Graphical user interface for color correction

• US 20030197710A1
• Filed: 05/19/2003
• Published: 10/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Laird, Michael D., Gonsalves, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,081,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/600
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A graphical user interface facilitates color modification of a sequence of segments of moving images on a display of a general purpose computer. The graphical user interface may include a three-image display. The three image display may include a first region on the display for displaying an image from a current segment in the sequence to which a color modification is to be applied, a second region on the display and adjacent to the first region for displaying an image from a previous segment in the sequence before the current segment, and a third region on the display and adjacent to the first region for displaying an image from a next segment in the sequence after the current segment. A function screen allows a user to select a color modification to be performed to the current image. The function screen may include an interface that simultaneously displays a plurality of user modifiable graphs. The graphs may include a first graph for a red component, a second graph for a blue component, and a third graph for a green component. Each graph maps input values for a color component of a pixel on a first axis to output values for the color component for the pixel on a second axis. The graphical user interface also may include a color matcher.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface for facilitating color modification of a sequence of segments of moving images on a display of a general purpose computer, comprising:

a three-image display, including;

a first region on the display, for displaying an image from a current segment in the sequence to which a color modification is to be applied,

a second region on the display and adjacent to the first region, for displaying an image from a previous segment in the sequence before the current segment, and

a third region on the display and adjacent to the first region, for displaying an image from a next segment in the sequence after the current segment; and

a function screen for selecting a color modification to be performed to the current image.

2. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein the function screen comprises:

an interface that simultaneously displays a plurality of user modifiable graphs, including a first graph for a red component, a second graph for a blue component, and a third graph for a green component, wherein each graph maps input values for a color component of a pixel on a first axis to output values for the color component for the pixel on a second axis.

3. The graphical user interface of claim 2, wherein each graph is displayed in a rectangular display region having the first axis displayed horizontally and the second axis displayed vertically.

4. The graphical user interface of claim 2, wherein the function screen further comprises:

a color matcher, including a first swatch representing a source color and a second display swatch displayed contiguously with the first swatch and representing a destination color to which pixels of the source color are to be matched, wherein values for components representing the first color are displayed on the first swatch and wherein values for components representing the second color are displayed on the second swatch.

5. The graphical user interface of claim 4, wherein the computed value for each component specifying the new color and a value of the corresponding component of the source color define a control point of the graph for the component.

6. The graphical user interface of claim 4, further comprising a means to select the source color from the image of the current segment and a means to select the destination color from the image of one of the previous segment and the next segment.

7. The graphical user interface of claim 4, further comprising a means for a user to select a kind of color matching to be performed.

8. The graphical user interface of claim 1, further comprising a control panel displayed on the display and including a position indicator that indicates the temporal position of the image displayed in the first region within the current segment.

9. The graphical user interface of claim 8, further comprising a control panel displayed on the display and including:

a previous segment selector to allow a user to select a previous segment in the sequence as the current segment, and wherein selection of the previous segment selector causes images in the three-image display to be updated; and

a next segment selector to allow a user to select a next segment in the sequence as the current segment, and wherein selection of the next segment selector causes images in the three-image display to be updated.

10. The graphical user interface of claim 9, further comprising a control panel displayed on the display and including:

a previous unmodified segment selector to allow a user to select a previous unmodified segment in the sequence as the current segment, and wherein selection of the previous unmodified segment selector causes images in the three-image display to be updated; and

a next unmodified segment selector to allow a user to select a next unmodified segment in the sequence as the current segment, and wherein selection of the next unmodified segment selector causes images in the three-image display to be updated.

11. The graphical user interface of claim 1, further comprising a control panel displayed on the display and including:

a previous segment selector to allow a user to select a previous segment in the sequence as the current segment, and wherein selection of the previous segment selector causes images in the three-image display to be updated; and

a next segment selector to allow a user to select a next segment in the sequence as the current segment, and wherein selection of the next segment selector causes images in the three-image display to be updated.

