JP5553230B2 - Imaging apparatus and imaging processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus and an image pickup processing method, and more particularly to an image pickup apparatus and an image pickup processing method that can easily visually recognize color settings (saturation and hue settings) in image quality settings.

Recent image pickup devices allow image quality setting values to be selected in order to meet various user preferences during image processing. At the time of shipment from the factory, preset standard setting values called default settings are available. It has. That is, the user can further select (generally change) the image quality setting values (saturation, hue, sharpness, contrast, and other setting items) set in advance as standard setting values and hold the setting values. Therefore, an imaging apparatus having a function capable of photographing with a desired setting has been proposed.
Various proposals are also found in the specific setting method for the image quality setting described above. For example, when there are five levels of settings, there is a method in which the default setting value is set to 0 and -2, -1, 0, +1, +2 is displayed, and the plus side or the minus side is selected from the default setting value.
Further, for example, by displaying a specific numerical value such as 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 as the range of the set value, and displaying the default set value as 1, and then changing the number of the default set value There are suggestions for how to choose.
By the way, among the image quality setting items, with regard to saturation, sharpness, and contrast, there are images in which the numerical values of the setting values increase (or decrease) and images in which the saturation, sharpness, and contrast increase (or decrease). , It is relatively easy to connect sensuously, so there is no major problem.

Among the image quality setting items, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-228561 discloses a technique for converting the RGB image data transferred from a computer into YMCK image data and printing the output image provided in the image forming apparatus. In the saturation adjustment device that adjusts the degree, the saturation characteristic is displayed as a graph, the saturation position is specified for each phase in order to adjust the displayed saturation characteristic, and based on the specified saturation position A technique for changing the saturation characteristic is disclosed.
However, since the hue in the image quality setting item is rotation in the color space, the setting method of increasing (or decreasing) the setting value as described above is difficult to understand sensuously. The point is left.
Therefore, as techniques for solving the above-described problems, for example, in Patent Documents 2 and 3, a setting state display area indicating a setting state relating to image processing and a color state display area illustrating a color state in the setting state are prepared. In the color state display area, the color state in the color setting state is shown as a radar chart with multiple color components (red, green, blue, yellow, cyan, and magenta) as axes, depending on the saturation and hue. A method of changing the shape and size of the radar chart is disclosed.

By the way, as described above, the conventional image pickup apparatus raises the set value as in the setting method for the saturation, the sharpness, and the contrast because the hue is based on the rotation in the color space in the image quality setting item (or as described above). In the setting method (lowering), there is a problem that the effect is difficult to understand.
As described above, the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 described above have the color state in the color setting state with a plurality of color components (red, green, blue, yellow, cyan, magenta) as axes. It is displayed on the radar chart and changes the shape and size of the radar chart according to the saturation and hue, and it is easy to understand the color change due to the color setting change by looking at the radar chart, It is difficult to determine how much the color changes with respect to the subject in front of the subject without knowing a certain degree about the radar chart.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides an imaging apparatus and an imaging processing method that can easily visually recognize color settings (saturation and hue settings) in image quality settings. It is an object.
That is, an object of claim 1 of the present invention is to make it possible to display a through image of a subject image, particularly when a user selects one specific color from a plurality of preset colors. To provide an imaging apparatus that can easily perform color correction by displaying an achromatic color other than the specific color of the through image when one specific color is selected from among the colors. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of easily correcting the saturation of a selected specific color, particularly when performing color correction.
Further, an object of claim 3 of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of easily correcting the hue of a specific color, particularly in color correction.
Further, an object of claim 4 of the present invention is to make it possible to select a preset value to be corrected by color correction from among preset values, particularly for a specific color set by selecting a specific color. In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device that can change the display method of a through image when the color correction setting value is changed, and the user can select the intended color correction.
Further, an object of claim 5 of the present invention is, in particular, the through image obtained by processing the change of the display method of the through image with the color correction setting value before the change and the through image processed with the color correction setting value after the change. By switching at a predetermined time interval, it is possible to confirm the color correction change degree while comparing them, and to provide an imaging apparatus that allows the user to select the intended color correction.
Another object of the present invention is to select an image that has been subjected to actual color correction by changing saturation and hue, so that comparison with an actual subject can be performed, and accurate color can be obtained. It is an object of the present invention to provide an imaging apparatus that can easily recognize matching and change color correction values to perform accurate color matching.

Another object of the present invention is to select an image that has been subjected to actual color correction by changing saturation and hue, so that comparison with an actual subject can be performed, and accurate color can be obtained. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup apparatus that can perform matching and prevent failure due to a difference in color after shooting and a color after shooting.
An object of claim 8 of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of accurately correcting the saturation and hue of a specific color, particularly when performing color correction of the specific color.
Further, an object of claim 9 of the present invention is to set a certain pixel range as a determination target, particularly when determining a specific color, and the number of pixels of a predetermined pixel within a specific color determination area is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. In such a case, it is desirable to provide an imaging apparatus capable of performing accurate color matching by determining that it is within a specific color determination region.

Further, the object of claim 10 of the present invention is to determine whether or not a specific color corresponds to a specific color by calculating the color of a selected portion of the specific color and determining whether or not the specific color is selected. An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of improving user operability by issuing a warning when the color does not correspond.
The object of the eleventh aspect of the present invention is to shift to the selection mode of the corresponding specific color particularly when the determined specific color corresponds to another specific color area after issuing a warning. Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of improving the operability for the user.
Further, the object of claim 12 of the present invention is to display a set value and a sample image after performing the update process of the specific color, particularly in the case of the help mode when selecting the specific color, If you change the settings, you can easily grasp a rough image, and if you want to change the color setting in advance before shooting, an overview even if there is no color on the spot An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device that can be grasped.

The object of the thirteenth aspect of the present invention is to enable a user to display a through image of a subject image, particularly when the user selects one specific color from a plurality of preset colors. However, it is an object of the present invention to provide an imaging processing method capable of easily recognizing which color is to be corrected in the currently viewed subject.
The object of the fourteenth aspect of the present invention is to make it possible to select a preset value to be corrected by color correction for a specific color set by selecting a specific color from preset values. At the same time, when the color correction setting value is changed, it is possible to change the display method of the through image, and to provide an imaging processing method in which the user can select the intended color correction.
The object of the fifteenth aspect of the present invention is to allow the user to select one specific color from among a plurality of colors and to perform color correction of the selected one specific color. Select the coordinates in the screen, and select the area selected in the color correction mode for the specific color from the images that have been developed and arranged, and easily perform color correction for the selected specific color An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging processing method capable of

In order to achieve the above-described object, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 1
Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
Image processing means for performing image processing of an image captured by the imaging means;
Image display means for displaying the image processed by the image processing means;
Specific color selection means for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors;
Color correction means for performing color correction by the image processing means for the specific color selected by the specific color selection means,
When a specific color is selected, a through image is displayed on the image display means, and when the specific color is selected by the specific color selection means, a color other than the specific color of the through image is displayed in an achromatic color. It is characterized by the construction.
An imaging apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 2 comprises:
The color correction means corrects the saturation of the specific color.
An imaging apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 3 is:
The hue of the specific color is corrected by the color correction unit.

