JP2011035593A - Electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow the degree of effect of image processing application to be recognized on a monitor in details. <P>SOLUTION: A main CPU 11 reads out subject image data from a storage medium 17 and detects a face of a subject person (main subject) with respect to subject image data selected by a user and acquires coordinate data of an image of the face. An image processing circuit 12 performs beautiful skin treatment to face image data, and the main CPU 11 enlarges and displays the face image subjected to beautiful skin treatment, on a monitor 15 on the basis of the coordinate data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus having an image processing function, such as a digital camera.

  There is known an image reproduction apparatus that performs image processing on image data and reproduces and displays an unprocessed image and a processed image side by side on the same screen of a monitor (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-38642 A

  However, in the above-described image reproduction device, two images before and after the processing are displayed side by side on the same screen, so it is easy to compare the two images, but the size of the image is small, so the image processing application There is a problem that the effect of is difficult to understand. This tendency is particularly large in portable devices having a small monitor screen.

(1) The electronic device according to the invention of claim 1 is a reading means for reading out subject image data from a storage medium, and detection for detecting a main subject image in the subject image data and acquiring position data of the main subject image Means, image processing means for performing predetermined image processing on the main subject image, and display control for enlarging and displaying the main subject image subjected to the predetermined image processing on the display device based on position data of the main subject image And means.

  According to the electronic apparatus of the present invention, the main subject image in the subject image is subjected to image processing, and the main subject image portion is displayed in an enlarged manner, so that the degree of effect of the image processing application can be recognized in detail.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view of the digital camera which shows typically the screen content before image processing. It is a rear view of the digital camera which shows typically the contents of a screen which expanded and displayed the main subject by image processing. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process by 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process by 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process by the modification of 2nd Embodiment.

<Configuration of digital camera>
An electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a digital camera having an imaging unit, and the configuration thereof will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the digital camera 1 includes a main CPU 11, an image processing circuit 12, an image compression circuit 13, a buffer memory 14, a monitor (display device) 15, a storage medium interface 16, a storage medium 17, an operation member 18, And an imaging unit 20 having a photographic lens 21 and an imaging element 22.

The main CPU 11 inputs a signal output from each block to detect predetermined information, performs a predetermined calculation, and outputs a control signal based on the calculation result to each block. That is, the main CPU 11 comprehensively controls operations performed by the digital camera 1 by executing a program stored in a flash memory (not shown).
For example, the main CPU 11 detects the face of a person in the subject image data and acquires the coordinates of the face data.

  The image processing circuit 12 is configured as an ASIC, for example, and performs image processing on an image signal input from the image sensor 22. The image processing includes, for example, contour enhancement, color temperature adjustment (white balance adjustment) processing, and format conversion processing for an image signal.

The image compression circuit 13 performs image compression processing at a predetermined compression ratio on the image signal processed by the image processing circuit 12 by the JPEG method.
The buffer memory 14 temporarily stores data before and after image processing and during image processing, and stores an image file before being stored in the storage medium 17, and stores an image file read from the storage medium 17. used.

  The monitor 15 displays an image, an operation menu, and the like according to an instruction from the main CPU 11. Further, the monitor 15 performs a display mode (partial image position movement display and enlarged display) in accordance with an instruction from the main CPU 11. As the monitor 15, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic EL display, or the like can be used.

The storage medium interface 16 has a slot for connecting to the storage medium 17.
The storage medium 17 includes a memory card that can be attached to and detached from the storage medium interface 16. An Exif format image file including subject image data and attribute information thereof is recorded in the storage medium 17 in accordance with an instruction signal from the main CPU 11. The Exif format image file is obtained by embedding attribute data such as shooting information in image data in the JPEG image format. The image file recorded in the storage medium 17 can be read by an instruction signal from the main CPU 11, and a reproduced image based on the image data can be displayed on the monitor 15.

  The operation member 18 is a member for a user to perform an input operation. Input operations include shooting instructions, mode switching, image data reading instructions, image selection, image processing type selection, and image processing effect level (strength) selection.

The operation member 18 includes a release button 18a, a menu button 18b, a selection button 18c, and an enter button 18d shown in FIGS. When the user operates the operation member 18, an operation signal corresponding to each operation such as a mode switching operation or a menu selection / decision operation is sent to the main CPU 11.
The monitor 15 displays the type of image processing and the degree of image processing effect in accordance with an instruction from the main CPU 11. For example, as illustrated, 15a is a display of the selected type of image processing “skin-beautifying”, and 15b is a display of the degree of effect of image processing “strong”. When image processing is not executed, 15b is displayed as “OFF”.

