JP3346796B2 - Photographic image information processing method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for processing photographic image information recorded on a color photographic film.
The present invention relates to a method for dynamically evaluating the chromaticity of each pixel of photographic image information and classifying each pixel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general photographing, a subject B (blue), green (G), red (R) (hereinafter simply referred to as B,
It is known as an empirical rule that the average reflectances of the three primary colors (described as G and R) are substantially constant. Therefore, in a conventional photographic printing apparatus, the entire area average transmission density (LAT) of the original image is used.
D) is measured, and the exposure in photographic printing is determined based on the measured average transmission density, whereby the exposure to be applied to the B, G, and R color photosensitive layers of the photographic paper is controlled to be constant.
A photographic print with good color balance is created (usually called "LATD control").

[0003] When a film of a standard subject is to be photographed, the exposure amount given to the B, G, and R photosensitive layers of the photographic paper is kept constant by such an exposure amount control method so that a good color balance can be obtained. Photographic prints can be created. However, in the case of a subject having a bias inherent in the luminance distribution and the color distribution (called subject feria), it is difficult to obtain an appropriate photographic print by the LATD control method described above. Among these subject feria, those that cause a bias in the luminance distribution of the subject are called density feria and those that cause a bias in the color distribution are called color feria.

[0004] As a known technique for the purpose of density correction for automatically adjusting the exposure amount for density feria, there is the following technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-2691. That is, an original image on a photographic film is scanned, a characteristic value is obtained for each image region from the image density obtained by this scanning, classification is performed based on this characteristic value, and a characteristic value determined in advance for each classification is obtained. The function adjusts the exposure amount for the original image.

[0005] Further, as a technique for the purpose of color correction for automatically adjusting the exposure amount for a color feria, there are the following techniques.
The Lower Collection is known. This is to give a relatively low exposure to a relatively high negative density component based on a comparison with a reference LATD (usually a standard original LATD). Normally, in a photographic printing apparatus of the LATD control system, it is automatically determined whether the change in the density of each of the B, G, and R colors of the original image is caused by any difference between the characteristics of the photographic film and the color distribution of the subject. Cannot be identified. For this reason, various exposure conditions such as the above-described reference density of color correction are set in advance for each type of photographic film, and the reference exposure conditions set according to the type of photographic film to be printed are selected. I have. However, the setting of the reference exposure conditions is a significant process that not only requires a great deal of labor to repeat the trial exposure and the inspection of the resulting photographic print, but also affects the quality of all photographic prints. For that reason, it requires skill and high skill.

On the other hand, in recent years, high-sensitivity films, films for various applications, or new films with various improvements have been released every year from each manufacturer, and the variety of films has become very large, and the number of films has increased to several tens. ing. For this reason, there is a demand for a method of giving appropriate exposure conditions to individual original images from one reference exposure condition regardless of the characteristics of each type of photographic film.

In response to such demands, pixels of a predetermined chromaticity region (for example, a low chroma region) are selected from the measured values obtained by performing color separation scanning on a color photographic film, and exposure is performed based on the measured values. Proposals for determining the amount have been made in the past. For example, JP-A-51-94927 discloses that the chromaticity of a large number of points of a color photographic original image is determined based on the density of a standard original image, and a point having low saturation is selected from the chromaticity. A method for determining the exposure amount based on the densities of the three primary colors is shown.

JP-A-59-220760 discloses that the lowest density point including the mask density is determined in or around the original image of the photographic film, and the chromaticity of each measurement point is determined based on this density. A method is shown in which the limit value of the chromaticity is expanded as the neutral density of each measurement point increases, and a measurement point that does not exceed the limit value is selected. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication
No. 46648 discloses an average value of photometric data selected according to the chromaticity of the normalized data after standardizing the photometric data of the three primary colors at many points of the color original image with the low-density portion photometric data. The method for determining the exposure amount based on is described.

These proposals are based on the assumption that the mask density or a density in the vicinity thereof is the main characteristic difference between photographic films, and that the characteristics in other density regions are similar.