In order to achieve the above-described object, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 4
Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
Image processing means for performing image processing of an image captured by the imaging means;
Image display means for displaying the image processed by the image processing means;
Specific color selection means for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors;
Color correction means for performing color correction by the image processing means for the specific color selected by the specific color selection means;
Color correction setting value changing means for selecting a setting value to be corrected by the color correction means for a specific color set by the specific color selection means from preset setting values;
When the color correction setting value is changed by the color correction setting value changing means, the through image display method is changed.
An imaging apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 5 is:
The through image display method can be changed by switching the through image processed with the color correction setting value before the change and the through image processed with the color correction setting value after the change at a predetermined time interval. It is characterized by being executed.

An imaging device according to the present invention described in claim 6 is:
The display method of the through image is changed by displaying the through image processed with the color correction setting value before the change and the through image processed with the color correction setting value after the change side by side. It is characterized by that.
In order to achieve the above-described object, an imaging device according to the present invention described in claim 7 provides:
Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
Image processing means for performing image processing of an image captured by the imaging means;
Image display means for displaying the image processed by the image processing means;
Specific color selection means for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors;
Color correction means for performing color correction by the image processing means for the specific color selected by the specific color selection means;
Area selection means for selecting coordinates in the screen of the image display device,
An area selected in the color correction mode for a specific color is configured so that it can be selected from the images developed and arranged by the color correction means.

An imaging device according to the present invention described in claim 8 is:
The color correction means corrects the saturation and hue of a specific color.
An image pickup apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 9 is:
When a specific color is determined, a certain pixel range is set as a determination target, and when the number of pixels of a predetermined pixel in the specific color determination area is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the specific color is within the specific color determination area. It is characterized by that.
An image pickup apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 10 comprises:
When a specific color is determined, the color of the selected portion of the specific color is calculated to determine whether or not it corresponds to the specific color, and a warning is issued if it does not correspond to the selected specific color .
An imaging device according to the present invention described in claim 11 is provided.
After issuing the warning, when the determined specific color corresponds to another specific color area, the mode can be shifted to the corresponding specific color selection mode. Yes.
An imaging device according to the present invention described in claim 12 is:
When the help mode is selected at the time of correcting the specific color, the sample image after the update process of the specific color is displayed side by side with the set value.

In order to achieve the above object, an imaging processing method according to the present invention described in claim 13
An image processing step for performing image processing of the captured image;
An image display step for displaying the image processed through the image processing step;
A specific color selection step for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors;
A color correction step of performing color correction in the image processing step on the specific color selected in the specific color selection step,
And in the specific color selecting step, and displays the through image through the image display step, when one particular color from among a plurality of colors of the indicated the through image is selected, the specific color of the through image It is characterized by displaying colors other than those in achromatic colors.
In order to achieve the above object, an imaging processing method according to the present invention described in claim 14 performs an image processing step of performing image processing of a captured image;
An image display step for displaying the image processed through the image processing step;
A specific color selection step for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors;
A color correction step of performing color correction in the image processing step on the specific color selected in the specific color selection step;
A color correction setting value changing step of selecting a setting value to be corrected in the color correction step from a preset value for the specific color set in the specific color selection step;
When the color correction setting value is changed by the color correction setting value changing step, the through image display method is changed.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the imaging processing method according to the present invention described in claim 15 provides:
An image processing step for performing image processing of the captured image;
An image display step for displaying the image processed through the image processing step;
A specific color selection step for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors,
A color correction step of performing color correction in the image processing step on the specific color selected in the specific color selection step;
An area selection step for selecting coordinates within the screen of the image display means,
In the specific color selection step, the region selected in the color correction mode for the specific color can be selected from images developed and arranged in the color correction step.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imaging apparatus and an imaging processing method that can easily visually recognize color settings (saturation and hue settings) in image quality settings.
That is, according to the imaging device of claim 1 of the present invention,
Imaging means for capturing a subject image, image processing means for performing image processing of an image captured by the imaging means, image display means for displaying an image processed by the image processing means, and presetting Specific color selection means for allowing the user to select one specific color from the plurality of colors, and color correction for performing color correction on the specific color selected by the specific color selection means by the image processing means And when the specific color is selected, the through image is displayed on the image display unit, and when one specific color is selected by the specific color selection unit, the selected specific color of the through image is displayed. Since the other colors are displayed as achromatic colors, the user can easily recognize which color saturation and hue are to be corrected in the currently viewed subject.
According to an image pickup apparatus of claim 2 of the present invention, in the image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, since the color correction unit corrects the saturation of the specific color, the user is currently viewing the subject. It is possible to easily recognize which color saturation is to be corrected.

According to the image pickup apparatus of claim 3 of the present invention, in the image pickup apparatus of claim 1, since the color correcting unit corrects the hue of the specific color, the user can select which color in the subject currently being viewed. It is possible to easily recognize whether the hue of the image is to be corrected.
According to the imaging device of claim 4 of the present invention, an imaging means for imaging a subject image;
Image processing means for performing image processing of an image captured by the imaging means;
Image display means for displaying the image processed by the image processing means;
Specific color selection means for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors;
Color correction means for performing color correction by the image processing means for the specific color selected by the specific color selection means;
Color correction setting value changing means for selecting a setting value to be corrected by the color correction means for a specific color set by the specific color selection means from preset setting values;
And when the color correction setting value is changed by the color correction setting value changing unit, the color correction setting value is changed by the color correction setting value changing unit. Since the display method of the through image is changed, it is possible to make the user confirm while comparing the color correction change state, the user can select the intended color correction, and the color of both images can be selected. It is possible to easily recognize the difference and change the color correction value to perform accurate color matching.

According to the imaging device of claim 5 of the present invention, in the imaging device of claim 4, the change in the display method of the through image includes the through image processed with the color correction setting value before the change, Since the through image processed with the color correction setting value after the change is switched at a predetermined time interval, the user can check the color correction change degree in both images again, It is possible to easily select the color correction intended by the user.
Furthermore, according to the imaging device of claim 6 of the present invention, in the imaging device according to claim 4, the change of the display method of the through image includes the through image processed with the color correction setting value before the change, Since the through image processed with the changed color correction setting value is displayed side by side, the user can easily recognize the color difference between the two images and change the color correction value. Accurate color matching is possible.
According to the imaging device of the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the user selects one specific color from among a plurality of colors and performs color correction of the selected one specific color, the image display means The coordinates selected in the screen are selected, and the area selected in the color correction mode of the specific color can be selected from the developed and arranged images, so that comparison can be made compared with the actual subject. In addition, the user can perform color correction accurately and easily, and can prevent a failure due to a difference in color after shooting and a color in photographing during actual processing.

According to the image pickup apparatus of claim 8 of the present invention, when performing color correction of a specific color, it is possible to correct the saturation and hue of the specific color. Color correction can be easily performed.
According to the image pickup apparatus of claim 9 of the present invention, when a specific color is determined, a certain pixel range is set as a determination target, and the number of pixels of the predetermined pixel in the determination region of the specific color is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. In some cases, since it is determined that it is within the determination region for the specific color, the user can easily correct the specific color without departing from the range of the selected specific color.
According to the imaging device of the tenth aspect of the present invention, when the specific color is determined, the color of the selected portion of the specific color is calculated to determine whether the specific color corresponds to the selected color. Since a warning is issued when the color does not correspond to the specific color, the user can easily know that the specific color is wrongly selected, and the user operability can be improved.

