Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Graph generating
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-06
2001-02-27
Zimmerman, Mark (Department: 2772)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Graph generating
C345S440000, C345S440000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06195101
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electronic editing and more particularly to the use of templates in graphics editing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Computerized editing of images is described in the following publication:
Delean, Bruno,
Method and System for Image Processing,
PCT International Publication WO 94/22101, published Sep. 29, 1994.
The use of templates in graphics applications is well known although not specifically dealt with in the foregoing publication.
Templates were first created in graphics applications with the intention of giving guidance to a user who has not mastered the most arcane tools and features of a graphics software package, or who does not want to spend too much time creating graphics applications from scratch. In image editing applications, software designers have discovered that templates, if embedded in a format that allows for editing of rich effects, can be used to compensate for a user's inability to create compelling graphic designs. Instead of requiring that a user create everything from a clean slate, templates enable a user to choose from a collection of carefully designed examples one that pleases the user or suits the user's needs. The graphics application has features that enable the user to further customize the template.
The use of templates is common in most desktop publishing applications, such as ADOBE® PAGEMAKER®, QUARK XPRESS® and MICROSOFT OFFICE®. MICROSOFT WORD®, MICROSOFT EXCEL® and MICROSOFT POWERPOINT® all come with extensive collections of templates. Templates are less commonly used in raster image editing applications since, most of the time, these applications do not store edits, but rather, they store the resulting pixel based image.
In the professional market, LIVE PICTURE®, MACROMEDIA X-RES® and METACREATION EXPRESSION® are among the few applications to provide templates. Some of the consumer level image editing application store edits in a layered structure, or expression tree, and are able to offer templates, often called “projects,” to a user. This is the case for ADOBE® PHOTODELUXE®, LIVEPIX® and MICROSOFT PICTURE IT!®.
None of these applications, however, provides a way to process alternative designs at any point in the workflow. Specifically, in the prior art, templates are used in the following workflow:
Step 1: Choose a template.
Step 2: Select elements in the template to be edited.
Step 3: Edit the selected elements.
Step 4: Save or print.
If, at some point in the process, a user wants to change the template, the user has to start back from Step 1, losing whatever edits were performed in Steps 2 and 3.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention describes a method and system which enables a user to change a template and apply to a new template the same edits performed previously to a previously used template. This has several important advantages. First, it allows the user to choose alternative styles at any point in the workflow. For example, the user can choose another birthday card style, while maintaining the same image or a different image, including image position, cropping and level of magnification, and while maintaining the same text containing the name of the birthday person. Second, it enables the application to create derivative products matching a common design and re-using user edits. For example, a set of matching business cards, letterheads, envelopes and flyers may all be created from edits performed on only one of them.
There exist in various public locations, kiosks which include image editing workstations. Examples include Kodak's COPYPRINT® Station and Polaroid's MAKE-A-PRINT®. In the context of such kiosks, the present invention improves productivity by enabling a user to choose from a set of different products to be printed without having to repeat the time-consuming template editing process.
The present invention enables a single image editing context to be applied to a variety of editable images, or templates, in an image editing system. The present invention also improves productivity of image editing kiosk systems, by creating a set of matching outputs from a single editing context.
There is thus provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a method for enabling a user to import a user-defined graphics edit into at least one template, the method including the steps of selecting, by the user, at least one first editable object, editing, by the user, at least part of the at least one first editable object, thereby producing a user-defined graphics edit, saving the user-defined graphics edit, selecting, by the user, a template containing at least one second editable object, and applying at least part of the user-defined graphics edit to at least part of the at least one second editable object within the template.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the at least one first editable object and the at least one second editable object are identical.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the at least one first editable object and the at least one second editable object are different.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the at least one first editable object resides within a first template and the at least one second editable object resides within a second template.
There is also provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention a method for a user to produce a plurality of graphics outputs by reusing edited graphics content in multiple templates, the method including the steps of selecting, by the user, a first template containing at least one first editable object, editing, by the user, at least part of the at least one first editable object within the first template, thereby producing a user-defined graphics edit, saving the user-defined graphics edit, selecting, by the user, a second template containing at least one second editable object, and applying at least part of the user-defined graphics edit to at least part of the at least one second editable object within the second template.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the at least one first editable object and said at least one second editable object are identical.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the at least one first editable object and the at least one second editable object are different.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the user-defined edit contains geometric parameters useful to automate the positioning of editable objects.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the template contains editable objects and non-editable objects.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention at least one of the at least one first editable object and the at least one second editable object contains locked features and unlocked features, and wherein the applying step does not alter the locked features.
Additionally in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the user-defined edit includes a plurality of elements acting upon at least part of the at least one first editable object.
Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention at least one element of the user-defined edit acts on multiple editable objects.
Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention them method also includes the step of automatically generating graphics outputs of various sizes following the applying step.
Moreover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the graphics outputs are generated on a kiosk system.
There is also provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention an imaging design system for enabling a user to import a user-defined graphics edit into at least one template, including at least one first editable obj
Bossut Philippe Joseph Ghislain
Deganello Natasha
Vide Adolfo
Blakely & Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman
MGI Software Corporation
Nguyen Kimbinh T.
Zimmerman Mark
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