[0010]

However, since the characteristics of the photographic film differ depending on the type of product and the storage condition, when the standard of the saturation is the density of the standard original image, the selected points are uniform for each photographic film. There is a disadvantage that it does not become. It is widely known that the characteristic curve obtained by sensitometry (sensitivity measurement) differs for each type of photographic film. Therefore, it is not always appropriate to assume that the mask density or the density in the vicinity thereof is the main characteristic difference between the photographic films and use these densities uniformly as the chromaticity standards over the entire density range of the photographic film. In this case, the chromaticity criterion becomes almost appropriate near the mask density, but becomes inappropriate in other density areas to which the majority of pixels belong, and the selected pixel differs depending on the characteristics of the photographic film. The disadvantages remain.

As described above, in the prior art, the evaluation of the chromaticity is affected by the characteristic difference between the types of the photographic film and the characteristic change due to the storage conditions, and as a result, an inappropriate pixel is often selected. There was a serious problem. The present invention has been made in view of the above-described points, and is not limited to a characteristic difference between varieties of a photographic film serving as a color original image, a developing condition of the photographic film, and a characteristic change due to a storage condition of the film. It is an object of the present invention to provide a photographic image information processing method capable of appropriately evaluating the chromaticity of each pixel of a photographic image in a region and classifying each pixel based on the evaluation.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, a photographic image information processing method of the present invention obtains image information by performing color separation scanning on an original image recorded on a color photographic film,
After dividing the subset of the image information from one or more pixels, determine the image characteristic value of each subset for each color, each color film specific information set in advance, each of said color image characteristic values of
Of the unique information with reference to one color.
And refer to the film-specific information for the other colors in the opposite direction.
The image characteristic value in the opposite direction to the image characteristic value of the first color
From the image characteristic values obtained from the above, a chromaticity reference value is obtained for each subset, each pixel belonging to each subset is evaluated based on the chromaticity reference value, and each pixel is classified based on the evaluation result. In this way, it is possible to appropriately evaluate the chromaticity of each pixel of a photographic image in all density ranges while dynamically responding to the unique characteristics of the film, and this evaluation makes it possible to classify each pixel accurately. It is made possible.

In addition, the chromaticity is displayed in a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate system or a polar coordinate system, and a classification condition of the pixel is given by an area in the coordinate system. It is like that. Further, by processing the film-specific information using image information corresponding to the classified pixels, by removing unbalanced chromaticity components, the film-specific information that more accurately reflects film characteristics is obtained. It can be created.

Further, the film specific information is obtained from the image information of a plurality of original pictures, so that the film specific information can be created from the actual original picture to be processed. Further, the plurality of original images are to extend over the original images in the same film, so that film-specific information that accurately reflects film characteristics for each film can be created.

Further, the plurality of original images may extend over the original images of a plurality of films, and a plurality of original image information may be used to create film-specific information that more accurately reflects film characteristics. The plurality of films belong to the same group among groups predetermined for each type, and film-specific information that more accurately reflects the characteristics of the type group can be created.

[0016]

According to the photographic image information processing method of the present invention, first, digital images are obtained for each color by subjecting an original image recorded on a color photographic film to color separation scanning. All the pixels belonging to this digital image are divided into subsets consisting of one or more pixels, and image characteristic values (normally, density values) of each subset
Ask for. This means that the image of the original image is divided into regions of an appropriate size (which does not necessarily correspond to spatial regions in the screen) and characteristic values such as an average value of image information of each region are obtained. ing. As a result, it is possible to handle each subset (in the case of the minimum, each pixel) with a different reference.

