Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-08
2003-07-08
Kincaid, Kristine (Department: 2174)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S215000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06590584
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image editing method and apparatus for editing an image including plural figure objects, and more particularly, to image editing and apparatus capable of easily changing editing contents, having image editing functions related to object display position, and image editing functions related to display object processing. The image editing functions related to object display position include generation of figure object including basic figures such as a line, an ellipse and a polygon, generation of graph based on input data base (a circle graph, a line graph, a bar graph, a 3D graph etc.), capture of image object from a scanner, and cutting-out, copying, pasting, movement and deletion of image on an edited document; and image editing functions related to display object processing include coloring, shading, and 3D display.
More specifically, the present invention relates to image editing method and apparatus capable of editing an image with excellent operability in accordance with an instruction input (command) from a user, and more particularly, to image editing method and apparatus for performing editing with simple and efficient operation by utilizing a history of past editing, i.e., a command string.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent technological innovation, comparatively small and low-price general computer systems such as a personal computer and a work station have been developed, and widely used in various research institutes, enterprise offices, and general consumers' houses.
As one of main purposes of these general computer systems, so-called DTP (Desk Top Publishing) is known. The DTP is important with increasing needs to personally generate documents with high confidentiality, such as intra-company documents and new letters, in a labor saving manner and at a low cost. The DTP is realized by various factors such as the emergence of software allowing a user to freely layout plural documents within one page, the emergence of page printer (e.g., a laser-beam printer) providing printing quality as excellent as typeset quality, implementation of pasting of image captured by an image scanner, a video camera or the like, within a document, and improvement in outline font with high printing quality.
A DTP application to realize DTP operation generally has image editing functions to edit an image including plural figure objects. The image editing functions here include functions related to object display position such as generation of figure object including basic figures such as a line, an ellipse and a polygon, generation of graphs based on input data base (a circle graph, a line graph, a bar graph, a 3D graph etc.), and cutting-out, copying, pasting, movement and deletion of a generated object. Further, the image editing functions include functions related to display object processing such as coloring, shading, and 3D display, or functions for an image read by a scanner such as coloring, cutting-out, pasting/moving/copying, and enlargement/reduction/rotation.
The DTP application provides standard commands often used for these image editing operations in graphical user interface (GUI) format. That is, a user can select a desired command from the pull-down menu of corresponding menu item. Otherwise, often-sued editing commands are represented as buttons and provided in a so-called “tool bar”. The user can start a corresponding editing function by the click of a desired button from the tool bar (well-known technique). In a GUI environment, the user can perform almost all the image editing operations merely at the click of a mouse.
Further, the DTP application also includes a preview display function for verification of original image as an edited result by visual observation prior to print output (well-known technique). For example, if “Print Preview” is selected from the pull-down menu of “File” menu included in a menu bar, or a “Print Preview” button is selected from the tool bar, a preview image can be started. The preview image is represented with a reduced display of RGB original image.
It is an ordinary work for DTP users to change somewhat of already-edited image object on a preview image or an edited image having a normal size.
For example, if an attribute value of coloring or the like related to some figure object is to be changed, first, the object is selected on a DTP editing image. Next, a corresponding “Attribute Palette” is selected, and a color attribute or the like is changed to a desired value. Thus the original image can be modified.
Further, generally, command type and command input order used for image editing by the user are provided as patterns, i.e., several “command strings”. In other words, a new image file (or an object in the image file) can be changed to a desired image to a certain degree by utilizing the history of past editing, i.e., some of the command strings. Further, the image editing operation can be made efficiently by utilizing such history of past editing.
For example, there is a need to continuously obtain complete images by sequentially reading original images from a scanner and applying similar editing commands to the respective input images. As the editing commands to be applied to the input images, commands for coloring, color adjustment, enlargement/reduction/rotation, cutting-out, pasting into a document file, saving as an image file, and the like, can be given.
However, if the user himself/herself stores plural types of command strings, the load on the user is extremely heavy. For this reason, in use of image editing apparatus such as DTP device, it is desirable to provide some input support for the user's command-string selection with ease.
For example, the image editing apparatus may manage the respective command strings based on identification numbers, otherwise, may display commands included in a command string in list form. However, in the former case where the apparatus displays only the identification numbers, the user cannot grasp the functions of the command strings. Further, in the latter case where the apparatus displays the contents of the command string in list form, the user cannot easily imagine the contents of the editing processing, i.e., an image object generated by application of the command string.
Further, it may be arranged such that names are given to command strings used in the past or add comments to editing contents or the like of the command strings. However, in this case, during image editing, the user must successively input a name and a comment of the command string. This is disadvantageous as a matter of convenience and facilitation. Further, as the name and comments are basically inputted from a keyboard, the characteristic of GUI environment based on intuitive and simple input operation using a mouse is disturbed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and provides excellent image editing method and apparatus capable of editing an image including figure objects and easily changing the editing contents.
Further, the present invention provides excellent image editing method and apparatus capable of editing an image with high operability in accordance with an instruction input (command) from a user.
Further, the present invention provides excellent image editing method and apparatus capable of performing editing operations simply and efficiently by utilizing the history of past editing i.e., a command string.
Further, the present invention provides excellent image editing method and apparatus capable of performing editing operations simply and efficiently by preparing a large number of command strings for selective use with ease.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the image editing method, for editing an image by using plural editing commands, includes: (a) a step of sequentially storing a series of editing commands designated by a user during a period of editing one image; (b) a step of generating associated information relat
Yamagami Rui
Yamaura Fukumi
Fuji 'Xerox Co., Ltd.
Kincaid Kristine
Nguyen Nhon D
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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