Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Graph generating
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-24
2001-03-13
Brier, Jeffery (Department: 2672)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Graph generating
Reexamination Certificate
active
06201548
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to image processing software, and more particularly to a graphical user interface for deriving an edited image from an original image.
BACKGROUND
Software is commercially available with a graphical user interface for selecting and editing a digitally generated image in a number of ways. For example, to “cut” or delete a portion of the image, the user can use a mouse to select an area of the image by clicking the left mouse button while the screen “cursor” is located on a corner of the image that is desired to be deleted, dragging the screen “cursor” with the mouse to another corner, thereby outlining a portion or all of the image.
After selection of this region, the user then completes the “cut” by either selecting the “cut” command from a drop-down menu (using his mouse and/or a keyboard), or alternatively, by using his mouse to select and activate a graphical interface “cut” button or icon. In either case, known image editing software is invoked which performs the “cut” operation, resulting in the original image being replaced by an edited image which has a blanked-out area enclosed by the boundaries of the region so selected.
Conventional image editing software typically permits an edited image to be restored, for example, by saving the data corresponding to one or more levels of previously edited image data and providing the user with an “undo” button or icon, and/or an “undo” menu option, which then invokes software to replace the current version of the edited image with a prior version. However, when using an “undo” command to restore the original image, the user of the software cannot effectively see both of the two images simultaneously, that is, cannot see both the edited image and the original image at the same time. This leaves the user at a disadvantage, particularly when several related images are being created from the same original and/or a careful examination of the edited image reveals defects that might have been avoided if the area in question had been selected more carefully. Although the original image may subsequently be restored and re-edited, the boundary and contents of the ordinally selected region will have then disappeared, possibly resulting in several “trial and error” iterations before an optimal result has been obtained.
SUMMARY
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an improved method for deriving an edited image from an original image.
In an exemplary editing operation (called “crop”) which in some respects is analogous to the known “cut” and “crop” operations, a region of the original image is selected, for example with a moving dashed outline showing the user the region boundaries, and the thus-selected region is then subjected to a defined editing operation, for example via a menu selection or by placing a mouse-controlled screen “cursor” over a “screen-button” and depressing a button on the mouse; the selected region remains, and the area outside of the selected region is blanked out.
In contrast with the known image editing operations, after the edited image has been formed and is displayed in a new window, the window containing the original image is also maintained and may be viewed concurrently with the edited image.
Moreover, the window containing the original image is preferably automatically minimized, that is, reduced in size to what is called an “iconified” version of the original, but may subsequently be restored to full size. If subsequent comparison by the user of both the original and edited images side-by-side show an unwanted result, the editing operation may then easily be repeated on the image in the original image window, which preferably does not get modified in any way by single or multiple editing operations in sequence. This greatly facilitates more complex editing operations such as the selection of several portions of the original image, even overlapping regions, and the production of separate new images (or a new composite image) without changing the original.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5341466 (1994-08-01), Perlin et al.
patent: 5473740 (1995-12-01), Kasson et al.
Corel Corporation, CorelPhoto-Paint, CorelDraw version 4.0, pp. 363-380 and 399-406, 1993.
Screen Prints (2) of Microsoft Photo Editor “crop” function.
Screen Prints (2) of Paint Shop Pro “crop” function.
Cariffe Alan E.
Woodson Anne-Marie
Brier Jeffery
Good-Johnson Motilewa
Hewlett--Packard Company
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