According to the imaging device of the eleventh aspect of the present invention, after issuing a warning, if the determined specific color corresponds to another specific color area, the mode shifts to the corresponding specific color selection mode. Therefore, the user can easily correct the specific color by switching to the specific color if there is another effective specific color, regardless of the specific color selected. Therefore, the user operability can be improved.
According to the imaging device of the twelfth aspect of the present invention, when the specific color is selected, in the help mode, the sample image after the update process of the specific color is displayed. While checking the specific color sample image later, it is possible to easily grasp the rough image and correct the specific color, especially when you want to change the color setting in advance before shooting Even if there is no color on the spot, you can get an overview.

According to the imaging processing method of claim 13 of the present invention, an image processing step for performing image processing of a captured image, an image display step for displaying an image processed through the image processing step, A specific color selection step for allowing a user to select one specific color from a plurality of set colors, and a color for which color correction is performed in the image processing step for the specific color selected in the specific color selection step A correction step, wherein in the specific color selection step, a through image is displayed through the image display step, and when one specific color is selected from a plurality of colors of the displayed through image. Since the colors other than the specific color of the through image are displayed as achromatic colors, this method allows the user to correct which color saturation and hue of the currently viewed subject. And that the one it is possible to be easily recognized.

According to the imaging processing method of claim 14 of the present invention, an image processing step for performing image processing of a captured image;
An image display step for displaying the image processed through the image processing step;
A specific color selection step for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors;
A color correction step of performing color correction in the image processing step on the specific color selected in the specific color selection step;
A color correction setting value changing step of selecting a setting value to be corrected in the color correction step from a preset value for the specific color set in the specific color selection step;
When the color correction setting value is changed by the color correction setting value changing step, the through image display method is changed, so that the user can check the color before and after changing the color difference at the same time. Can be easily recognized, and the color correction value can be changed to perform accurate color matching.

  According to the imaging processing method of claim 15 of the present invention, an image processing step for performing image processing of a captured image, an image display step for displaying an image processed through the image processing step, A specific color selection step for allowing a user to select one specific color from a plurality of set colors, and a color for which color correction is performed in the image processing step for the specific color selected in the specific color selection step A correction step; and an area selection means for selecting coordinates within the screen of the image display means. In the specific color selection step, the area selected in the color correction mode for the specific color is developed in the color correction step. In this way, the user can easily and accurately perform color correction of the selected specific color, and the through image can be selected. It is possible to prevent the failure due to color differences in after shooting with.

1A and 1B are external views schematically showing an external configuration of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a front view, and FIG. Shows rear views, respectively. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an electromechanical configuration of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement of the basic image processing of the imaging device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4A is a graph for explaining input / output characteristics of γ correction processing. FIG. 4A shows an example of γ correction, and FIG. 4B shows an example of input / output characteristics of an output device. . It is explanatory drawing which shows CbCr color space used by a color correction process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mechanism of an edge emphasis process. It is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement after selection of the specific color correction mode of the imaging device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the selection screen displayed on an LCD screen when it enters into a specific color correction mode, among these, Fig.8 (a) is a selection screen of a specific color, FIG.8 (b) is saturation, The hue selection screen, FIG. 8C, shows the selection screen for the change direction when the hue is changed. It is explanatory drawing which shows defining a specific color in the area | region on color space (CbCr space). It is a flowchart figure which shows the procedure of the through image display change process in the through image display change subroutine 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the method of determining a specific color by whether the value of Cb of the focused pixel is contained in the area | region of a specific color. It is a flowchart figure which shows the procedure as an example of the through image display change process in the through image display change subroutine 2. It is explanatory drawing shown as an example of the screen layout in the case of displaying a through image side by side. It is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement after the specific color correction mode selection of the imaging device which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the selection screen displayed on an LCD screen when it entered into a specific color correction mode, among these, Fig.15 (a) is a selection screen of a specific color, FIG.15 (b) is saturation and hue. FIG. 15C shows a selection screen for changing the direction when the hue is changed. It is explanatory drawing which showed the selection screen displayed on an LCD screen when it enters into area selection processing mode, among these, Fig.16 (a) is an area selection screen, FIG.16 (b) is the color after area selection. FIG. 16C shows the sample image display screen. It is a flowchart figure which shows the detailed process sequence about colorimetry mode. It is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement of the specific color determination process of the imaging device which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Although the embodiment of the present invention will be described in the case of a digital camera, the present invention is generally not limited to the present embodiment, and an electronic apparatus such as a portable information terminal device having a camera function, or an image processing The present invention can be applied to a wide range of devices having an image processing function, such as image processing ICs and image processing software, and control software for the devices.
Hereinafter, based on one embodiment of the present invention, an imaging device and an imaging display method of the present invention are explained in detail with reference to drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external view schematically showing an external configuration of a digital camera as an image pickup apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a plan view, FIG. 1 (b) is a front view, and FIG. 1 (c) shows a rear view.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing an electromechanical configuration of the imaging apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
1 and 2 show a configuration of a main part of a digital camera as an imaging apparatus to which each embodiment of the present invention is applied. Note that this imaging device has a function as an imaging display device.

As shown in FIG. 1, the digital camera has, for example, a sub LCD (sub liquid crystal display) 1 for displaying the number of shootable images, a release button 2 and a mode dial 4 for switching between shooting / playback. Have.
In addition, a strobe light emitting unit 3, a distance measuring unit 5, a remote control (remote control) light receiving unit 6, a lens barrel unit 7, and an optical viewfinder (front) 11a are provided on the front side of the camera. Further, on the back of the camera, an AFLED (autofocus display light emitting diode) 8, a strobe display LED (strobe charging completion display light emitting diode) 9, an LCD monitor (liquid crystal display monitor) 10, an optical viewfinder (rear surface) ) 11b, zoom button 12, power switch 13, operation key unit 14, and memory card slot 121.
1 and 2, a strobe light emitting unit 3 and a strobe circuit 114 are devices that compensate for the amount of light when light such as natural light is insufficient. In shooting in a dark place or when the subject is dark, a flash processor 114 transmits a flash emission signal to the flash circuit 114, which will be described later, and the flash circuit 114 emits the flash unit 3 to illuminate the subject brightly. The ranging unit 5 is a device that measures the distance between the camera and the subject. Currently, a digital camera uses a CCD-AF system that detects the contrast of an image formed on an image sensor (CCD) and moves the lens to a position with the highest contrast to adjust the focus.