  The photographing lens 21 of the imaging unit 20 forms a subject image on the imaging surface of the imaging element 22. The image pickup device 22 is configured by a CCD image sensor or the like, picks up a subject image on the image pickup surface, and outputs an image pickup signal generated by photoelectric conversion to the image processing circuit 12 via an A / D conversion circuit (not shown).

<First Embodiment>
The operation of the digital camera configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the main CPU 11 in the first embodiment. A program for executing the processing of this flowchart is stored in a flash memory (not shown).
Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 4, in step S31, subject image data recorded in the storage medium 17 is read into the buffer memory 14 by the user operating the operation member 18, and an image based on the subject image data is displayed on the monitor 15. Will be displayed. Images may be displayed one by one or as a thumbnail list.
In step S32, an image is selected from a plurality of subject images reproduced and displayed on the monitor 15. This selected image is a processing target image.

In step S <b> 33, the user operates the operation member 18, specifically, operates the menu button 18 b in FIG. 2 to call an image processing menu and display a plurality of image processing items on the monitor 15. The image processing menu includes items indicating types of image processing such as skin beautification processing and red-eye correction processing. The skin-beautifying process is a process of extracting the skin color component of the person image and smoothing the gradation so that the spots and spots are not noticeable. In the red-eye correction process, color correction is performed on an image of an eye that appears red due to fundus reflection of flash light.
Note that the image processing menu may be displayed on the monitor 15 instead of the selected image to be processed, or may be displayed superimposed on the selected image.

  In step S34, "skin-beautifying process" is selected from the image processing menu. Specifically, the selection button 18c in FIG. 2 is used to select the cursor according to a desired image processing item, and the selected image processing item is determined by the determination button 18d. In this way, “skin-beautifying” is manually set, and the “skin-beautifying” 15a is displayed on the monitor 15 as shown in FIG.

In step S35, the main CPU 11 detects the face of the subject person in the subject image by comparing the subject image data of the selected image with face data stored in a flash memory (not shown). The face of the subject person corresponds to the main subject in the subject image.
For the face detection, for example, detection methods disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2001-16573 and 2005-157679 can be used.

  When the main CPU 11 detects a person's face in step S36, the main CPU 11 acquires coordinate data of the face area 15c representing the position and size of the face in the subject image. For example, in FIG. 2, when the face area 15c is formed of a rectangular frame in contact with the face image and the upper left corner of the monitor screen is the origin, the face area 15c is determined by the coordinates of the upper left corner P1 and the coordinates of the lower right corner P2. The position and size of 15c are specified.

In step S37, the coordinate data of the face area 15c is temporarily stored in the buffer memory 14.
In step S38, the selected image is displayed again on the monitor 15, and the processing effect menu is displayed in a superimposed manner. The processing effect menu is a menu for selecting the degree of image processing. For example, the effect of the skin beautifying process is expressed in two levels, “strong” and “weak”.

In step S39, the user operates the operation member 18 to select a desired effect, for example, “strong” from the processing effect menu. In this way, the effect “strong” is manually set, and the “strong” character 15b is displayed on the monitor 15 as shown in FIG.
With this operation, in step S40, the image processing circuit 12 executes “skin-beautifying process” corresponding to the selected degree of the effect on the image data of the face region 15c in the subject image data.
If the user selects cancel of the process in step S39, the image display is terminated and the process of this flowchart is terminated.

  In step S41, the result of “skin-beautifying process” is automatically displayed on the screen of the monitor 15 upon completion of the process. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the image-processed face image 15d is enlarged and displayed at a predetermined magnification. The enlarged face image 15d is displayed at the center of the monitor screen. The size of the enlarged face image 15d is determined to be substantially constant regardless of the size of the face region 15c in FIG. 2, and the size of the face region 15c in FIG. 2 is changed to the face image 15d in FIG. Is determined based on coordinate data of two points (P1 and P2) representing the size of the face region 15c.

In step S42, the user confirms the enlarged face image 15d, and operates the operation member 18 to determine whether or not to store in the storage medium 17 the processed image that has been subjected to the “skin-beautifying process” with the degree of effect “strong”. To decide. In the case of saving, the process proceeds to step S43, and this processed image is newly saved in the storage medium 17. In the case of this new storage, the type of image processing and the degree of processing effect can be added to the image as attribute data.
On the other hand, if not stored, the process returns to step S38, the selected image and the processing effect menu are displayed again on the monitor 15, and the operations after step S39 are repeated.