Next, using the image characteristic values thus obtained, reference is made to film-specific information set in advance, and reference values for chromaticity are obtained for each subset. That is, for example, a CDF (cumulative density function) value corresponding to the average value of the green (G) image information of each subset is obtained, and the characteristic values of blue (B) and red (R) that give this CDF value are expressed by: The CDF of each color is determined by referring to the CDF in the reverse direction. In this way, the average value of G and the characteristic values of B and R obtained for each subset are used as chromaticity reference values, and each pixel belonging to each subset is evaluated based on this reference value. Classify. As a result, a process that reflects the film characteristics more accurately, such as excluding a pixel (for example, a pixel with high saturation) having a property that is inconvenient for subsequent image processing or performing an appropriate weighting process, is performed. It can be carried out. In addition, since the chromaticity evaluation is performed for each subset, it is possible to perform a fine evaluation and classification, and it is possible to realize extremely precise control, for example, in determining a photographic printing exposure amount.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a photographic image information processing method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Although the present invention can be applied to a color copying machine and the like, a case where the present invention is applied to a photographic printing apparatus will be described as an example. (Constitution of photographic film) First, the constitution of a photographic film to be subjected to image processing will be described. FIG.
It is a block diagram of a 135 photographic film which has been subjected to development processing.

In the figure, a photographic film F having an original image (group) I which has been subjected to a development process is attached to a splice portion _Sp.
To form a roll. In the rolled photographic film F, notches (group) N indicating the center position of the original image are arranged at the side edges in a notch step preceding the photographic printing step.
By detecting the notch N, conveyance control such as positioning of the photographic film F in the subsequent steps is performed. As shown, the photographic film F is provided with an identification code (for example, a DX code) D indicating its type.
Further, a well-known perforation (group) P is arranged in advance at the side edge. The photographic film F in this example may be another photographic film (for example, 110 film) regardless of the 135 photographic film.

The roll-shaped photographic film F thus processed is subjected to printing processing in a photographic printing apparatus. (Regarding the Configuration of the Photo Printing Apparatus) In FIG. 3 showing the configuration of the photo printing apparatus, a photographic film F is set on a spool 1 and wound on a spool 2 via a predetermined transport path. A scanning unit 3 is provided in the middle of the path, and the original images recorded on the photographic film F are B, G,
Each color of R is separated and scanned.

The scanning unit 3 is provided with a well-known one-dimensional CCD for each color, which performs main scanning in the width direction of the photographic film F, and scans and reads the original image I by using these. , G, and R image signals are supplied to the image processing unit 5. Further, the notch N, the splice portion _Sp , and the identification code D attached to the photographic film F are detected by respective detectors (not shown), and the respective detection signals are supplied to the transport controller 4. ing. After processing the respective detection signals, the transport control unit 4 sends the signals to the image processing unit 5 and the information processing unit 6 via the system bus 7 as notch signals, splice signals, and identification code signals, and drives the pulse motor. To control the conveyance of the photographic film F. Further, the carrier pulse at this time is supplied to the image processing unit 5 as a synchronization signal at the time of sampling the image signal, and the sub-scan is performed accordingly.

In the image processing unit 5, the image signal supplied from the scanning unit 3 is amplified, sampled and held, and
/ D conversion. Further, the image processing unit 5 includes a C
A timing control circuit (not shown) for transmitting a drive signal for driving the CD and controlling the sampling timing is provided. The A / D-converted image signal is converted into image information (for example, density value) via an LUT (look-up table) composed of a ROM or the like, and further converted in both the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. Appropriate rounding processing is applied, and finally photographic film F
A predetermined number of pixels (for example, 16 ×
2D image density information (hereinafter simply referred to as image information) consisting of 16 pixels) is obtained.
To be sent to

As described above, the image signals of each color of B, G, and R obtained in the scanning unit 3 are sent to the image processing unit 5,
After being A / D converted and shaped into image information of a predetermined format,
The information is sent to the information processing unit 6. Therefore, in the information processing unit 6,
Common processing can be performed regardless of the format of the photographic film F. In the information processing unit 6,
A series of information processing as described later is performed. As a result, the exposure amount for each original image I is calculated, and a signal of this exposure amount is transmitted to the exposure control unit 9 through the communication line 8. The photographic film F that has passed through the scanning unit 3 absorbs the difference in the transport speed of the photographic film F between the scanning unit 3 and the exposure unit 22 and simultaneously scans a plurality of original images before exposure. The light is sent to the exposure unit 22 through the buffer unit 10 provided. The scanning unit 3 and the exposure unit 2
The length of the transport path between the two is a length corresponding to a maximum of one 24-photographing 135 photographic film. For this reason,
Image information corresponding to almost all original images I recorded on one 24-shot 135 photographic film can be obtained prior to exposure.

