Data correction method, apparatus and program

• US 8,107,757 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2007
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takemoto, Fumito
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Brian Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORRES, JOSE
• Application Number:
  US11/878,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20080025562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 382/254, 382/100, 382/162, 382/112, 358/1.9, 358/501, 358/452, 345/589
• US Class Current: 382/254
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/40 using histogram techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/92 based on global image properties

Abstract

Natural images which are similar to each other contained in a page represented by page description data are corrected so that they have natural appearance to the eye. To achieve this object, an image recognizing unit recognizes images in a page represented by page description data, and a natural image determining unit determines whether or not each recognized image is a natural image. An image analyzing unit calculates a setup condition for image correction for each natural image. A second correction condition calculating unit calculates, for the similar natural images being similar to each other, a correction condition for making image qualities of the similar natural images substantially uniform. An image correcting unit applies image correction based on the setup condition and the correction condition to the similar natural images.

Claims

1. A data correction apparatus comprising:

image recognizing means for recognizing images in a page represented by page description data, the page description data describing the page containing at least the images among the images and texts;

natural image determining means for determining whether or not each image recognized by the image recognizing means is a natural image based on a characteristic of the each image;

similarity determining means for determining, based on whether subjects included in a plurality of natural images determined by the natural image determining means or feature values of the plurality of natural images are similar to each other, similar natural images similar to each other when the plurality of natural images are contained in the page;

image analyzing means for calculating a setup condition, including a lightness and colors correction value, for image correction for each natural image;

correction condition calculating means for obtaining the lightness and colors correction value for each of all the similar natural images, and calculating, as a correction condition, an adjustment value of the lightness and colors correction value for making the lightness and colors correction value of all the similar natural images substantially uniform; and

image correcting means for applying image correction based on the setup condition and the correction condition to the similar natural images.

2. The data correction apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the correction condition comprises a condition for making image features of the similar natural images substantially uniform, the image features influencing appearance of the similar natural images to the eye.

3. The data correction apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a color contrast information acquiring means for acquiring color contrast information representing at least one of lightness, hue and saturation of an illustration image when the illustration image is added, as a background, around the natural image in the page,

wherein the correction condition calculation means further calculates, as the correction condition, another adjustment value for adjusting at least one of lightness, hue and saturation of the natural image based on the color contrast information to make the appearance of the natural image to human eyes uniform depending on the illustration image.

4. The data correction apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

use acquiring means for acquiring use information representing a use of the natural image; and

another correction condition calculating means for further calculating another correction condition for correcting the setup condition based on the use information,

wherein the image correction means applies image correction, based on the setup condition, the correction condition, and the another correction condition, to the similar natural images.

5. A data correction method comprising the steps of:

recognizing images in a page represented by page description data, the page description data describing the page containing at least the images among the images and texts;

determining whether or not each recognized image is a natural image based on a characteristic of the each image;

determining, based on whether sub'"'"'ects included in a luralit of natural ima es determined or feature values of the plurality of natural images are similar to each other, similar natural images similar to each other when the plurality of natural images are contained in the page;

calculating a setup condition, including a lightness and colors correction value, for image correction for each natural image;

obtaining the lightness and colors correction value for each of all the similar natural images;

calculating, as a correction condition, an adjustment value of the lightness and colors correction value for making the lightness and colors correction value of all the similar natural images substantially uniform; and

applying image correction based on the setup condition and the correction condition to the similar natural images.

6. The data correction method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the correction condition comprises a condition for making image features of the similar natural images substantially uniform, the image features influencing appearance of the similar natural images to the eye.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a data correction method comprising the procedures of:

recognizing images in a page represented by page description data, the page description data describing the page containing at least the images among the images and texts;

determining whether or not each recognized image is a natural image based on a characteristic of the each image;

determining, based on whether subjects included in a plurality of natural images determined or feature values of the plurality of natural images are similar to each other, similar natural images similar to each other when the plurality of natural images are contained in the page;

calculating a setup condition, including a lightness and colors correction value, for image correction for each natural image;

obtaining the lightness and colors correction value for each of all the similar natural images;

calculating, as a correction condition, an adjustment value of the lightness and colors correction value for making the lightness and colors correction value of all the similar natural images substantially uniform; and

applying image correction based on the setup condition and the correction condition to the similar natural images.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as claimed in claim 7, wherein the correction condition comprises a condition for making image features of the similar natural images substantially uniform, the image features influencing appearance of the similar natural images to the eye.