According to the present embodiment, the face image subjected to image processing in the selected image is enlarged and displayed, so that the processing result can be confirmed in detail. Therefore, it can be easily determined whether or not to store the processed image in the storage medium 17.
Instead of making the size of the enlarged face image 15d substantially constant, the enlargement rate can be made constant. Further, the enlarged face image 15d may be displayed in a region other than the central portion of the monitor screen.

<Second Embodiment>
The second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing of the main CPU 11 in the second embodiment. A program for executing the processing of this flowchart is stored in a flash memory (not shown).
Steps S51 to S57 in FIG. 5 are the same as steps S31 to S37 in the flowchart in FIG. 4 according to the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  In step S58, the main CPU 11 instructs the image processing circuit 12 to generate a preview image by thinning out the selected image and reducing it. The preview image is a reduced image specialized for display, and is resized to a size sufficient for screen display based on a selected image to be processed. Then, the image processing circuit 12 copies the preview image. Here, since the degree of effect is two stages of “strong” and “weak”, three preview images are stored in the buffer memory 14 together with those of “no image processing”. These three preview images correspond to the three image processing effects “strong”, “weak”, and “none”.

  In step S59, in response to an instruction from the main CPU 11, the image processing circuit 12 performs “skin-beautification processing” on the preview image data according to the degree of the effect. That is, the skin care process is executed with the effect level “strong” for the face area of the first preview image data, and the effect level is “weak” for the face area of the second preview image data. Perform skin beautification. In this way, two image-processed preview images are created. The processed preview image is temporarily stored in the buffer memory 14.

In step S60, the image of the preview image data that has not been subjected to image processing among the preview images stored in the buffer memory 14 in step S57, that is, the image of the face area of the selected image to be processed selected in step S52 (face Image) is enlarged and displayed on the monitor 15 at a predetermined magnification. A processing effect menu is also superimposed on the screen of the monitor 15.
In step S61, when the user operates the operation member 18 to select or deselect the effect level (that is, select OFF), the process proceeds to one of steps S62A, S62B, and S62C accordingly. If canceled in step S61, the image display is terminated and the operation is terminated.

In step S62A, the enlarged image of the face portion of the preview image that has been image-processed with the effect level “strong” in step S59 and the characters “strong” are displayed on the monitor 15.
In step S62B, an enlarged image of the face portion of the preview image that has been image-processed with the degree of effect “weak” in step S59, and “weak” characters are displayed on the monitor 15.
In step S62C, the user selects “OFF” of the initial screen display by selecting the effect “None”, and the face enlarged image of the selection target image (selected image before processing), “OFF” is displayed.

When the user selects the effect level “strong” in step S61 and the process proceeds to step S62A, the enlarged image of the face portion of the preview image subjected to image processing with the effect level “strong” and the character “strong” Are displayed on the monitor 15.
In step S 63, the effect level “strong” selected by the user is stored in the buffer memory 14.

In step S64, if, for example, “weak” is selected as the degree of effect other than “strong” selected by the user in step S63, the process proceeds to step S62B, and the preview image subjected to image processing with the degree of effect “weak” is displayed. An enlarged image of the face portion and a “weak” character are displayed on the monitor 15.
In step S64, if the user selects an image other than “OFF”, for example, a preview image subjected to image processing with the degree of effect “strong”, the process proceeds to step S65. In step S <b> 65, the image processing circuit 12 executes the skin beautification process on the face area of the selected image to be processed with the degree of effect “strong” stored in the buffer memory 14.
If canceled in step S64, the image display is terminated and the operation is terminated.

In step S66, the processed image obtained by the process of step S65 (for example, the processed image obtained by executing the “skin-beautifying process” with the degree of effect “strong”) is stored in the storage medium 17.
According to the present embodiment, since the face image subjected to the image processing in the preview image is enlarged and displayed, the processing result can be confirmed in detail. Since the effect of image processing can be determined using a preview image with a small number of pixels, the processing load on the main CPU 11 and the buffer memory 14 can be reduced.

<Modification>
A modification of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Steps S71 to S77 in FIG. 6 are the same as steps S51 to S57 in the flowchart in FIG. 5 according to the second embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.
This modification is different from the second embodiment in that a preview image is not created in advance, and image processing is performed on a selection image to be processed every time the user selects the degree of effect.