Each original image formed on the photographic film F is positioned at the exposure unit 22, and the light emitted from the light source 20 is illuminated with the light made uniform by the diffusion unit 21. Further, the image is optically formed on the photographic printing paper 25 by the lens 24 and is exposed. Here, as described above, the information processing unit 6
Is calculated by the exposure controller 9 using the yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) filters 20a, 20b, and 20 disposed above the exposure unit 22.
c, and a shutter 23 disposed below the exposure unit 22
Is converted as the driving condition. The filters 20a, 20b, 20c and the shutter 23 are inserted into the exposure light path according to the driving conditions, and the exposure given to each color photosensitive layer of the photographic printing paper 25 is adjusted.

After the exposure is completed, the photographic printing paper 25 is transported by a predetermined distance in preparation for the next exposure, and the photographic film F is transported to position the original I to be printed next on the exposure unit 22. (Regarding Configuration of Information Processing Unit) In FIG. 4 showing a detailed configuration of the information processing unit 6, a memory 102 stores image information of each of B, G, and R colors transmitted from the image processing unit 5 via a system bus 7. D _i (X, Y) (X, Y: pixel position, i: B, G, R, and so on). The CPU 104 reads out the image information stored in the memory 102 and calculates an exposure amount for each original I formed on the photographic film F.

This exposure amount is transmitted to the exposure control section 9 through the communication line 8. Notch signals, splice signals, and identification code signals sent from the scanning unit 3 and the transport control unit 4 via the system bus 7 are also stored in the memory 102 and processed by the CPU 104. The auxiliary storage unit 106 stores information to be stored, constants necessary for processing, and the like. The auxiliary storage unit 106
For example, it is constituted by a magnetic disk so that recorded information can be taken out as needed. As a result, not only can information be stored for a long period of time, but also information can be stored even when the power is cut off, processing information stored by an external independent device, initializing or changing constants, etc. It is also configured to be able to. Film-specific information described later is stored in the auxiliary storage unit 106, and is loaded into the memory 102 as needed.

Reference numeral 108 denotes a keyboard for various operations, 112 denotes a display, and an interface circuit 110
Input and output can be performed via the. (Regarding Internal Processing in Information Processing Unit) Hereinafter, image information processing in the information processing unit 6 will be described in detail. The statistics of image information obtained from a plurality of original images recorded on a photographic film are effective as film-specific information indicating characteristics of the film. In this embodiment, a case where the cumulative density function CDF _i (D) is used as such a statistic will be described.

The cumulative density function CDF _i (D) is obtained by the following equation (1) using the frequency FRQ _i (D) of the image information. This cumulative density function can be simply added, and the following equation (2)
, The accumulated information MCDF _ij can be obtained. Here, MCDF _{ij, -1} (D) indicates pre-stored information, j indicates a film type group, and so on.

[0029] _{MCDF ij (D) = CDF i} (D) + MCDF ij, -1 as (D) ··· (2) This obtains the cumulative density function of a plurality of original images I recorded on the photographic film F However, the cumulative density function MCDF _ij (D) has a close correlation with the tone reproduction characteristic of the photographic film. That is, it has been experimentally confirmed that the image density of each color that gives a predetermined value to this cumulative density function is extremely effective as an estimation of neutral colors recorded on this photographic film.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a case will be described in which a chromaticity evaluation criterion is obtained by using the image density of each color that gives a predetermined value to this cumulative density function. The film-specific information includes: (a) short-term accumulation information obtained by accumulating original images in one film; (b) long-term accumulation of original images for a plurality of films of the same type or group of the same type. Although information and the like are conceivable, here, the processing in the case of using the long-term accumulated information of (b) will be described.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the method of the present invention. In step S1, the transport control unit 4
The product type group is determined from the identification code signal sent from the company. The correspondence between the identification code and the product type group is, for example, a table shown in FIG.
Each type group is individually assigned, but this type group may be common to the identification code. As a result, the type group can be limited to a certain number, and the storage amount of the long-term accumulated information can be adjusted according to the data storage area.

