Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Attributes
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-31
2003-09-30
Brier, Jeffery (Department: 2672)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Attributes
C345S650000, C345S661000, C345S676000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06628295
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to editing of digital images. Modem graphics application programs, such as the Adobe Photoshop® program, produced by Adobe Systems Incorporated of San Jose, Calif., allow a user to paint portions of a digital image. This is usually accomplished with various types of brush-like or pen-like painting tools, which allow a user to create intuitively a modification of the digital image in a local neighborhood of the brush or pen. Tools of this type are usually raster-based and operate on raster images, that is, the tools apply paint by changing the color of a digital image on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Raster-based tools provide a natural and intuitive painting metaphor for modifying an image, but the painting that is made by raster-based tools is resolution dependent. When a raster painted image is at high magnification it will appear jagged and lose detail.
In contrast to raster-based painting tools, there are also vector-based painting tools. Vector-based painting tools apply changes to a digital image based on a mathematical model and are resolution-independent. Consequently, edges look smooth even when the digital image is magnified. Furthermore, in graphics applications that allow manipulations of moving objects, such as the Adobe AfterEffects® application, the objects are normally represented by vectors. If an object in such an application needs to be modified, the modification has to be performed using a vector-based tool. An example of a set of vector-based tools can be found in the Adobe Illustrator® application, in which a Smooth tool can modify entire paint strokes applied with a Paint tool or a Pencil tool. In addition, a large range of styles can be applied to each paint stroke, strokes can be created with arbitrary variation in radius along a curve, and the overall opacity of the strokes can be changed.
Another example of a vector-based painting tool has been described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/056,567, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,355, filed on Apr. 7, 1998, for Sketch Based Editing Of Curves. This vector-based painting tool is used to correct undesirable bumps and flat portions that occur in curves that have been drawn with freehand gestures in an electronic document using input devices such as a mouse or graphics tablet. The tool allows a user to replace the bumps and flat portions with smooth curves by using a “sketch-like” movement of the input device to create a replacement curve. The bumps or flat portions are then removed and replaced with the smooth replacement curve segments. The process is comparable to when an artist is drawing with pen and paper and modifies a curve by drawing another line or curve in an area that is undesirable, covering the undesirable portion.
However, this process can only be used to change the shape of a curve and cannot be used to change the color or any other appearance properties of a path. Most users experience conventional vector-based painting tools to be much less intuitive to use than raster-based tools. In addition, vector-based tools lack some of the flexibility of raster-based tools.
SUMMARY
The present invention provides tools and methods for creating and editing paths in electronic documents. In this context, a path is an element of electronic artwork that is based on a one dimensional curve—which may be defined in one or more segments—that defines a shape or trajectory of the path. In addition to its shape, a path can have one or more stylistic properties, such as color or radius, that can be constant or variable along its length. A path has two or more vertices that are connected by path segments. Two of these vertices are endpoints of the path.
In general, in one aspect, the invention provides methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for locally modifying a stylistic property of at least one path in an electronic document. In this aspect all or a portion of an electronic document and at least one brush tool is displayed to a user. The electronic document has paths defined by parametric vector curves, and the brush tool is indicated by a cursor and having a region of influence. A user input selecting a brush tool and positioning the selected brush tool on the electronic document is received and a stylistic property of paths that pass within the region of influence of the selected brush tool is changed in response to a continuous user-controlled gesture of the brush tool. The stylistic property is a vector-based appearance property that varies along a path.
Advantageous implementations can include one or more of the following features. The region of influence can be a changeable parameter of the brush tool. The size, the shape, the rotation, and the strength of the region of influence can be changeable. The parametric vector curves can be curves in a two-dimensional space. The parametric vector curves can be represented by polynomials. The parametric vector curves can be Bezier curves. The stylistic property can be changed by altering the vectors that represent the stylistic property. The change of the stylistic property can be a localized change and only affect the parts of the paths that pass within the region of influence of the selected brush tool. The stylistic property of the path can be changed by an amount that is proportional to the distance the selected brush tool is moved during the continuous user-controlled movement of the brush tool. The stylistic property can be described by a polynomial and the components of the vectors associated with the stylistic property can correspond to coefficients in the polynomial. The polynomial can be a cubic polynomial and each polynomial coefficient can have an associated stiffness coefficient. The stylistic property may be a property unrelated to the shape of the path and can for example be the width of the path, the opacity of a stroke of the path, or a color property of a fill of the path. The color property can, for example, be the luminosity, the hue, or the saturation of the fill of the path. The stylistic property can be instances of a pattern that are stamped along the path. Changing a stylistic property may, for example, comprise locally rotating, locally translating, locally scaling, or locally distorting one or more instances of the pattern. Changing a stylistic property may comprises changing a stylistic property only for the path in the electronic document that at any given moment passes closest to a center of the region of influence of the selected brush tool.
In general, in another aspect, the invention provides methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for locally modifying a stylistic property of at least one path in an electronic document. In this aspect at least a part of the electronic document with the at least one path is displayed to a user. Each path is defined by a parametric vector curve and has at least one stylistic property. The stylistic property is a vector-based appearance property that varies along the path. User inputs selecting a location in the electronic document, a region of influence around the location, and a stylistic property to be modified are received, and the selected stylistic property of paths that lie within the region of influence is locally modified by altering the vectors associated with the stylistic property.
Advantageous implementations can include one or more of the following features. A user input indicating the degree of localization and extent of the modification of the stylistic property can be received. Each path may be delimited by two vertices. One or more vertices can be added to divide the path into smaller path segments, where each path segment is defined by a smaller parametric vector curve and having at least one vector-based stylistic property. The stylistic property of path segments within the region of influence can be locally modified by altering the vectors associated with the stylistic property. The selected stylistic property can be modified based on an amplif
Adobe Systems Incorporated
Brier Jeffery
LandOfFree
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