However, the CCD-AF method has a problem that the focusing operation is slow because the lens is moved little by little to find the contrast. The distance measurement unit 5 is always used to obtain distance information from the subject, and the lens is determined from the distance information. It moves quickly and speeds up the focus operation. The temperature sensor 124 is a device that measures the ambient temperature. The temperature of the camera is measured inside and outside the camera. If the temperature is abnormally high, the camera is turned off or the control content of the camera is referred to by referring to the temperature sensor data. Or change.
In addition to the sub LCD 1, the distance measuring unit 5, the remote control light receiving unit 6, the lens barrel unit 7, the AF display LED 8, the strobe display LED 9 and the LCD monitor 10, the control system shown in FIG. CCD 101 (imaging device) for conversion, front end unit 102, SDRAM (synchronous dynamic random access memory) 103, camera processor 104, RAM (random access memory) 107, ROM (read only memory) 108, sub CPU (sub central processing) Part) 109, operation part 110, sub LCD driver 111, buzzer 113, strobe circuit 114, audio recording unit 115, audio reproduction unit 116, LCD driver 117, video amplifier (video amplifier) 118, video connector 119, built-in memory 120, Memo Card slot 121, USB and a Universal Serial Bus () connector 122 and a serial interface unit 123.

The lens barrel unit 7 includes a zoom optical system 7-1 including a zoom lens system 7-1a and a zoom motor 7-1b for capturing an optical image of a subject, a focus optical system including a focus lens system 7-2a and a focus motor 7-2b. 7-2, a diaphragm unit 7-3 including a diaphragm 7-3a and a diaphragm motor 7-3b, a mechanical shutter unit 7-4 including a mechanical shutter 7-4a and a mechanical shutter motor 7-4b, and a motor driver for driving each motor 7-5.
The front end unit 102 includes a CDS (correlated double sampling unit) 102-1 that performs correlated double sampling for image noise removal, an AGC (automatic gain control unit) 102-2, and an A / D (analog-digital) conversion unit 102. -3 and TG (timing generator) 102-4.

  The camera processor 104 performs white balance setting and gamma setting on the output data of the F / E-IC 102, and also supplies the VD signal and HD signal to the CCD1 signal processing block 104-1, and performs filtering processing into luminance data and hue data. CCD2 signal processing block 104-2 that performs conversion, CPU (central processing unit) block 104-3 that controls the operation of each part of the apparatus, and local SRAM (local static) that temporarily stores the data necessary for the above-described control, etc. Random access memory) 104-4, USB processing block 104-5 for USB communication with an external device such as a personal computer, serial processing block 104-6 for serial communication with an external device, JPEG codec (CODEC) for decompressing JPEG compression Block 104-7, image data A resizing block 104-8 for enlarging / reducing the size by interpolation processing, a TV signal display block 104-9 for converting image data into a video signal for display on an external display device such as a liquid crystal monitor or a TV, and a photograph are taken. A memory card controller block 104-10 for controlling the memory card for recording the image data.

The operation key unit 110 includes the release button 2, the mode dial 4, the zoom button 12, the power switch 13, and the operation key unit 14 shown in FIG.
The audio recording unit 115 includes an audio recording circuit 115-1, a microphone amplifier 115-2, and a microphone (microphone) 115-3. The audio reproducing unit 116 includes an audio reproducing circuit 116-1, an audio amplifier (audio amplifier). ) 116-2 and speaker 116-3. The serial interface unit 123 includes a serial driver circuit 123-1 and a serial connector 123-2.
The sub LCD 1, the release button 2 and the mode dial are arranged on the upper surface of the camera body. The sub LCD 1 is used as a display unit for displaying, for example, the number of shootable images. The strobe light emitting unit 3, the distance measuring unit 5, the remote control light receiving unit 6, the lens barrel unit 7, and the object plane side 11a + of the optical viewfinder 11 are arranged on the front side of the camera body CB. The memory card loading unit 15 for loading a memory card is disposed on the left side as viewed from the object (subject) side of the camera body. A memory card slot 121 is provided inside the memory card loading unit 15, and the memory card is loaded by inserting the memory card into the memory card slot 121. Further, the AF display LED 8, the strobe display LED 9, the LCD monitor 10, the eyepiece side 11 b of the optical viewfinder 11, the zoom button 12, the power switch 13 and the operation key unit 14 are arranged on the back side of the camera body. .

  Next, the basic operation of the digital camera will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the strobe light emitting unit 3 and the strobe circuit 114 are used to supplement the light amount when the amount of natural light or the like in the subject is insufficient. That is, when shooting in a dark place or when the subject is dark, the strobe circuit 114 emits the strobe light emitting unit 3 to illuminate the subject by transmitting a strobe emission signal from the camera processor 104 to the strobe circuit 114. . The distance measuring unit 5 measures the distance between the camera body and the subject, that is, the subject distance. For auto-focusing (AF) in this type of digital camera, the contrast information of the subject image formed on the CCD 101 is detected by the optical system of the lens barrel unit 7, and the optical system, that is, the focus lens, is positioned at the highest contrast value. A so-called CCD-AF system is used in which the focus is adjusted by moving 7-2a. However, since this CCD-AF method obtains the contrast value while moving the focus lens 7-2a little by little, the focusing operation is slow. Accordingly, the distance measurement unit 5 is used to constantly acquire subject distance information, and based on the subject distance information, the focus lens 7-2a is moved at a stroke to a position corresponding to the vicinity of the subject distance, thereby speeding up the focusing operation. It has also been done.

The lens barrel unit 7 includes a zoom lens 7-1a for changing a focal length in an imaging optical system that captures an optical image of a subject and forms it on the CCD 101, and a zoom motor 7-1b that drives the zoom lens 7-1a. A zoom optical system 7-1, a focus optical system 7-2 including a focus lens 7-2a for moving a focal point in the imaging optical system, and a focus motor 7-2b for driving the focus lens 7-2a, and imaging A diaphragm unit 7-3 including a diaphragm 7-3a for narrowing the aperture diameter in the optical system and a diaphragm motor 7-3b for driving the diaphragm 7-3a, and a mechanical shutter for mechanically opening and closing the optical path of the imaging optical system Mechanical shutter 7-4a and a mechanical shutter motor 7-4b for opening and closing the mechanical shutter 7-4a. And Ca shutter unit 7-4, and a motor driver 7-5 for driving the motors 7-1B～7-4b. The motor driver 7-5 is driven and controlled by a drive command from the CPU block 104-3 in the camera processor 104 based on an input from the remote control light receiving unit 6 or an operation input from the operation key unit 110.
The ROM 108 stores a control program, parameters for control, and the like written in program codes readable by the CPU block 104-3. When the power of the digital camera is turned on by operating the power switch 13 of the operation unit 110, the control program is loaded into a main memory (not shown) attached to the CPU block 104-3. The operation of each part of the apparatus is controlled according to the control program, and data and the like necessary for the control are temporarily stored in the RAM 107 and the local SRAM 104-4 in the camera processor 104.

If the ROM 108 is configured using a rewritable flash memory, it is possible to change the control program, parameters for control, and the like, and the function can be easily upgraded.
The CCD 101 is typically configured using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD (charge-coupled device) imaging device or a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) imaging device. Convert to image signal.
The front end unit 102 includes a CDS 102-1, an AGC 102-2, an A / D conversion unit 102-3, and a TG 102-4. These units are controlled by the CPU block 104-3 of the camera processor 104. The CDS 102-1 performs correlated double sampling of the image signal obtained from the CCD 101 to remove image noise, and the AGC 102-2 performs gain adjustment of the image signal from which the image noise has been removed, and an A / D conversion unit. In 102-3, the gain-adjusted image signal is converted into a digital signal by A / D conversion (analog-digital conversion), and is supplied to the first imaging signal processing block 104-1 of the camera processor 104.

