of image colors based on similarity to target colors from the plurality of target colors, the identified candidate colors include a candidate accent color and a candidate dark color, wherein the generated suggestion includes at least one design element that matches the candidate accent color and at least one design element that matches the candidate dark color;

identifying a theme based on the identified candidate colors;

identifying a plurality of blueprints associated with the identified theme;

analyzing the content file to select a blueprint for the content region from the plurality of identified blueprints; and

generating a suggestion for the content region based on the selected blueprint, the suggestion including the image and a suggested design element, the suggested design element matching one of the identified candidate colors.