Toilet – Methods
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-01
2003-01-07
Wilson, John J. (Department: 3732)
Toilet
Methods
C434S262000, C382S128000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06502583
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a technique of modifying facial images and a makeup art of putting makeup on a face using the modifying technique.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present inventor has been making studies, for a long time, on factors which determine the faces of persons, particularly facial impressions, and beauty and ugliness, from the viewpoints of plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery. The study has provided several new findings. One of them is the “highlight theory”. Conventionally, it was a general thought that the components of a face, such as eyebrows, eyes, a nose and lips, would become significant factors to determine a facial impression. The research done by the present inventor however shows that the prime factor to determine a facial impression is the shading state of a face, i.e., the states of a bright area and a dark area, particularly, the state of the brightest area or highlighted area. The shading state relates to shading on a face which occurs under illumination of the natural light, and reflects or expresses the three-dimensional shape of the face. The states of a highlighted area in such shading particularly affects a facial impression.
The analysis based on this highlight theory classifies faces into three general types. As exemplarily shown in
FIG. 5
, the shapes of highlighted areas are an inverted triangle type [(a) in FIG.
5
], an oval type [(b) in FIG.
5
] and a clover-leaf type [(c) in FIG.
5
]. A typical beautiful face in each facial type has a good shape of the associated highlighted area. With regard to an inverted triangle type, for example, no or little distortion or deformation on its shape is a significant factor in giving a good impression on a face.
Another finding is a theory on the shapes of faces people feel beautiful or preferable. Conventional theories on facial beauty include canon theory or a theory based on golden cut, and the average theory which has recently come up. The average theory means a theory that the face that appears most beautiful among those of a certain human race is an average face of the individual faces of that race. Faces based on those theories merely provide general “beautiful faces”. In other words, those theories cannot give ideal post-makeup faces which are makeup aims applicable to makeup methods. Unlike those theories, the theory found by the present inventor can be put to a practical use in makeup methods.
According to what has been newly found by the present inventor, through the following procedures, it is possible in most occasions to find the most beautiful or preferable face for each specific person, or the most beautiful or preferable face that can be made by makeup available to that individual. The fundamental theory is such that if faces are produced by combining a face of given standards, specifically, a face generally considered beautiful or a face preferred by an individual and the actual face of that particular individual at the proper mixing ratios through an image processing technique, an “ideal face” which is considered most beautiful or preferable by that individual can be found in most cases from the foregoing mixed faces. Specifically, one of model faces, which are, for example, faces of preferred talents or actresses or actors, or “beautiful faces” originated from the average theory and the like, is selected as a desirable face. Based on this desirable face, the actual face of the person is subjected to image processing like morphing so that the actual face is mixed with the desirable face to approach the latter. This process provides a plurality of “modified faces” with different mixing ratios or similarity levels with respect to the desirable face. In most cases, those “modified faces” contain an “ideal face” that person considers most beautiful or preferable. The data obtained by the present inventor shows that persons in 48 cases out of 50 could find “ideal faces” they thought most beautiful or preferable. In the other two cases, “ideal faces” could be found by modifying the desirable faces. The mixing ratio in every case ranged from 10 to 50%.
It is to be noted that one model face itself should not necessarily be the most preferable face for a particular person. That is, the “ideal face” a particular person can find for herself or himself is a “modified face” which is resulted from the mixing of a model face with her or his own face, not the model face itself. The actual results of the experiments conducted by the present inventor show that most subject persons did not prefer model faces using “beautiful faces” created by the average theory or the like.
The present invention has been devised to effectively utilize the above-described findings and alms at using those findings to a technique of modifying, for example, photographed facial images and to a makeup technique.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, facial images picked up by a still camera, a video camera or the like are modified as follows. First, a desirable face is determined, and then an original facial image is subjected to image processing to become closer to this desirable face so that a modified facial image is acquired.
Model faces can be used in determining a desirable face. The faces of preferable talents or actresses or actors can be used as model faces. If one does not have any preferable talent or the like, standard good-looking faces acquired from a plurality of beautiful faces which have previously been prepared corresponding to human races or like according to the foregoing average theory may be used. In the foregoing method, it may also be arranged that an original facial image is subjected to image processing to become closer to a desirable face, thereby forming images of a plurality of selectable modified faces with different similarity levels with respect to the desirable face, and then a selection is made from those selectable modified faces to acquire a modified facial image. This further facilitates acquiring a face ideal to the subject person.
It is preferable to use the foregoing highlight theory in modifying and making an original facial image closer to a desirable face. That is, the key point is to make the states of highlighted areas of a facial image to be modified closer to those of a desirable face. This can provide a more beautiful and preferable face and thus facilitate approaching to a desirable face.
This facial image modifying method is an application of the foregoing theory on the shapes of faces that people think beautiful or preferable. Unlike the conventional photograph modification techniques which mainly depend on a manual work, this method can automate the modification work by electronic processing. What is more, modification results can give greater satisfaction. This method of the present invention can be adapted to operational simulation in plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery as well as ordinary photograph modification.
In a makeup simulation method embodying the present invention and a makeup method which uses this simulation method, a desirable face is determined first. In the case where a makeup instructor instructs a subject person how to put makeup, for example, a desirable face may be determined by asking the subject person about preferences. Alternatively, model faces may be used in determining a desirable face. The faces of talents, or actresses or actors the subject person like can be used as model faces. If the subject person has no preference for any talent or the like, averages of good-looking faces which have previously been prepared corresponding to human races or the like may be used as model faces. In the former case, a preferred desirable face can be selected from model faces using the name or the like of the preferable talent or the like as an index. In the latter case, a preferred desirable face should be selected from model faces of standard beauty which has previously been input as data. In both cases a selection is made while sequentially displaying the model faces
Bednarek Michael D.
Doan Robyn Kieu
DRDC Limited
Shaw Pittman LLP
Wilson John J.
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