The signal processing operations of the CDS 102-1, AGC 102-2, and A / D converter 102-3 are performed by a VD / HD (vertical drive / horizontal drive) signal output from the CCD1 signal processing block 104-1 of the camera processor 104. , Controlled via TG102-4. The TG 102-4 responds to the VD / HD signal output from the CCD1 signal processing block 104-1 to the CDS 102-1, AGC 102-2 and A / D converter 102-3 in the front end unit 102. And a drive timing signal to the CCD 101. In this case, the front end unit 102 is configured as a front end IC by mounting the CDS 102-1, AGC 102-2, A / D conversion unit 102-3, and TG 102-4 on the same IC (integrated circuit) chip. However, it may be configured by an individual circuit.
The CCD1 signal processing block 104-1 of the camera processor 104 supplies the VD signal and the HD signal to the TG 102-4 of the front end unit 102 as described above, and also performs digital imaging provided from the CCD 101 via the front end unit 102. Signal processing such as white balance adjustment and gamma adjustment is performed on the signal data. The CCD2 signal processing block 104-2 of the camera processor 104 performs filtering processing on the digital imaging signal data to convert the original RGB (RAW-RGB) data into luminance and color difference data, that is, YUV (YCbCr) data, and the like. Perform the conversion.

The CPU block 104-3 of the camera processor 104 appropriately controls the operation of each part in the camera. As described above, the local SRAM 104-4 of the camera processor 104 temporarily stores data necessary for control by the CPU block 104-3.
Further, in the camera processor 104, a USB processing block 104-5 is connected to an external device such as a PC (Personal Computer) in accordance with the USB standard, performs USB signal processing for communication with the external device, and a serial block. 104-6 is connected to an external device such as a PC in accordance with a serial communication standard such as RS-232C, and performs serial signal processing for communication with the external device. The JPEG codec block 104-7 includes image data JPEG compression / decompression is performed, the resize block 104-8 enlarges / reduces the size of the image data by an interpolation process such as extrapolation / interpolation, and the video signal display block 104-9 displays the image data on the LCD monitor 10 Converted to a video signal for display on an external display device such as a TV For example, the memory block 104-10 takes a picture on a memory card, a LAN card, a wireless LAN card, a Bluetooth card or the like (hereinafter simply referred to as “memory card”) 124 loaded in the memory card slot 121 in the memory card loading unit 15. The recorded captured image data is recorded, and writing / reading control of the memory card 124 for reproducing the captured image data recorded on the memory card 124 is performed.

The SDRAM 103 is used to temporarily store image data when the camera processor 104 performs various processes on the image data. The stored image data is, for example, original RGB image data (white balance adjustment and gamma adjustment performed in the CCD1 signal processing block 104-1 on the image data acquired from the CCD 101 via the front end unit 102). RAW-RGB image data) and image data captured in the same manner are converted into luminance data (Y) and color difference data (U (Cb), V (Cr)) by the CCD2 signal processing block 104-2. YUV (YCbCr) image data, JPEG image data JPEG compression encoded by the JPEG codec block 104-7, and the like.
The memory card slot 121 is a connector slot for detachably loading a memory card 124 for storing photographed image data. Control of writing / reading of the memory card 124 loaded in the memory card slot 121 is as follows. This is done by the memory card controller block 104-10 via the memory card slot 121. The built-in memory 120 is a memory for storing captured image data, and can store captured image data even when the memory card 124 is not attached to the memory card slot 121. It is provided for.

The LCD driver 117 is a drive circuit that drives the LCD monitor 10, and also has a function of converting the video signal output from the video signal display block 104-9 into a signal for display on the LCD monitor 10. . The LCD monitor 10 displays an image for monitoring the state of the subject before photographing, a captured image for confirming the photographed image, and display of image data recorded in the memory card 124 or the built-in memory 120. It is a monitor for performing.
The video amplifier 118 impedance-converts the video signal output from the video signal display block 104-9 to a 75Ω impedance output. The video connector 119 is a connector for connecting the 75Ω impedance output of the video amplifier 118 to an external display device such as a TV.
The USB connector 122 is a connector for USB connection with an external device such as a PC. A serial interface unit 123 including a serial driver circuit 123-1 and a serial connector 123-2 is for performing serial communication with an external device such as a PC in accordance with a standardized serial communication standard such as the RS-232C standard. Configure the interface. The serial driver circuit 123-1 is a circuit that converts the voltage of the output signal of the serial processing block 104-6, and the serial connector 123-2 converts the serial output voltage-converted by the serial driver circuit 123-1 to an external device such as a PC. A connector for connecting to a device.

The sub CPU 109 is, for example, a CPU such as a microprocessor having a built-in ROM / RAM on the same chip. The CPU block 104- 3, or a control signal is supplied to the sub LCD 1, the AF display LED 8, the strobe display LED 9, and the buzzer 113 based on the camera state information output from the CPU block 104-3. The sub LCD 1 is a display unit for displaying, for example, the number of shootable images, and the sub LCD driver 111 is a circuit that drives the sub LCD 1 based on an output signal of the sub CPU 109. The AF display LED 8 is an LED for displaying an in-focus state at the time of shooting, and the strobe display LED 9 is a light emission preparation state such as whether or not the strobe light emitting capacitor is fully charged and can emit light. It is LED for displaying. The AF display LED 8 and the strobe display LED 9 may be used for other display applications, for example, a display indicating that the memory card 124 is being accessed.
The operation key unit 110 includes operation keys, operation switches, operation buttons, and the like operated by the user. In this case, the release button 2, the photographing / playback switching dial 4, the zoom button 12, the power switch 13, the operation key unit 14, and the like are provided. Contains. The remote control light receiving unit 6 receives an optical signal such as infrared rays from a remote control transmitter (not shown) operated by the user.

In the audio recording unit 115, the user inputs an audio signal through the microphone 115-3, the audio signal input to the microphone 115-3 is amplified by the microphone amplifier 115-2, and the audio amplified by the microphone amplifier 115-2 is amplified. The signal is recorded by the voice recording circuit 115-1. The audio reproduction unit 116 converts the recorded audio signal into a signal for output reproduction from the speaker by the audio reproduction circuit 116-1, and the audio signal converted by the audio reproduction circuit 116-1 is converted into an audio amplifier. The speaker 116-3 is driven by the signal amplified by 116-2 and amplified by the audio amplifier 116-2 to output a sound signal.
In addition, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) circuit (not shown) may be provided to connect to a so-called Bluetooth device that is connected via wireless communication according to the Bluetooth standard. Alternatively, when there is no Bluetooth (Bluetooth®) circuit, the memory card slot 121 is loaded with a Bluetooth (Bluetooth®) card having an interface function of the Bluetooth (Bluetooth®) standard. Can also communicate with other Bluetooth (Bluetooth®) devices. Connection to a LAN (local area network) by Ethernet can be performed by an Ethernet connection circuit (not shown) or a wireless Ethernet connection circuit (not shown). Alternatively, when these Ethernet circuits are not provided, a LAN card or a wireless LAN card can be loaded into the memory card slot 121 and connected to the network via the LAN card or the wireless LAN card.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the basic image processing operation of the imaging apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
The basic image processing operation of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described below using the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 with reference to FIGS.
Note that the image processing shown in FIG. 3 is executed by either the CCD1 signal processing block (104-1) or the CCD2 signal processing block (104-2) shown in FIG.
Further, the signal output from the CCD (101) is sampled for each pixel and A / D converted is not processed by the image, so it is generally called RAW data. Thus, the data input to the image processing units (not shown) of the CCD1 signal processing block (104-1) and the CCD2 signal processing block (104-2) shown in FIG. 2 is this RAW data.

