Two-Dimensional Slider Control

• US 20130346897A1
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Warner, Peter, Bryant, Andrew, Arndt, James Clinton, Fedkiw, Olivier, Gallagher, Ryan Alan
• Granted Patent: US 9,495,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a computer program that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for controlling an application. The GUI includes a contiguous two-dimensional sliding region for defining several values. The GUI also includes several sliders for moving within the sliding region. Each slider selects one or more values from the several values based on a position of the slider within the sliding region. The selected values are parameters for controlling one or more operations of the application.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program which when executed by at least one processor provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for controlling an application, the GUI comprising:

a contiguous two-dimensional sliding region for defining a plurality of values; and

a plurality of sliders for moving within the sliding region, wherein each slider is associated with a parameter for controlling one or more operations of the application, wherein a position in the sliding region for each slider specifies different values for the parameter associated with the slider.

2. The computer program of claim 1, a set of user interface (UI) items for adding the plurality of sliders to the sliding region, wherein each of the sliders is added to the sliding region by selecting a UI item in the set of UI items and dragging the UI item into the sliding region.

3. The computer program of claim 2, wherein the GUI further comprises a display area for displaying the sliding region.

4. The computer program of claim 3, wherein the set of UI items is displayed within the display area.

5. The computer program of claim 3, wherein the display area is a first display area, wherein the set of UI items are displayed in a second display area adjacent to the first display area.

6. A method of providing a graphical user interface (GUI) for a media editing application to apply image processing operations to an image, the method comprising:

providing a contiguous two-dimensional sliding region; and

providing a set of sliders for movably positioning within the sliding region, wherein movably positioning a slider causes a corresponding application of a image processing operation to the image based on a position of the slider within the sliding region.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing a set of selectable UI items for limiting the application of the image processing operation of a slider in the set of sliders to a set of pixels in the image having a range of luminance values.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the set of user selectable UI items is included in a menu that is displayed in the GUI.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing a set of user selectable UI items, wherein, when one of the user selectable UI items is selected and dragged into the sliding region, a slider is added to the sliding region.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing a display area for displaying the image and displaying effects of image processing operations that are applied to the image.

11. A method of applying color correction operations to an image using a slider control, the slider control comprising a sliding region and a set of sliders that each controls a color correction operation, the method comprising:

movably positioning a slider in the set of sliders within the sliding region;

in response to the positioning of the slider, determining the color correction operation of the slider based on the position of the slider within the sliding region; and

applying the color correction operation to the image based on the determined color correction operation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the color correction operation is based on a radial distance from a center of the sliding region to the position of the slider within the sliding region.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the color correction operation is based on an angle formed by a first line from a center of the sliding region to the position of the sliding region and a second line from the center of the sliding region to a defined position within the sliding region.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the slider is a first slider that controls a first color correction operation, the method further comprising:

movably positioning a second slider in the set of sliders within the sliding region;

in response to the positioning of the second slider, determining the second color correction operation based on the position of the second slider within the sliding region; and

applying the second color correction operation to the image based on the determined second color correction operation.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the slider is a first slider that controls a first color correction operation, wherein a second slider in the set of sliders controls a second color correction operation, the method further comprising grouping the first slider and the second slider into a group of sliders.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

movably positioning the group of sliders within the sliding region;

in response to the positioning of the group of sliders, determining the first and second color correction operations based on corresponding positions of the first and second sliders within the sliding region; and

applying the first and second color correction operations to the image based the determined first and second color correction operations.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

creating a third slider that represents the positions of the first and second sliders within the sliding region.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

movably positioning the third slider within the sliding region;

in response to the positioning of the third slider, determining the first and second color correction operations based on a position of the third slider within the sliding region.

applying the first and second color correction operations to the image based on the determined first and second color correction operations.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the color correction operation is a saturation operation.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the color correction operation is a contrast operation.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the color correction operation is a brightness operation.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein the color correction operation is a color cast operation.

23. A method of applying color correction operations to an image using a slider control, the slider control comprising a sliding region and a set of sliders that each controls a color correction operation, the method comprising:

movably positioning the sliding region within the sliding control;

in response to the positioning of the sliding region, determining the color correction operation of each of the set of sliders based on the position of the sliding region; and

applying the color correction operation of each of the set of sliders based on the determined color correction operation of the slider.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the color correction operation of at least one slider in the set of sliders is in based on a radial distance from a center of the sliding region to the position of the slider.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the color correction operation of at least one slider in the set of sliders is based on an angle formed by a first line from a center of the sliding region to the position of the sliding region and a second line from the center of the sliding region to a defined position within the sliding region.