If the identification code cannot be read, or if the type group corresponding to the read identification code cannot be determined, a predetermined type group is automatically set. The default in the figure corresponds to such a case. As shown in this table, for the default, an exceptional variety group (in FIG. 5, the default (1)
And a method of allocating a standard type group (corresponding to 1 of the default (2) in FIG. 5). Accordingly, automatic handling is possible even in an exceptional situation where the identification code cannot be read or the type group corresponding to the read identification code cannot be determined. However, it goes without saying that an alarm or the like may be issued in such a case, and the identification code or the product group may be artificially designated.

Once the film type group is determined,
In step S2, the long-term accumulated information corresponding to the product type group is loaded from the auxiliary storage unit 106 to the memory 102. Note that the auxiliary storage unit 106 stores a representative value for each product type group in advance for use as an initial value of the long-term accumulated information. Further, in step S3, the image information that has been color-separated and scanned by the scanning unit 4, shaped by the image processing unit 5, and sent to the information processing unit 6 is stored in the memory 1
02 is stored.

In step S4, the image information of the original image is divided into subsets having appropriate sizes.
Average value AVE _i of the image information D _i in each subset are calculated. Next, in step S5, the average value AVE _i
Long-term storage information is referred to, the reference value M _i of chromaticity evaluation of image information of interest is determined as follows.

In the following, M _i : a reference value for chromaticity evaluation obtained by referring to the cumulative density function of long-term accumulated information P: cumulative density function value (MCDF) with respect to the average value of green (G) image information of the original image Notation.

First, the cumulative density function value P corresponding to the average value AVE _G of the green image information of the original image is obtained from the long-term accumulated information according to equation (3). the value P, determine the reference value M _i chromaticity evaluation with reference to the color cumulative density function in the reverse direction. P = MCDF _G (AVE _G ) (3) M _i = MCDF _i ⁻¹ (P) (4) FIG. 6 schematically shows a method of referring to the cumulative density function. . As is clear from equation (1) and FIG. 6, since the cumulative density function is continuous at any point and is a monotonically increasing function, the above inverse function can be obtained very easily. There is an advantage that no exception handling is required.

The cumulative density function is related to the tone reproduction characteristics of the film, and image information that gives a constant value to the cumulative density function is:
It is known that it corresponds to neutral color information according to the characteristics of the film. In the present invention, attention is paid to this point, and the film-specific information is referred to according to the image characteristic value of the subset of the original image, and the reference value of the chromaticity evaluation is dynamically determined for each subset. Therefore, if necessary, a reference value can be calculated for each pixel.

[0038] Then in step S6, the image information D _i preceding the reference value M _i of the chromaticity evaluation (X, Y), the chromaticity of each pixel (x, y) is as follows evaluation Is done. _{D 'i = D i - M} i ··· (5) x = D' B × 3 1/2 / 2 - D 'R × 3 1/2 / 2 y = D' B / 2 - D 'G + D ′ _R / 2 (6) Further, the rectangular coordinate system (x, y) may be converted to a polar coordinate system (S, H) according to the following equation (7). Note that S indicates saturation and H indicates hue.

S = (x ² + y ² ) ^1/2 H = tan ⁻¹ (y / x) (7) In step S 7, each pixel is classified according to the reference value of the chromaticity evaluation thus evaluated. Then, in step S8, a weight W (X, Y) is assigned to each pixel based on the classification result. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show examples of classification by regions of the rectangular coordinate system and the polar coordinate system, respectively.

In the case of photographic printing, etc., it is necessary to reproduce the achromatic point of the subject in the same achromatic color in printing regardless of the color temperature of the photographing illumination light and the characteristics of the photographic film. Therefore, image information corresponding to an achromatic point in the subject is selected as follows. That is, a high weight, for example, “2” is given to the information of the pixels belonging to the area A near the origin, and “1” and “0” are given to the information of the pixels in the areas B and C as the distance from the origin increases. To do.