  In step S78, the face area image (face image) of the selected image to be processed selected in step S72 is enlarged and displayed on the monitor 15 at a predetermined magnification. A processing effect menu is also superimposed on the screen of the monitor 15.

  In step S79, when the user operates the operation member 18 to select or not select the degree of effect (that is, select OFF), the process proceeds to one of steps S80A, S80B, and S80C accordingly. If canceled in step S79, the image display ends and the operation ends.

In step S80A, since the user selects the effect level “strong”, the skin beautification process is executed on the selected image to be processed with the effect level “strong”. In step S80B, since the user selects the effect level “weak”, the skin beautification process is performed on the selected image to be processed with the effect level “weak”. In this way, each time the user selects the degree of effect, image processing is performed on the selected image to be processed.
Further, in step S80C, the user has selected “OFF” of the initial screen display without selecting the degree of effect, and the face enlarged image of the processing target selection image (selected image before processing), “OFF” is displayed.

In step S81, the result of the skin beautification process in step S80A or step S80B, that is, the enlarged image of the face portion of the processed image that has been image-processed with the degree of effect “strong” or “weak”, and “strong” or “weak”. Are displayed on the monitor 15.
If the user selects an image other than “OFF” in step S82, for example, a selected image that has been image-processed with the effect level “strong”, the process proceeds to step S83, and the processed image is stored in step S83. Newly stored in the medium 17.
If the effect level is changed in step S82, the process returns to any of steps S80A, S80B, and S80C according to the user operation, and the above-described operation is repeated.
According to this modified example, when the degree of effect is changed in step S82 and image processing is performed again in step S80A or step S80B, the main CPU 11 performs the image processing after deleting the previous processed image. And the processing load of the buffer memory 14 and the like can be reduced.

In the second embodiment, the preview image is generated by simply thinning out the selected image in step S57. However, a preview image of an enlarged image including a face image may be generated. That is, first, based on the face coordinates stored in step S57, an enlarged image is generated by the same process as in step S41 of the first embodiment. Then, a preview image is created by thinning the image, and a copy of the preview image is created. In step S59, image processing with effects “strong” and “weak” is performed on the preview image of the enlarged image.
By performing this process, the enlargement process is not necessary in steps S62A and S62B, so that the time from when the user operates to when the enlarged image is displayed is shortened.

In the above-described embodiment, a person's face has been described as a main subject to be subjected to image processing. However, the main subject is not limited to a person's face, and may be a person's whole body or an animal. The main subject may be a barcode, a target being tracked, or the like.
In the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a digital camera. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a personal computer and other image processing apparatuses. For example, the present invention can be applied to an apparatus that does not have the configuration surrounded by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 1, that is, an electronic apparatus that does not include the imaging unit 20.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above as long as the characteristics are not impaired.

1: Digital camera 11: Main CPU
12: Image processing circuit 13: Image compression circuit 14: Buffer memory 15: Monitor (display device)
16: Storage medium interface 17: Storage medium 18: Operation member 20: Imaging unit

Claims (6)

Reading means for reading out subject image data from a storage medium;
Detecting means for detecting a main subject image in the subject image data and obtaining position data of the main subject image;
Image processing means for performing predetermined image processing on the main subject image;
An electronic apparatus comprising: a display control unit that enlarges and displays on a display device the main subject image on which the predetermined image processing has been performed based on position data of the main subject image. The electronic device according to claim 1,
An operation means for receiving an instruction to display the main subject image subjected to the predetermined image processing;
The display control unit displays the subject image before image processing on the display device, and displays the main subject image subjected to the image processing on the display device instead of the subject image in accordance with an operation of the operation unit. An electronic device characterized in that The electronic device according to claim 1,
An operation means for receiving an instruction to display the main subject image subjected to the predetermined image processing;
The display control means enlarges and displays the main subject image before image processing on the display device based on the position data, and replaces the main subject image before image processing according to the operation of the operation means. An electronic apparatus characterized in that an image-processed main subject image is enlarged and displayed on a display device. In the electronic device of any one of Claims 1-3,
The position data is coordinate data of two points on the main subject image representing the position and size of the main subject image,
The electronic control apparatus, wherein the display control means enlarges and displays the main subject image with a predetermined size based on the coordinate data of the two points. The electronic device according to claim 4,
The main subject is the face of the subject person,
The electronic device is characterized in that the detection means detects a face image of the subject person and acquires coordinate data of the face image. In the electronic device of any one of Claims 1-5,
An electronic apparatus further comprising imaging means for imaging the subject and outputting an image signal.

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