(Step S1)
First, in step S1, white balance (WB) processing is performed.
A color filter of one of RED, GREEN, and BLUE is attached to one pixel per pixel on the CCD photodiode that accumulates the amount of light from the subject. Therefore, the amount of charge accumulated in the photodiode also varies depending on the type of color filter attached to the pixel. GREEN has the highest sensitivity, and RED and BLUE have a sensitivity lower than that of GREEN, which is about half. In the white balance (WB) process, a process of multiplying R and B is performed in order to compensate for these sensitivity differences and make white in the captured image appear white. Moreover, since the color of an object changes with light source colors (for example, sunlight, a fluorescent lamp, etc.), even if a light source changes, it has the function to change and control the gain of R and B so that white may appear white. ing.
(Step S2)
Next, in step S2, gamma (γ) correction processing is performed.
4 is a graph for explaining the input / output characteristics of the γ correction process. FIG. 4A shows an example of the γ correction curve, and FIG. 4B shows the output device. It shows an example of input / output characteristics.

In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents an input signal and the vertical axis represents an output signal, and nonlinear input / output conversion is performed. In general, in an output device such as an LCD or CRT, the output is output with nonlinear characteristics with respect to the input as shown in FIG. In the case of such a non-linear output, there is no gradation in brightness, and the image becomes dark, so that the photographer cannot correctly see the image. Therefore, in consideration of the characteristics of the output device, the gamma correction processing is performed in advance on the input signal so that the output is linear.
(Step S3)
Next, in step S3 in FIG. 3, an interpolation process is performed.
The CCD 101 is an array called a Bayer array, and a color filter of any one of RED, GREEN, and BLUE is attached to one pixel, and the RAW data has only one color information per pixel. However, in order to view an image from RAW data, information of three colors RED, GREEN, and BLUE is necessary for one pixel, and interpolation processing is performed to interpolate from surrounding pixels in order to compensate for the two missing colors.

(Step S4)
Next, in step S4, YCbCr conversion processing is performed.
In the RAW data stage, the RGB data format is RED, GREEN, and BLUE, but the YCbCr conversion converts the luminance signal Y and the color difference signal CbCr into the YCbCr data format. In a JPEG image of a file format generally used in a digital camera or the like, an image is created from YCbCr data, and therefore RGB data is converted to YCbCr data. The conversion formula is as follows.
Y = 0.299 x R + 0.587 x G + 0.114 x B
Cb = -0.299 x R-0.587 x G + 0.886 x B
Cr = 0.701 x R-0.587 x G-0.114 x B
(Step S5)
Next, in step S5, color correction processing is performed.
Color correction includes saturation setting, hue setting, partial hue change setting, color suppression setting, and the like. Saturation setting is a parameter setting that determines the color depth. FIG. 5 shows the CbCr color space. For example, in the second quadrant, from the origin to the RED dot with respect to the RED color. The longer the vector length, the darker the color. Next, the hue setting is a parameter for determining the hue.

For example, in the third quadrant shown in FIG. 5, even if the vector length is the same as the color of GREEN, the hue changes if the vector direction is different. In the partial hue change setting, the partial color region is rotated as shown in the fourth quadrant shown in FIG. When the saturation is strong, the color becomes dark while the color noise tends to become strong. Therefore, in the color suppression setting, for example, a threshold value (threshold value) is provided for the luminance signal, and control for suppressing color noise is performed by suppressing the saturation for an area lower or higher than the threshold value.
(Step S6)
Next, in step S6, edge enhancement processing is performed.
The edge enhancement processing includes an edge extraction filter unit that extracts an edge portion from a luminance (Y) signal of an image as shown in FIG. 6, a gain multiplication unit that multiplies the edge extracted by the edge extraction filter, This process includes a low-pass filter (LPF) unit that removes image noise in parallel with edge extraction, and an addition unit that adds edge-extracted data after gain multiplication and image data after LPF processing. The strength of the edge is determined by the gain of the gain multiplication unit. When the gain is large, the edge becomes strong, and when the gain is small, the edge becomes weak.

Also, since the edge detection direction and the amount of edge extraction change depending on the filter coefficient of the edge extraction filter, these are also important parameters. With the LPF filter coefficient, the image is smoothed to reduce the noise of the image. However, when the LPF is applied strongly, the noise is reduced, but on the other hand, the finer portions are crushed by the smoothing and the resolution tends to be lost. is there.
In addition to the processing shown in FIG. 3, the image processing includes resizing processing for changing the image size to be stored as shown in FIG. 2, JPEG compression processing for compressing the information amount, and the like.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation after the specific color correction mode is selected by the imaging apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
The specific color correction mode is a mode in which the hue and saturation can be corrected for a specific color.
Hereinafter, the operation after selecting the specific color correction mode of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 with reference to FIGS.
(Step S11)
First, in step S11, a process when the specific color correction mode is entered, that is, a specific color selection process is performed.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a selection screen displayed on the LCD screen when the specific color correction mode is entered. Of these, FIG. 8A shows a selection screen for a specific color, and FIG. Saturation and hue selection screen, FIG. 8C shows a selection screen for changing direction when changing hue.
For example, in the specific color selection screen shown in FIG. 8A, red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow on the left side of the screen are displayed, and these are preset specific colors. There is a through image display area on the right side of the screen, and a through image is displayed. A selection area for selecting saturation and hue and a slider 130 for changing the color correction value are provided on the lower side of the screen. Note that the specific color set in advance is defined by dividing the area in the color space (CbCr space in FIG. 9) as shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, the region widths are all the same for any hue, but the selection range may be changed depending on the hue, for example, the selection of blue is expanded.

(Step S12)
First, in step S12, it is verified whether or not the user requests to select a specific color. If the user requests to select a specific color, the user is permitted to make the request. After the notification, the process proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, if the user does not request to select a specific color, the process proceeds to step S17.
The user who wants to select a specific color operates the operation key unit 110 to select a color to be corrected from the displayed specific colors. The specific color that can be selected at one time is one color, and when one specific color is selected, a display different from the other colors is displayed so that the selection is made (in FIG. 8A, green). Is selected).
(Step S13)
In step S13, after the user operates the operation key unit 110 to select a specific color from the displayed specific colors, the display method of the through image displayed on the right side of FIG. In order to change, a through image display change subroutine 1 (see FIG. 10 described later) is executed.