It is known that the chromaticity of image information corresponding to an achromatic subject changes along the x-axis according to a change in the color temperature of the photographing illumination light. For this reason, in FIGS. 7 and 8, the area A is made wider along the x-axis. In addition, since there are many high chroma reflectors in the green (G) and red (R) hues in the subject, the area A is narrowed by these hues in FIG. As described above, by adopting the method of changing the classification area according to the hue, it is easy to adjust to the human sense, and it is possible to perform flexible and accurate adjustment to the conditions of the subject, the photographing illumination light, and the like.

In the following step S9, image information D
_{Based on i} (X, Y) and weight W (X, Y), the exposure amount for the original image is determined as follows. Hereinafter, AVE ′ _i : average value of weighted image information of the original image AVE0 _i : average value of image information of the reference original image E _i : exposure amount E0 _i : exposure amount preset for the reference original image.

First, the average value A of the weighted image information of the original image
VE ′ _{i is obtained} by the following equation (8). With this AVE ′ _i , the final exposure amount E _i is obtained according to the following equation (9).

E _i = AVE ′ _i −AVE 0 _i + E 0 _i (9) The exposure amount thus obtained is transmitted from the information processing section 6 to the exposure control section 9. Next, in step S10, the accumulated information M is calculated based on the image information _Di (X, Y) and the weight W (X, Y).
CDF _ij (D) is processed by equations (1) and (2).
Here, the frequency of the image information is obtained by adding the weight W (X, Y) corresponding to D _i (X, Y). By doing so, the accumulated information can reduce the influence of the high chroma point on the subject and more strongly reflect the characteristics of the photographic film.

In step S11, it is determined whether or not the processing for all original images to be exposed on the film has been completed. If the processing has not been completed, the exposure amount for each image on the film is sequentially determined. I have. Step S1
In 2, it is determined whether or not the exposure processing has been completed for all the films to be processed, and the above-described film processing is repeated for the next film.

As described above, in this embodiment, a case where long-term accumulated information in which image information is accumulated over a plurality of films is used as film-specific information has been described. Stored information
It can be used instead of the long-term accumulated information. In this case, the film 1 varies depending on the storage conditions.
The chromaticity of each pixel can be evaluated according to the characteristics of each book.

Further, new accumulated information may be formed by combining the long-term accumulated information and the short-term accumulated information. In this case, it is possible to evaluate the chromaticity that comprehensively corresponds to the characteristics of each film, which vary depending on the characteristics of each film type, development characteristics, storage conditions, and the like. Further, in this embodiment, the case where the average value of the image information is used as the image characteristic value has been described. However, the information of each pixel is used as the image characteristic value, the film-specific information is referred to for each pixel, and the chromaticity evaluation reference value May be required. In this case, the number of times the film-specific information is referred to increases the processing time, but the reference value of the chromaticity evaluation is obtained more precisely. Further, as an intermediate method between the two methods, the film-specific information is referred to by the characteristic value of a pixel set composed of a plurality of pixels, and a chromaticity evaluation reference value for pixels belonging to this set is obtained for each set. Is also good.

Further, in this embodiment, the case where the exposure amount is directly obtained from the information of the pixels classified based on the evaluation of the chromaticity has been described. However, the accumulated information is processed according to the result of the classification, and the accumulated information is processed. It goes without saying that the information of the classified pixels may be indirectly used as a reference value for color correction when determining the exposure amount with reference to the information.