12. The graphical user interface of claim 11, further comprising a control panel displayed on the display and including:

a previous unmodified segment selector to allow a user to select a previous unmodified segment in the sequence as the current segment, and wherein selection of the previous unmodified segment selector causes images in the three-image display to be updated; and

a next unmodified segment selector to allow a user to select a next unmodified segment in the sequence as the current segment, and wherein selection of the next unmodified segment selector causes images in the three-image display to be updated.

13. The graphical user interface of claim 1, further comprising a control panel displayed on the display and including:

a previous unmodified segment selector to allow a user to select a previous unmodified segment in the sequence as the current segment, and wherein selection of the previous unmodified segment selector causes images in the three-image display to be updated; and

a next unmodified segment selector to allow a user to select a next unmodified segment in the sequence as the current segment, and wherein selection of the next unmodified segment selector causes images in the three-image display to be updated.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein the function screen comprises:

a color matcher, including a first swatch representing a source color and a second display swatch displayed contiguously with the first swatch and representing a destination color to which pixels of the source color are to be matched, wherein values for components representing the first color are displayed on the first swatch and wherein values for components representing the second color are displayed on the second swatch; and

wherein the color modification is defined by values for components of a new color according to a relationship between the source color and the destination color.

15. The graphical user interface of claim 14, wherein the color modification is defined by a graph for each component that maps input values for the component on a first axis to output values for the component on a second axis, and wherein the computed value for each component specifying the new color and the value of the corresponding component of the source color define a control point of the graph that represents color modifications for the component.

16. The graphical user interface of claim 14, further comprising a means to select the source color from the image of the current segment and a means to select the destination color from the image of one of the previous segment and the next segment.

17. The graphical user interface of claim 14, further comprising a means for a user to select a kind of color matching to be performed.

28. The graphical user interface of claim 1, further comprising:

means for designating the color correction operation to be applied to all segments that reference a selected source.

18. A graphical user interface for performing color modifications, comprising:

an interface that simultaneously displays a plurality of user modifiable graphs, including a first graph for a red component, a second graph for a blue component, and a third graph for a green component, wherein each graph maps input values for a color component of a pixel on a first axis to output values for the color component for the pixel on a second axis; and

means for processing modifications made to the graphs to define a color correction operation.

19. The graphical user interface of claim 18, wherein each graph is displayed in a rectangular display region having the first axis displayed horizontally and the second axis displayed vertically.

20. The graphical user interface of claim 18, further comprising a fourth graph defining a master graph defining a function that is applied to all components.

21. The graphical user interface of claim 18, wherein each graphs is defined by one or more control points.

22. The graphical user interface of claim 21, wherein the one or more control points are user modifiable.

23. The graphical user interface of claim 21, wherein each control point is defined by a color matching operation that computes a value for a component of a new color from a value for the component from a source color according to a relationship between a source color and a destination color.

24. The graphical user interface of claim 18, further comprising:

a color matcher, including a first swatch representing a source color and a second display swatch displayed contiguously with the first swatch and representing a destination color to which pixels of the source color are to be matched, wherein values for components representing the first color are displayed on the first swatch and wherein values for components representing the second color are displayed on the second swatch; and

wherein the computed value for each component specifying the new color and a value of the corresponding component of the source color define a control point of the graph for the component.

25. The graphical user interface of claim 24, further comprising a means to select the source color from the image of the current segment and a means to select the destination color from the image of one of the previous segment and the next segment.

26. The graphical user interface of claim 24, further comprising a means for a user to select a kind of color matching to be performed.

27. The graphical user interface of claim 18, further comprising:

means for designating the color correction operation to be applied to all segments that reference a selected source.

29. A graphical user interface for modifying a color in an image to match another color, comprising:

means for selecting a source color and a destination color;

means for displaying a first swatch representing the source color and a second swatch contiguous with the first swatch and representing the destination color; and

means for displaying values for components representing the source color on the first swatch and for displaying values for components representing the destination color on the second swatch; and

means for instructing the computer to modify the image so that pixels of the selected source color are modified to match the selected destination color according to a selected type of color matching.