Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – Identifying – composing – or selecting
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-10
2003-07-22
Adams, Russell (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
Identifying, composing, or selecting
C355S032000, C355S054000, C355S077000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06597428
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming photographic images, a recording medium for use in the method, and photographic images formed with the method. This invention particularly relates to a method and apparatus for printing a plurality of photographic images, which have been obtained from various different kinds of image processings, on a photosensitive material or displaying the plurality of the photographic images on a display device, a recording medium, on which a program for the method has been recorded, and photographic images formed with the method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ordinarily, when photographs are taken and the negative film is given to a photo processing shop, the negative film is subjected to a predetermined developing process and a predetermined printing process, and color photographs having been printed under standard conditions are furnished to the photographer. In processing laboratories and miniature development laboratories, the processes, which are ordinarily considered as being optimum, are carried out under standard processing conditions (negative image developing conditions and printing exposure conditions) having been set previously, such that prints coming up to expectations of photographers may be furnished. However, for some photographs, it is often desired that the processes be carried out under conditions different from the standard processing conditions. For example, as for tones and gradation, it is often desired that photographs, which are more bluish or reddish than the standard tone, and photographs, which are lighter or darker than the standard gradation, can be obtained.
Recently, digital photograph techniques have became popular. With the digital photograph techniques, a digital image signal can be transformed in various desired ways by image processing. Therefore, tones, gradation, and sharpness (the degree of emphasis of sharpness and edges) can be altered. Also, soft focus processing for blurring an image as a whole and center focus processing for rendering only the center portion of an image sharp and blurring the peripheral regions can be carried out. Further, a portion of an image can be enlarged as in conventional enlargement, and effects equivalent to those of variable power photographing can thereby be obtained. Specifically, the results equivalent to those with the variable power photographing can be obtained by combining the image size enlargement and the trimming with each other. In this manner, from an image signal having been obtained from a single time of photographing, various variations of photographic images can be obtained with various kinds of image processings.
As described above, recently, photographs can be printed under processing conditions different from the standard processing conditions, which have been set previously. However, ordinary users cannot clearly find what finish each of the various variations yields. Therefore, the various variations, which enhance the enjoyment of photographs, have not heretofore been utilized sufficiently.
Accordingly, there is a strong demand for a method, with which the variations of prints obtained from image processings that are carried out by setting the processing conditions to various different processing conditions can be experienced easily.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a method of forming photographic images, with which various prints obtained from image processings that are carried out by setting the processing conditions to various different processing conditions can be experienced easily.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for carrying out the method of forming photographic images.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium, which records a program for the method of forming photographic images.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide prints formed with the method of forming photographic images.
The image processings, which are carried out by setting the processing conditions to various different processing conditions, are not limited to the processing for altering the tones and gradation (including the image density), and include the processing for altering the sharpness (the degree of emphasis of sharpness and edges), the blurring processing, such as the soft focus processing and the center focus processing, and the enlargement processing. The image processings also include the processing for printing a color photograph as a black-and-white image or an image with a sepia tone. (The term “tone” as used herein also includes the black and white and the sepia tone.)
Recently, research of digital photo printers has been carried out. With the digital photo printers, an image having been recorded on photographic film (hereinbelow referred to as the film), such as negative film or reversal film, or on printed matter is photoelectrically read out, and an image signal having thus been obtained is converted into a digital signal. The digital signal is then subjected to various kinds of image processing, and a processed image signal is thereby obtained. Thereafter, recording light is modulated with the processed image signal, and a photosensitive material, such as photographic paper, is scanned with and exposed to the modulated recording light. In this manner, a visible image is printed on the photosensitive material. With the digital photo printers, layouts of printed images, such as combining of a plurality of images, division of an image, and editing of characters and images, and various kinds of image processing, such as color/image density adjustment, conversion of magnification, and contour emphasis, can be carried out freely. Therefore, prints having been edited and processed freely in accordance with applications of the prints can be obtained. Also, in cases where the conventional surface exposure techniques are employed, the image density information having been recorded on film, or the like, cannot be reproduced perfectly due to limitation imposed upon the reproducible image density range of photosensitive materials. However, with the digital photo printers, prints can be obtained such that the image density information having been recorded on film, or the like, can be reproduced approximately perfectly. The term “photographic image” as used herein also includes the photographs, which are printed by the digital photo printers.
As a technique for simultaneously obtaining images under various different image processing conditions, for example, it may be considered to divide the optical path of an image projecting optical system into at least two optical paths, and to insert a filter or an optical system into one of the optical paths. However, such a technique has the problems in that the width, over which the conditions can be altered, cannot be kept large, and alteration to different kinds of processing conditions cannot be carried out easily. For example, with respect to the sharpness, and the like, the alteration of the processing conditions is almost impossible.
The present invention provides a method of forming photographic images, wherein the improvement comprises the steps of printing a standard color image and at least one processed image on a single sheet of photosensitive material, the standard color image being obtained by carrying out standard image processing on a single original color image, the processed image being obtained by carrying out image processing under different processing conditions on the original color image.
By way of example, the different processing conditions may be the processing conditions for altering an image tone, image sharpness, image gradation, image trimming, or an image size enlargement scale factor. Alternatively, the different processing conditions may be the processing conditions for altering a combination of at least two of an image tone, image sharpness, image gradation, image trimming, and an image si
Adachi Yoshihiro
Uenaka Kazushige
Adams Russell
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Kim Peter B.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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