Image analysis – Image enhancement or restoration – Intensity – brightness – contrast – or shading correction
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-06
2002-10-29
Lee, Thomas D. (Department: 2724)
Image analysis
Image enhancement or restoration
Intensity, brightness, contrast, or shading correction
C382S254000, C358S443000, C358S448000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06473535
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method, and in particular, to an image processing method for analyzing an image, calculating image processing conditions based on the results of analysis, and processing the image in accordance with the processing conditions calculated, and to an image processing apparatus to which the image processing method is applicable.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional image processing system is known in which a film image recorded on a photographic film is read by a film reading device including a read sensor such as a CCD sensor, and the image data obtained by reading is subjected to various types of image processing, and based on the image data thus processed, the image is recorded onto a recording material. In this image processing system, as compared with a conventional photographic processing system for recording a film image onto a photographic paper by planar exposure, the quality of the recorded image can be freely controlled by processing the image data. For example, if a film image photographed by using a flash or a film image which is a photographed backlit scene is subjected to a so-called hyper gradation process for compressing the gradation of the low-frequency components of the image, a recorded image free of a loss in gradation detail in shade area and highlight area in the background regions can be obtained without making the whole image soft gradation.
The contents of film images are varied, and the image processing conditions for image processing (the density conversion conditions for the density conversion process, the gradation compression conditions for the hyper gradation process, etc.) for producing a recorded image of a proper quality vary from one film image to another. In the image processing system described above, therefore, auto setup calculation is carried out for each film image unit. In auto setup calculation, the film image is read preliminarily (prescanned) with a comparatively low resolution, and then the film image is officially read with a high resolution (fine scanned). The film image is analyzed based on the image data obtained by the prescan, and the processing conditions for various image processings are calculated for producing a recorded image with a proper quality. The image data obtained by the fine scan is processed in various ways in accordance with the processing conditions calculated in the auto setup calculation.
With the algorithm for the auto setup calculation described above, proper processing conditions can be obtained for a great majority of film images. Nevertheless, the percentage of obtaining proper processing conditions has not yet reached 100%, and there are cases in which proper processing conditions cannot be obtained depending on the contents of the film image.
For this reason, a recorded image obtained by image processing according to the parameters calculated by the auto setup calculation is estimated based on prescanned image data and displayed as a simulation image. An operator verifies the quality of the simulation image, i.e., determines whether the processing conditions calculated by the auto setup calculation are proper or not. In the case where the operator determines that the quality of the simulation image is not proper (i.e., in the case where the operator determines that the auto setup calculation has ended in failure), the operator directly adjusts the processing conditions for a specific image processing.
In the image processing system described above, in order to produce recorded images with proper quality from film images having various contents, various image processings are available for controlling the quality of the recorded image. However, in the case where the auto setup calculation ends in failure, the operator often finds it difficult to determine which processing conditions of image processings should be adjusted. Also, complicated image processings such as the hyper gradation process require, for the operator, considerable knowledge and experience to determine how to adjust the processing conditions. Thus, the operator has hitherto adjusted the processing conditions for various image processings by trial and error. Therefore, in the case where the auto setup calculation has failed, a great burden is imposed on the operator, and there is also the problem that the processing speed of the image processing system is slow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention, which has been developed in view of the facts described above, is to provide an image processing apparatus and method in which proper image processing conditions can be obtained by simple operation even in cases in which it is difficult to obtain proper image processing conditions automatically.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus comprising calculating means for analyzing an image and for, based on the results of analysis, calculating processing conditions for plural types of image processings for image data representing the analyzed image, image processing means for performing each of the plural types image processings on inputted input image data in accordance with the processing conditions calculated by the calculating means, and input means for inputting information designating a change in the processing conditions of a specific image processing among the processing conditions calculated by the calculating means, wherein in a case in which the information designating a change in the processing conditions of a specific image processing scheme is input to said calculating means through said input means, said calculating means changes the processing conditions for the specific image processing, analyzes the image again in such a manner as to reflect said designation to change the processing conditions, and recalculates the processing conditions for at least one image processing other than the specific image processing on the basis if the results of analysis.
The calculating means in the first aspect of the invention analyzes the image and calculates the processing conditions for a plurality of image processing for the image data representing the analyzed image based on the results of analysis. The image can be analyzed and the processing conditions can be calculated specifically by determining the average density or other various image feature amounts using the image data representing the image to be processed, for example, and in accordance with the image feature amounts thus determined. In this way, proper processing conditions for a plurality of image processing can be obtained automatically in accordance with the contents of the image data for a great majority of images. The image processing means also carries out a plurality of image processing on the image data input thereto in accordance with the processing conditions calculated by the calculating means. The image data on which a plurality of image processing are performed by the image processing means may be either the same image data as those used by the calculating means for image analysis or the image data of higher resolution. As described above, by performing a plurality of image processings in accordance with the processing conditions calculated by the calculating means, the image data for a great majority of images can be processed by a plurality of image processings under various proper processing conditions.
The existing algorithm for calculating the processing conditions for image processing cannot achieve 100% performance of the proper processing conditions. Depending on the contents of the image to be processed, therefore, the density or color tint of the important part area of the image represented by the image data after image processing may not be proper, or otherwise proper processing conditions may not be obtained. In view of this, the first aspect of the invention comprises input means for inputting informat
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Lee Thomas D.
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