(Step S14)
In step S14, it is verified whether or not the user requests a change in the specific color. If the user requests a change in the specific color, the user is informed that the request is permitted, and then in step S15. move on. On the other hand, if the user has not requested a specific color change, the process returns to step S12.
The user who wants to change the specific color can change the specific color by operating the operation key unit 110 and selecting a different specific color from the displayed specific colors.
(Step S15)
Next, in step S15, it is verified whether or not the user has requested a change in color correction setting value as a color correction setting process. If the user has requested a change in color correction setting value, the request is made to the user. Then, the process proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, if the user does not request to select a specific color, the process proceeds to step S19.
The user who wants to change the color correction setting value operates the operation key unit 110 to change the color correction setting value. This color correction setting value changing method is performed by selecting the items of saturation and hue and moving the slider 130 as shown in FIG. 8B.

More specifically, the operation key unit 110 is operated to select saturation or hue, and the setting value of the selected item is changed by moving the slider 130 left and right. When the saturation is selected and the slider 130 is moved to the right, the saturation is increased, and when the slider 130 is moved to the left, the saturation is decreased. On the other hand, when the hue is selected and the slider 130 is moved to the right side, the hue circle shown in FIG. 8C is used, and when the hue is rotated clockwise and moved to the left side, The hue is rotated in the clockwise direction. The slider 130 may be slid stepwise by providing a plurality of steps, or may be slid smoothly without providing such steps. When the color correction setting value is changed, the process proceeds to step S16.
(Step S16)
In step S16, the through image display change subroutine 2 (see FIG. 12 described later) is executed again.
(Step S17)
In step S17, it is verified whether or not the specific color correction mode has ended. If the specific color correction mode has ended, the process proceeds to step S18. If the specific color correction mode has not ended, the process returns to step S12.

(Step S18)
In step S18, after the specific color correction mode cleanup process is executed, the process ends.
(Step S19)
In step S19, it is verified whether or not the color correction setting process is canceled. If the color correction setting process is canceled, the process proceeds to step S17. If the color correction setting process is not canceled, the process returns to step S15.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the through image display change process in the through image display change subroutine 1.
(Step S21)
First, in step S21, it is determined whether or not a specific color has been selected. That is, it is determined whether or not the pixel of interest is a specific color in the above-described through image.
(Step S22)
Next, in step S22, it is verified whether or not a specific color has been selected. If a specific color has not been selected, the process proceeds to step S23. On the other hand, when the specific color is selected, the process proceeds to step S24 (that is, the specific color determination is performed for each pixel). Here, whether or not a specific color has been selected is determined based on whether or not the Cb and Cr values of the pixel of interest are included in the specific color region, as shown in FIG.

(Step S23)
In step S23, assuming that the specific color is not selected (ie, achromatic display), the values of Cb and Cr are corrected to 0, and then the process proceeds to step S24.
(Step S24)
In step S24, it is verified whether or not the specific color selection process has been completed for all the pixels. If the specific color selection process has been completed for all the pixels, the process is terminated, and the specific color selection process is still complete. If there is a pixel that has not been processed, the process returns to step S21.
As a result of the above processing, if the pixel of interest has a specific color, the Cb and Cr as they are are output to the LCD driver and the video AMP. The same processing is performed on all the pixels of the through image. In this case, Y, Cb, and Cr information are displayed as they are for a specific color, so that they are displayed in a normal color state. In other than a specific color, only Y is original information, and Cb and Cr are 0, and are displayed in a monochrome state. The If there is no color in all of the through images, it indicates that the selected specific color is not in the screen.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure as an example of the through image display change process in the through image display change subroutine 2.
In the example shown in FIG. 12, the through image display change (color correction value change) is performed by a method of switching at a predetermined time interval.
Here, as an example of the process for changing and displaying the through image, a process for changing and displaying the color correction value of the through image before and after the change at every predetermined time is shown.
When the color correction value is changed by changing the slider position, a through image processed with the color correction value changed for a predetermined time is displayed. Until the predetermined time elapses, the through image is processed and displayed with the changed color correction value, and when the predetermined time elapses, the through image processed with the color correction value before changing the slider 130 is displayed. . The predetermined time may be set by the manufacturer at a fixed time, or a mode for separately setting the predetermined time may be prepared so that the user can freely change it.
(Step S31)
First, in step S31, the setting image before change is processed.

(Step S32)
Next, in step S32, a through image before setting a given image is displayed.
(Step S33)
Next, in step S33, it is verified whether or not the user cancels the specific color correction. If the user cancels the specific color correction, the process proceeds to step S42. On the other hand, if the user does not cancel the specific color correction. Advances to step S34.
(Step S34)
In step S34, it is verified whether the slider 130 on the setting screen has been moved. If the slider 130 on the setting screen has not been moved, the process returns to step S33, while if the slider 130 on the setting screen has been moved, step S34 is performed. Proceed to S35.
The slider 130 may be provided in a plurality of steps and slid stepwise, or may be slid smoothly without providing a step.
(Step S35)
In step S35, the changed setting image is processed.
(Step S36)
Next, in step S36, a through image after changing the setting of a given image is displayed.

(Step S37)
Next, in step S37, it is verified whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed after changing the setting of a given image. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S35. On the other hand, if the predetermined time set in advance has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S38.
(Step S38)
In step S38, the setting image before change is processed.
(Step S39)
Next, in step S39, a through image before changing a given image is displayed.
(Step S40)
Next, in step S40, it is verified whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the setting image before the change has been processed. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, step S40 is performed. Returning to S38, on the other hand, if a predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S41.

(Step S41)
In step S41, it is verified whether or not “decision” on the setting screen is selected. If “decision” on the setting screen is not selected, the process returns to step S35, and “decision” on the setting screen is selected. If so, the process proceeds to step S42.
(Step S42)
In step S42, the changed setting image is processed.
(Step S43)
Next, in step S43, the through image after changing the setting of the given image is displayed, and the process ends.
The above operation will be described collectively. The flowchart shown in FIG. 12 shows an operation in the case where the image processing of a through image is changed and displayed before and after the color correction setting value is changed at predetermined time intervals. Before the slider 130 is moved, the through image is processed and output with the current color correction value (before change). Unless it is canceled or the slider 130 is moved, the through image is processed and displayed with the same set value.

On the other hand, when the slider 130 is moved, the through image is processed and displayed using the color correction value (after change) corresponding to the slider position. Until the predetermined time elapses, the through image is processed with the color correction value after the change and the display is continued. When the predetermined time elapses, the through image is processed and displayed with the color correction value before the change. Thereafter, until the predetermined time elapses, the through image is processed with the color correction value before the change and the display is continued. Until the selection is selected, the through image of the color correction value before and after the change is displayed at a predetermined time interval. When the decision is selected, the through image is displayed with the changed color correction value.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing, as an example, a screen layout when through images are displayed side by side.
The through image processed with the current color correction value is displayed on the left side of the figure, and the processed through image corrected with the changed color correction value is displayed on the right side of the figure.
The timing for changing the through image display portion to two screens is the timing at which either saturation or hue is selected, and the screen is switched at this timing. When the slide bar 130 is not moved, a through image processed with the same current color correction value is displayed on the left side and the right side in FIG. When the slider is moved, the through image processed with the color correction value changed only on the right side is displayed. When the decision is selected, the display returns to the single screen display and the through image is displayed with the color correction value after the change. When cancel is selected, the display returns to the single screen display and the through image is displayed with the color correction value before the change.

