Facsimile and static presentation processing – Natural color facsimile – Measuring – testing – and calibrating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-12
2002-01-15
Williams, Kimberly A. (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Natural color facsimile
Measuring, testing, and calibrating
C358S302000, C358S406000, C355S077000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06339485
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of making a photoprocessing reference image control tool photograph and methods of converting image data, particularly to a method of making a photoprocessing reference image control tool photograph suitable for use in setting the exposure conditions and checking the development performance of an automatic printer or print processor capable of printing an image recorded onto photographic film (a silver halide photographic recording medium) on printing paper (a silver halide photographic recording medium) under automatically controlled exposure conditions and to methods of converting image data that utilize this method.
2. Description of the Related Art
The automatic printer and the automatic print processor (a printer with development processing capability) are devices for automatically printing images recorded using color negative film on color printing paper to obtain color prints (positive images). Proper development processing and proper setting of the automatic printer exposure conditions are essential for consistently obtaining high quality color prints. The automatic printer has a slope control feature that effects correction to make the density and color balance of the finished print the same irrespective of the negative image contrast (underexposure, proper exposure or overexposure). A type of control negative called an eyeball negative is generally used to adjust the slope control and set the exposure conditions. The eyeball negative is produced by effecting exposure to obtain a portion at the center corresponding to a negative obtained by photographing a round gray subject and a surrounding portion corresponding to a negative obtained by photographing a green subject.
The relationship with the photographed subject is indefinite with the eyeball negative, however, because only the portion corresponding to a negative obtained by photographing a round gray subject is imaged at the center portion. The eyeball negative is therefore hard to use.
In response to this situation, PCT Japanese Publication No. 5(1993)-506733 corresponding to WO92/15957 teaches a method of producing a second-generation camera original photoprocessing reference image control tool photograph that utilizes a transparency photograph digitally generated to represent the actual scene. This method photographs a first image including a preselected scene and subject onto a first photographic recording medium and photographs a second image representing photographic processing control data on a second photographic recording medium. It next converts the first and second images to first and second numerical images and stores them in the primary digital image datametric of a digital image database. It then digitally inserts the second numerical image into the first numerical image to generate composite digital image data and selectively adjusts one or more parameters of the composite image. Finally, it uses a digital output recording apparatus to record the composite image onto a photographic recording medium, photographs the composite image recorded onto the photographic recording medium and develops the obtained composite image photograph to obtain a photoprocessing reference image control tool photograph.
The photoprocessing reference image control tool photograph is used in the following manner to set the exposure conditions of a printer. First, photoprocessing reference image control tool photographs are produced in correspondence to the cases of overexposure, underexposure and proper-exposure photography. The produced tools are then used to form photoprocessing reference image control tool photograph images on light-sensitive material. At this time, the exposure conditions are set to give the gray portion of each photoprocessing reference image control tool photograph a prescribed density. Some fine adjustment of the exposure conditions may be necessary to obtain natural-looking flesh portions, however, because such portions may in some cases be rendered in the wrong density if the gray portion is given the prescribed density. The exposure conditions are stored in memory. At the time of printing, the exposure conditions are set based on the relationship between the overall density of the film and the density of the photoprocessing reference image control tool photographs. Printed images (prints) are made using these exposure conditions. The printed image obtained by this method exhibits proper density of the gray portions and the flesh portions. (The exposure condition settings are those in the case where image formation on the light-sensitive material was conducted using standard exposure conditions. In the case of a light-sensitive material exposed using conditions other than standard, such as by use of a nonstandard exposure light source, separate corrective adjustment is necessary.)
This prior art method photographs the second image with a camera and then converts it to a numerical image by photographic numerical conversion. This need to conduct two steps, image taking and numerical conversion, makes the image taking troublesome and time consuming. To overcome this inconvenience, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9(1997)-15760 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9(1997)-15761, for example, teach methods that enable production of photoprocessing reference image control tool photographs simply and quickly by using computer graphics technology to produce photoprocessing reference images.
However, the methods taught by PCT Japanese Publication No. 5(1993)-506733(WO92/15957), Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9(1997)-15760 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9(1997)-15761 all obtain the final photoprocessing reference image control tool photograph by once recording a composite image of a first image and a second image onto an intermediate recording medium and then photocopying the intermediate recording medium carrying the composite image. This makes production of the photoprocessing reference image control tool photograph very troublesome. A considerably easier method would be to record the composite image onto the final silver halide photographic recording medium without once recording it onto an intermediate recording medium. However, when the composite image is recorded directly onto the final silver halide photographic recording medium, photographing of the original image has to be repeated for each different type of silver halide photographic recording medium. This is impractical in the actual production of prints.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention was accomplished in light of the foregoing problems and has as one of its objects to provide a method of making a photoprocessing reference image control tool photograph that enables simple production of a photoprocessing reference image control tool photograph without need to produce an intermediate recording medium. Another object of the invention is to provide methods of converting image data that utilize the method of making a photoprocessing reference image control tool photograph.
The method of making a photoprocessing reference image control tool photograph according to the invention includes:
step A of acquiring digital (F) image data representing an image of a preselected subject,
step B of acquiring first digital chart image data representing a color chart composed of multiple color patches using the same acquisition conditions as those used at the time of acquiring the digital image data,
step C of recording. an image of the color chart onto a silver halide photographic recording medium (F),
step D of converting the color chart image recorded onto the prescribed silver halide photographic recording medium (F) to second digital chart image data and determining a correspondence relationship defining correspondence of digital signal values of the patches between the first and second digital chart image data,
step E of converting the digital image data based on the correspondence relationship to obtain converted i
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