Reduction of differential resolution of separations

• US 6,947,607 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2003
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.), Warner Bros Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.), Warner Bros Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Perlmutter, Sharon M., Perlmutter, Keren O., Wang, Eric, Klamer, Paul R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Application Number:
  US10/657,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20040109611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 382/162, 382/199, 382/254, 382/266, 382/284, 382/299, 348/96, 348/97, 348/576, 348/577, 348/612, 348/625, 352/66, 352/67
• US Class Current: 382/266
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20064 Wavelet transform [DWT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20192 Edge enhancement; Edge preservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/403 Edge-driven scaling; Edge-based scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4084 in the transform domain, e.g. fast Fourier transform [FFT] domain scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/003 Deblurring; Sharpening vibration or motion blur correction for cameras comprising an electronic image sensor H04N23/682
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/10 using non-spatial domain filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/73 Deblurring; Sharpening
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/58 Edge or detail enhancement; Noise or error suppression, e.g. colour misregistration correction H04N1/62 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects

Abstract

Certain disclosed implementations use digital image processing to reduce the differential resolution among separations or images in film frames, such as, for example, red flare. A location in the red image may be selected using information from another image. The selected location may be modified using information from that other image. The selection may include comparing features of an edge in the first image with features of a corresponding edge in the other image. The modification may include performing wavelet transformations of the two images and copying certain coefficients (or a function of these coefficients) produced by the application of the transformation to the second image to the coefficients produced by the application of the transformation to the first image. The copied coefficients may be correlated with the selected location. Other disclosed techniques vary from the above and may be applied to other fields.

Claims

1. A method of reducing differential resolution, the method comprising:

selecting a first image containing first information about a scene;

selecting a second image containing second information about the scene, wherein a portion of the first image and a portion of the second image have differential resolution;

determining a location at which to modify a property of the first image to reduce the differential resolution, the location being in the portion of the first image, and the determination being based on information obtained at least in part from the portion of the second image; and

reducing the differential resolution by modifying the property at the determined location in the portion of the first image,

wherein the first image and the second image comprise color separations of a film frame.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first image comprises a red separation and the differential resolution results in red fringing.

3. A method of reducing differential resolution, the method comprising:

selecting a first image containing first information about a scene;

selecting a second image containing second information about the scene, wherein a portion of the first image and a portion of the second image have differential resolution;

determining a location at which to modify a property of the first image to reduce the differential resolution, the location being in the portion of the first image, and the determination being based on information obtained at least in part from the portion of the second image; and

reducing the differential resolution by modifying the property at the determined location in the portion of the first image,

wherein the first and second images are extracted from a composite color image.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the composite color image is generated from color separations of a film frame.

5. A method of reducing differential resolution, the method comprising:

selecting a first image containing first information about a scene;

selecting a second image containing second information about the scene, wherein a portion of the first image and a portion of the second image have differential resolution;

determining a location at which to modify a property of the first image to reduce the differential resolution, the location being in the portion of the first image, and the determination being based on information obtained at least in part from the portion of the second image;

reducing the differential resolution by modifying the property at the determined location in the portion of the first image; and

determining a non-modify location in the first image at which the property is not to be modified.

6. A method of reducing differential resolution, the method comprising:

selecting a first image containing first information about a scene;

selecting a second image containing second information about the scene, wherein a portion of the first image and a portion of the second image have differential resolution;

determining a location at which to modify a property of the first image to reduce the differential resolution, the location being in the portion of the first image, and the determination being based on information obtained at least in part from the portion of the second image; and

reducing the differential resolution by modifying the property at the determined location in the portion of the first image,

wherein determining the location comprises selecting one or more edges to modify.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein selecting one or more edges to modify comprises selecting, for one of the one or more edges, a single edge pixel of an edge that includes multiple edge pixels.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein selecting one or more edges to modify comprises:

comparing one or more features of an edge in the first image with one or more features of an edge in the second image; and

selecting the edge as an edge to modify based on a result of the comparison.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the one or more features comprise a feature selected from the group consisting of a location of the edge, a direction of the edge, an extent of the edge, an intensity-change direction, and an intensity range traversed.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising determining an edge extent to modify for each selected edge.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein selecting one or more edges to modify comprises selecting multiple edges to modify, the method further comprising:

connecting two of the selected edges based on properties of the two selected edges; and

determining an edge extent for the connected selected edges.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein connecting two selected edges is based on spatial proximity between the two selected edges.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein connecting two selected edges is based on one or more of intensity differences between particular pixels in each of the two selected edges and intensity differences between particular pixels spatially located between the two selected edges.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein determining an edge extent for the connected selected edges is based on edge extents that would have been determined for each of the selected edges before being connected.