[0049]

As described above, the photographic image information processing method of the present invention obtains image information by performing color separation scanning on an original image recorded on a color photographic film, and converts the image information from one or more pixels. After being divided into subsets, image characteristic values of each subset are obtained for each color, and film-specific information of each color set in advance is referenced from one color among the image characteristic values of each color .
To obtain the value of the unique information, and from that value,
The image characteristic value is obtained by referring to the film specific information in the reverse direction,
Image characteristic value obtained from the opposite direction from the image characteristic value of the first color
From the above, a chromaticity reference value is obtained for each subset, and each pixel belonging to each subset is evaluated based on the chromaticity reference value,
Since each pixel is classified according to the evaluation result, the film-specific information is referred to according to the image characteristic value of the original image, the reference value of the chromaticity evaluation is dynamically determined, and the photographic film type is different. Irrespective of characteristic changes, photographic film development conditions, and even changes in characteristics due to film storage conditions, etc.
The chromaticity of each pixel of the photographic image can be properly evaluated in any density range, and this evaluation allows each pixel to be classified with high accuracy.

If the chromaticity is displayed in a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate system or a polar coordinate system, and the pixel classification condition is given by an area in the coordinate system, the condition can be set simply and in multiple steps. It can be done easily. Further, by processing the film-specific information based on image information corresponding to the classified pixels, an unbalanced chromaticity component is removed, and film-specific information that more accurately reflects film characteristics is created. can do.

Further, by obtaining the film unique information from the image information of a plurality of original pictures, the film unique information can be created from the actual original picture to be processed. In addition, since the plurality of original images are provided over the original images in the same film, film-specific information that accurately reflects film characteristics for each film can be created. In addition, the plurality of original images may extend over the original images of a plurality of films, and film-specific information that more accurately reflects film characteristics can be created by using a large amount of original image information.

Further, the plurality of films belong to the same group among the groups predetermined for each type, and film-specific information reflecting the characteristics of the type group more accurately can be created. As a result,
In the application of the present invention, the neutral color recorded on the photographic film can be estimated with higher accuracy, the exposure conditions are set in advance for each type of photographic film, and set according to the type of photographic film to be printed. It is possible to obtain an excellent effect that the photographic printing exposure amount and the standard of color correction can be accurately obtained without changing the exposure condition and also for the deterioration of the characteristics due to the state of storing the latent image.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a photographic film.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a photographic printing apparatus suitable for using the method of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing unit of the photo printing device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the correspondence between identification codes and product groups.

FIG. 6 is a principle explanatory diagram showing a method of estimating neutral density based on film-specific information.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the principle of chromaticity evaluation by specifying an area in a rectangular coordinate system.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the principle of chromaticity evaluation by specifying a region in a polar coordinate system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 3 scanning unit 5 image processing unit 6 information processing unit 9 exposure control unit 22 exposure unit 104 CPU 102 memory 110 interface circuit F photographic film I original

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-46648 (JP, A) JP-A-62-260135 (JP, A) JP-A-2-93450 (JP, A) JP-A-61-223731 (JP, A) , A) JP-A-2-93449 (JP, A) JP-B-55-2610 (JP, B1) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03B 27/32 G03B 27/42- 27/48 G03B 27/72-27/80

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] An original image recorded on a color photographic film is color-separated and scanned to obtain image information, and the image information is divided into subsets each composed of one or more pixels. calculated for each color, each color film specific information set in advance, out of the respective color image characteristic values, see from one color
To determine the value of the unique information, and from that value,
The image characteristic value is obtained by referring to the
The image characteristic value of the first one color and the image characteristic value obtained from the opposite direction
From obtains a reference value of the chromaticity in each set each part, evaluates each pixel belonging to each subset based on the reference value of the chromaticity, and wherein the classifying each pixel by the evaluation results photo Image information processing method. 2. A photographic image information processing method, wherein the chromaticity is displayed in a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate system or a polar coordinate system, and a classification condition of the pixel is given by an area in the coordinate system. 3. The photographic image information processing method according to claim 1, wherein said film specific information is processed by image information corresponding to said classified pixels. 4. The photographic image information processing method according to claim 1, wherein said film specific information is obtained from image information of a plurality of original images. 5. The photographic image information processing method according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of original images extend over original images in the same film. 6. The photographic image information processing method according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of original images extend over a plurality of film original images. 7. The photographic image information processing method according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of films belong to the same group among groups predetermined for each product type.