Systems and Methods for Creating and Editing Seam Carving Masks

• US 20130120442A1
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Dhawan, Anmol
• Granted Patent: US 8,659,622 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/04 Context-preserving transformations, e.g. by using an importance map panospheric to cylindrical image transformations G06T3/12

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating and editing seam carving masks may allow a user to combine masks, and/or to modify automatically generated suggested masks, manually created masks, combination masks, or previously stored masks using tools of a graphical user interface in a graphics application (e.g., a mask brush or mask eraser). The method may include accessing data representing an image and automatically generating a suggested mask for the image (e.g., based on a color or color range, a threshold energy value, or input specifying two or more previously stored masks for combination). The method may include displaying the suggested mask as an overlay of the image, highlighting mask pixels using a respective color or pattern. The user may indicate pixels to be added to or removed from the suggested mask to produce a modified mask for application in an image editing operation (e.g., a resizing, filtering, or feature identification operation).

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions executable by the one or more processors to implement;

accessing data representing an image;

generating a suggested seam carving mask for the image, wherein a seam carving mask comprises data representing one or more pixels to be protected from or targeted by an image editing operation;

displaying the suggested seam carving mask as an overlay of the image;

in response to receiving user input, modifying the suggested seam carving mask, wherein said modifying comprises adding data representing one or more additional pixels to the suggested seam carving mask or removing data representing at least a subset of the one or more pixels from the suggested seam carving mask; and

storing data representing the modified seam carving mask for use in a subsequent image editing operation directed to the image.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the suggested seam carving mask is a protection mask indicating pixels to be protected during a seam carving operation or a removal mask indicating pixels to be prioritized for removal during a seam carving operation.

3. The system of claim 1,

wherein said displaying the suggested seam carving mask as an overlay of the image comprises highlighting the pixels indicated by the suggested seam carving mask using a respective color or pattern;

and

wherein the respective color or pattern indicates whether the suggested seam carving mask is a protection mask or a removal mask.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said generating a suggested seam carving mask comprises:

identifying pixels of a given color or range of colors; and

storing data representing the identified pixels in the suggested seam carving mask.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said generating a suggested seam carving mask comprises:

applying an automatic skin tone detection operation to the data representing the image to identify pixels presumed to represent skin; and

storing data representing the identified pixels in the suggested seam carving mask.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said generating a suggested seam carving mask comprises:

receiving input specifying two or more stored seam carving masks; and

combining the two or more stored seam carving masks to produce the suggested seam carving mask.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said generating a suggested seam carving mask further comprises resolving any conflicts between the two or more stored seam carving masks according to a default priority, an application-specific priority, an operation-specific priority, or a user-configurable priority.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said generating a suggested seam carving mask comprises:

identifying pixels of the image associated with energy values above or below a pre-determined threshold; and

storing data representing the identified pixels in the suggested seam carving mask.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the user input comprises an indication of one or more pixels to be added to the suggested seam carving mask or one or more pixels to be removed from the suggested seam carving mask.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, storing program instructions computer-executable to implement:

accessing data representing an image;

generating a suggested seam carving mask for the image, wherein a seam carving mask comprises data representing one or more pixels to be protected from or targeted by an image editing operation;

displaying the suggested seam carving mask as an overlay of the image;

in response to receiving user input, modifying the suggested seam carving mask, wherein said modifying comprises adding data representing one or more additional pixels to the suggested seam carving mask or removing data representing at least a subset of the one or more pixels from the suggested seam carving mask; and

storing data representing the modified seam carving mask for use in a subsequent image editing operation directed to the image.

11. The storage medium of claim 10,

wherein said displaying the suggested seam carving mask as an overlay of the image comprises highlighting the pixels indicated by the suggested seam carving mask using a respective color or pattern;

and

wherein the respective color or pattern indicates whether the suggested seam carving mask is a protection mask or a removal mask.

12. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein said generating a suggested seam carving mask comprises:

identifying pixels of a given color or range of colors; and

storing data representing the identified pixels in the suggested seam carving mask.

13. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein said generating a suggested seam carving mask comprises:

receiving input specifying two or more stored seam carving masks; and

combining the two or more stored seam carving masks to produce the suggested seam carving mask.

14. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein said generating a suggested seam carving mask comprises:

identifying pixels of the image associated with energy values above or below a pre-determined threshold; and

storing data representing the identified pixels in the suggested seam carving mask.

15. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein the user input comprises an indication of one or more pixels to be added to the suggested seam carving mask or one or more pixels to be removed from the suggested seam carving mask.

16. A method, comprising:

using a computer to perform;

accessing data representing an image;

generating a suggested seam carving mask for the image, wherein a seam carving mask comprises data representing one or more pixels to be protected from or targeted by an image editing operation;

displaying the suggested seam carving mask as an overlay of the image;

in response to receiving user input, modifying the suggested seam carving mask, wherein said modifying comprises adding data representing one or more additional pixels to the suggested seam carving mask or removing data representing at least a subset of the one or more pixels from the suggested seam carving mask; and

storing data representing the modified seam carving mask for use in a subsequent image editing operation directed to the image.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein said displaying the suggested seam carving mask as an overlay of the image comprises highlighting the pixels indicated by the suggested seam carving mask using a respective color or pattern;

and

wherein the respective color or pattern indicates whether the suggested seam carving mask is a protection mask or a removal mask.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said generating a suggested seam carving mask comprises:

identifying pixels of a given color, pixels of a given range of colors, or pixels associated with energy values above or below a pre-determined threshold; and

storing data representing the identified pixels in the suggested seam carving mask.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said generating a suggested seam carving mask comprises:

receiving input specifying two or more stored seam carving masks; and

combining the two or more stored seam carving masks to produce the suggested seam carving mask.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the user input comprises an indication of one or more pixels to be added to the suggested seam carving mask or one or more pixels to be removed from the suggested seam carving mask.