15. The method of claim 6 further comprising unselecting a selected edge based on a size of the selected edge.

16. A method of reducing differential resolution, the method comprising:

selecting a first image containing first information about a scene;

selecting a second image containing second information about the scene, wherein a portion of the first image and a portion of the second image have differential resolution;

determining a location at which to modify a property of the first image to reduce the differential resolution, the location being in the portion of the first image, and the determination being based on information obtained at least in part from the portion of the second image, wherein determining the location in the portion of the first image is based on information obtained at least in part from the portion of the second image, and the information is for a first direction only; and

reducing the differential resolution by modifying the property at the determined location in the portion of the first image, wherein modifying the property at the location comprises producing a modified first image.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

determining a location at which to modify the property in the modified first image, wherein the determination is based on information obtained at least in part from the second image, and the information obtained from the second image is for a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction; and

modifying the property at the location in the modified first image.

18. A method of reducing differential resolution, the method comprising:

selecting a first image containing first information about a scene;

selecting a second image containing second information about the scene, wherein a portion of the first image and a portion of the second image have differential resolution wherein selecting a second image comprises selecting a second image from a plurality of images based on one or more criteria;

determining a location at which to modify a property of the first image to reduce the differential resolution, the location being in the portion of the first image, and the determination being based on information obtained at least in part from the portion of the second image; and

reducing the differential resolution by modifying the property at the determined location in the portion of the first image.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the one or more criteria comprises intensity information.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the one or more criteria comprises resolution information.

21. A method of reducing differential resolution, the method comprising:

selecting a first image containing first information about a scene;

selecting a second image containing second information about the scene, wherein a portion of the first image and a portion of the second image have differential resolution;

determining a location at which to modify a property of the first image to reduce the differential resolution, the location being in the portion of the first image, and the determination being based on information obtained at least in part from the portion of the second image, wherein determining the location is performed interactively; and

reducing the differential resolution by modifying the property at the determined location in the portion of the first image.

22. A method of reducing differential resolution, the method comprising:

selecting a first image containing first information about a scene;

selecting a second image containing second information about the scene, wherein a portion of the first image and a portion of the second image have differential resolution;

determining a location at which to modify a property of the first image to reduce the differential resolution, the location being in the portion of the first image, and the determination being based on information obtained at least in part from the portion of the second image;

reducing the differential resolution by modifying the property at the determined location in the portion of the first image; and

applying a feathering technique to a region of the first image that includes the location to modify, the feathering technique being applied after the location is modified.

23. A method of reducing differential resolution, the method comprising:

selecting a first image containing first information about a scene;

selecting a second image containing second information about the scene, wherein a portion of the first image and a portion of the second image have differential resolution;

determining a location at which to modify a property of the first image to reduce the differential resolution, the location being in the portion of the first image, and the determination being based on information obtained at least in part from the portion of the second image; and

reducing the differential resolution by modifying the property at the determined location in the portion of the first image, wherein modifying the property at the location in the first image comprises;

applying a first wavelet transformation to the portion of the first image to produce a result;

applying a second wavelet transformation to the portion of the second image; and

modifying one or more coefficients produced by the application of the first wavelet transformation based on one or more coefficients produced by the application of the second wavelet transformation to produce a modified result.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising determining a non-modify location in the first image at which the property is not to be modified.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

applying an inverse wavelet transformation to the modified result of the first wavelet transformation to produce a digital image; and

determining whether the property is modified at the non-modify location in the digital image.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising restoring the property at the non-modify location to its original value if the property is modified at the non-modify location in the digital image.

27. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

applying an inverse wavelet transformation to the modified result; and

determining whether the differential resolution is reduced between the portion of the first image and the portion of the second image.

28. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

applying an inverse wavelet transformation to the modified result to produce another result; and

applying a feathering technique to a portion of the other result that includes the determined location to modify.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein applying the feathering technique comprises linearly interpolating between intensity values within the portion of the other result.

30. A method of modifying a property of an image, the method comprising:

accessing a first image containing first information about a scene;

accessing a second image containing second information about the scene, wherein a portion of the first image and a portion of the second image have differential resolution;

determining a location at which to modify a property of the first image to reduce the differential resolution, wherein the determining is based on a time-domain comparison of the portion of the first image and the portion of the second image; and

modifying the property at the location by modifying information produced by application of a wavelet transformation to the portion of the first image, the information being modified based on information produced by application of a wavelet transformation to the portion of the second image.

31. An apparatus comprising a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a machine result in at least the following:

selecting a first image containing first information about a scene;

selecting a second image containing second information about the scene, wherein a portion of the first image and a portion of the second image have differential resolution;

determining a location at which to modify a property of the first image to reduce the differential resolution, the location being in the portion of the first image, and the determination being based on information obtained at least in part from the portion of the second image; and

reducing the differential resolution by modifying the property at the location,

wherein the first image comprises a red separation of a film frame and the differential resolution results in red fringing.

32. An apparatus comprising a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a machine result in at least the following:

selecting a first image containing first information about a scene;

selecting a second image containing second information about the scene, wherein a portion of the first image and a portion of the second image have differential resolution;

determining a location at which to modify a property of the first image to reduce the differential resolution, the location being in the portion of the first image, and the determination being based on information obtained at least in part from the portion of the second image; and

reducing the differential resolution by modifying the property at the location,

wherein determining the location comprises;

comparing one or more features of an edge in the first image with one or more features of an edge in the second image; and

selecting the edge as a location to modify based on a result of the comparison.