Methods and apparatus for image editing using multitouch gestures

• US 9,535,599 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2009
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, Nayoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Horner, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US12/543,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20130120434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,695 Days
• Field of Search: 345/594, 345/619, 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for digital image editing using multitouch gestures in which two or more digits may be used to select a region of an image via a multitouch device. The number of digits used may indicate the shape of the region being selected. The selected region may be applied to the image or to another image according to an image editing technique using an implement held or manipulated with the other hand, such as a stylus or cursor control device, or using one or more digits of the other hand. Image editing techniques in which the multitouch gestures and application methods may be used may include various techniques that sample pixels from a selected location in an image and apply the sampled pixels to other pixels in the image or to another image.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving selection input indicating multiple substantially simultaneous touch points on a touch-sensitive surface of a multi-touch-enabled device, each of the multiple touch points corresponds to a different point within a source digital image displayed on a display device;

determining, from the selection input, a number of the touch points;

determining, from the number of the touch points, a shape of a sampling region within the source digital image, the sampling region comprising one or more pixels, the shape being one of a plurality of shapes, each shape differentiated, one from another, by a corresponding number of touch points, each number of touch points corresponding with a single shape;

determining a painting region within a destination digital image displayed on the display device, the painting region comprises one or more pixels and has the shape of the sampling region as determined by the number of the touch points; and

applying the pixels in the sampling region to the pixels in the painting region according to an image editing technique as defined by movement of a painting point of the painting region.

2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the source digital image and the destination digital image are the same digital image.

3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the multitouch-enabled device and the display device are the same device.

4. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selection input indicates two touch points, and wherein said determining a sampling region within the source digital image comprises determining a substantially circular sampling region from the two touch points.

5. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selection input indicates three touch points, and wherein said determining a sampling region within the source digital image comprises determining a substantially triangular sampling region from the three touch points.

6. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selection input indicates four touch points, and wherein said determining a sampling region within the source digital image comprises determining a substantially quadrilateral sampling region from the four touch points.

7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selection input indicating the multiple substantially simultaneous touch points is generated by the multitouch-enabled device in response to the multitouch-enabled device recognizing user input comprising multiple substantially simultaneous touches on the touch-sensitive surface of the multitouch-enabled device.

8. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said determining a painting region comprises:

receiving painting input indicating the painting point within the destination digital image displayed on the display device; and

determining the painting region from the painting point.

9. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 8, wherein the painting input indicating the painting point is generated by the multitouch-enabled device in response to the multitouch-enabled device recognizing input indicating a different touch point on the touch-sensitive surface of the multitouch-enabled device, wherein the different touch point indicates the painting point on the display device.

10. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 9, wherein the painting input indicating the painting point is generated via a cursor control device in response to the cursor control device recognizing input indicating selection of the painting point on the display device.

11. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

receiving additional painting input indicating movement of the painting point within the destination digital image;

adjusting the painting region in accordance with the movement of the painting point; and

applying the pixels in the sampling region to pixels in the adjusted painting region according to the image editing technique.

12. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

determining a sampling point within the sampling region;

receiving additional painting input indicating movement of the painting point within the destination digital image;

tracking the movement of the painting point with the sampling point in the source digital image;

adjusting the sampling region and the painting region in accordance with the movement of the sampling point and the painting point; and

applying pixels in the adjusted sampling region to pixels in the adjusted painting region according to the image editing technique.

13. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said applying the pixels in the sampling region to the pixels in the painting region according to the image editing technique comprises sampling color values from the pixels in the sampling region and painting over the pixels in the painting region with the sampled color values.

14. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said applying the pixels in the sampling region to the pixels in the painting region according to the image editing technique comprises sampling color values from the pixels in the sampling region and blending the sampled color values with color values of the pixels in the painting region.

15. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the sampling region and the painting region are the same region, wherein the region comprises a plurality of pixels, and wherein said applying the pixels in the sampling region to the pixels in the painting region according to the image editing technique comprises sampling color values from at least some of the plurality of pixels in the region and blending the sampled color values with color values of others of the plurality of pixels in the region.

16. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

a display device;

a multitouch-enabled device comprising a touch-sensitive surface, wherein the multitouch-enabled device is configured to recognize multiple substantially simultaneous touch points on the touch-sensitive surface; and

a memory comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by the at least one processor to;

receive selection input indicating multiple substantially simultaneous touch points on the touch-sensitive surface of a multi-touch-enabled device, each of the multiple touch points corresponds to a different point within a source digital image displayed on the display device;

determine a number of the touch points included in a selection input;

determine, from the number of the touch points, a shape of a sampling region within the source digital image, the sampling region comprising one or more pixels, the shape being one of a plurality of shapes, each shape differentiated, one from another, by a corresponding number of touch points, each number of touch points corresponding with a single shape;

determine a painting region within a destination digital image displayed on the display device, the painting region comprises one or more pixels and has the shape of the sampling region as determined by the number of the touch points; and

apply the pixels in the sampling region to the pixels in the painting region according to an image editing technique as defined by movement of a painting point of the painting region.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein, to determine a painting region, the program instructions are executable by the at least one processor to:

receive painting input indicating the painting point within the destination digital image displayed on the display device; and

determine the painting region from the painting point.

18. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the program instructions are executable by the at least one processor to:

determine a sampling point within the sampling region;

receive additional painting input indicating movement of the painting point within the destination digital image;

track the movement of the painting point with the sampling point in the source digital image;

adjust the sampling region and the painting region m accordance with the movement of the sampling point and the painting point; and

apply pixels in the adjusted sampling region to pixels in the adjusted painting region according to the image editing technique.

19. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein, to apply the pixels in the sampling region to the pixels in the painting region according to the image editing technique, the program instructions are executable by the at least one processor to sample color values from the pixels in the sampling region and painting over the pixels in the painting region with the sampled color values.

20. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein, to apply the pixels in the sampling region to the pixels in the painting region according to the image editing technique, the program instructions are executable by the at least one processor to sample color values from the pixels in the sampling region and blending the sampled color values with color values of the pixels in the painting region.

21. A tangible computer-readable storage medium, excluding signals per se, comprising program instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

determining, from a selection input, a sampling region within a source digital image, the sampling region comprising one or more pixels and the selection input indicating multiple substantially simultaneous touch points detected on a touch-sensitive surface of a multitouch-enabled device;

determining a shape of the sampling region based on a number of the simultaneous touch points, the shape being one of a plurality of shapes, each shape differentiated, one from another, by a corresponding number of touch points, each number of touch points corresponding with a single shape;

determining a painting region within a destination digital image displayed on the display device, the painting region comprises one or more pixels and has the shape of the sampling region as determined by the number of the touch points; and

applying the pixels in the sampling region to the pixels in the painting region according to an image editing technique as defined by movement of a painting point of the painting region.

22. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, wherein, in said determining a painting region, the program instructions are computer executable to implement:

receiving painting input indicating the painting point within the destination digital image displayed on the display device; and

determining the painting region from the painting point.

23. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 22, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement:

determining a sampling point within the sampling region;

receiving additional painting input indicating movement of the painting point within the destination digital image;

tracking the movement of the painting point with the sampling point in the source digital image;

adjusting the sampling region and the painting region in accordance with the movement of the sampling point and the painting point; and

applying pixels in the adjusted sampling region to pixels in the adjusted painting region according to the image editing technique.

24. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, wherein, in said applying the pixels in the sampling region to the pixels in the painting region according to the image editing technique, the program instructions are computer-executable to implement sampling color values from the pixels in the sampling region and painting over the pixels in the painting region with the sampled color values.

25. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 21, wherein, in said applying the pixels in the sampling region to the pixels in the painting region according to the image editing technique, the program instructions are computer-executable to implement sampling color values from the pixels in the sampling region and blending the sampled color values with color values of the pixels in the painting region.