Although the color correction setting for the specific color is completed as described above, in order to exit this specific color correction mode, it is preferable to assign a mode end designation separately to the operation key unit 110 in advance and select the designation. . After color correction of a specific color is set in the specific color correction mode, in the case of still image shooting, the image is shot with the set color correction value.
In general, a digital camera has an advantage that it can be post-processed by a personal computer. However, even if it is desired to faithfully reproduce a color, it is difficult to accurately store the subject color at the time of shooting and process it later. The method of reproducing the color most faithfully is to check whether the photographed image and the subject have the same color by photographing the subject with the correct color setting in front of the subject at the time of photographing. For this purpose, it is necessary to correct a color different from the actual color tone. When correcting a specific color as in the present invention, the user compares the through image with the actual subject and actually uses the color correction. It is necessary to make the through image close to the color of the subject.

(Other embodiments)
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an operation after selecting a specific color correction mode of an imaging apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Hereinafter, the operation after selecting the specific color correction mode of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 14 shows a flow after selecting a specific color correction mode capable of correcting the hue and saturation for a specific color.
(Step S51)
First, in step S51, a process when the specific color correction mode is entered, that is, a specific color correction process is performed.
FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a selection screen displayed on the LCD screen when the specific color correction mode is entered. Of these, FIG. 15 (a) is a specific color selection screen, and FIG. Saturation and hue selection screen, and FIG. 15C shows a selection screen for changing direction when changing hue.

For example, in the correction screen for specific colors shown in FIG. 15A, red, green, blue, cyan, magenta and yellow on the left side of the screen are displayed. These are preset specific colors. On the right side of the screen, a selection area for selecting saturation and hue and a slide bar for changing the color correction value are provided. As shown in FIG. 9, the specific color set in advance is defined by dividing the area in the color space (CbCr space in the figure). In the example shown in FIG. 9, the region widths are all equal in any hue, but the selection range may be changed depending on the hue, for example, the selection of blue is expanded. The user uses the operation key unit 110 (FIG. 2) to select a color to be corrected from among the displayed specific colors. The specific color that can be selected at one time is one color, and when one specific color is selected, the display is different from the other colors so that it can be seen (in the example shown in FIG. 15A). Indicating that green is selected).
When a specific color is selected, the right-side saturation / hue selection screen (FIG. 15B) is displayed by entering the specific color correction mode. From this screen, it is possible to select the saturation and the hue and change the setting of the specific color respectively (here, five steps from -2 to +2 can be set). If it is desired to change the selected specific color, it can be selected by selecting a different specific color with the operation key unit 110.

(Step S52)
Next, in step S52, it is verified whether or not the user requests to select a specific color. If the user requests to select a specific color, the user is allowed to make the request. Then, the process proceeds to step S53. On the other hand, if the user does not request to select a specific color, the process proceeds to step S59.
(Step S53)
In step S53, it is verified whether or not the user requests to select a help image. If the user does not request to select a help image, the process proceeds to step S54. If it is requested to select, after displaying the sample image (FIG. 16C) in step S61, the process proceeds from step S61 to step S54.

(Step S61)
Step S61 performs processing when the help mode is set. In this process, as a method different from the area selection mode, as described above, the sample image (FIG. 16C) is displayed after the specific color is selected. For example, when the hue is moved to the right as described above, the hue is rotated clockwise when the hue circle is as shown in FIG. 15C, but it is difficult to intuitively imagine the hue. Therefore, an image diagram as shown in FIG. 16C can be displayed by pressing a specific operation key after selecting a specific color. Here, when a specific operation key is pressed again, the screen shown in FIG. 15B is displayed, and saturation and hue can be selected.
With this method, detailed step-by-step settings are not known, but the general direction can be understood intuitively.
The sample image may display a uniform color in the block, or may display an actual image such as a landscape image.
(Step S54)
In step S54, it is verified whether or not the color measurement mode is designated. If the color measurement mode is designated, the process proceeds to step S55 as the color measurement mode. On the other hand, if the colorimetric mode is not designated, the process proceeds to step S58.

(Step S55)
In step S55, an area selection screen (FIG. 16A) is displayed and an area is selected (details of the area selection processing will be described later with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 17).
FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a detailed processing procedure for the color measurement mode.
Although the detailed description of the processing procedure shown in FIG. 15 will be described later, as an overview, first, as shown in FIG. After setting the area, the Cb and Cr values of the area are calculated to determine whether the color is a specific color.
(Step S56)
In step S56, it is verified whether or not the selected color is in the determination area. If the selected color is in the determination area, the process proceeds to step S57, and the screen in FIG. 16B is displayed. On the other hand, if the selected color is not in the determination area, the process proceeds to step S62 to perform a warning display process, and a warning indicating that “the selected color is not in the determination area” is output (this The processing procedure of the warning display process will be described later with reference to FIG.
(Step S57)
In step S57, the saturation hue selection screen (FIG. 16B) after region selection is displayed, and the saturation hue is selected, and the flow proceeds to step S58.

(Step S58)
In step S58, the color correction setting value is changed. As shown in FIG. 15B, this color correction setting value changing method is performed by selecting an item of saturation or hue and moving the displayed slider 131. By selecting the saturation or hue using the operation key unit 110 and moving the slider 131 left and right, the setting value of the selected item is changed. When the saturation is selected and the slider 131 is moved to the right, the saturation is dark (high), and when the slider 131 is moved to the left, the saturation is light (low). On the other hand, when selecting a hue, when the hue circle as shown in FIG. 15C is used, when the slider 131 is moved to the right side, the hue of the hue circle rotates clockwise, and the slider When 131 is moved to the left, the hue of the hue circle rotates counterclockwise. The slider 131 is preferably slid stepwise by providing a plurality of steps.
(Step S59)
In step S59, it is verified whether or not each of the aforementioned modes has been completed. If all of the aforementioned modes have not been completed, the process returns to step S52. On the other hand, if all the above modes are completed, the process proceeds to step 60.

(Step S60)
In step S60, an exit process is performed upon completion of the specific color correction mode, and the process ends.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an operation in the colorimetric mode of an imaging apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
(Step S71)
First, in step S71, as in step S51, a process when the specific color correction mode is entered, that is, a specific color correction process is performed.
(Step S72)
Next, in step S72, an area selection screen (FIG. 16 (a)) is displayed, and an image area for color measurement is set as shown in FIG. 16 (a).
In step S73, Cb and Cr values are calculated as image processing for the set image area.

(Step S74)
Next, in step S74, it is determined whether or not the specific color is in the determination area.
(Step S75)
Next, in step S75, the determination result is verified, and if it is a specific color, the process proceeds to step S76. On the other hand, if it is not a specific color, the process proceeds to step S79 to display a warning. When this warning is displayed, that is, when the selected color is not in the determination area and is in another determination area (for example, the selected color is magenta even though red is selected) After the warning is displayed, the screen can move to a specific color selection screen for magenta.
Details of the specific color determination process in steps S74 and S75 will be described later with reference to FIG.

(Step S76)
In step S76, development is performed with the saturation and hue set for image processing.
(Step S77)
In step S77, since it is determined that it is within the determination area of the specific color, the screen shown in FIG. 16B is displayed.
(Step S78)
Finally, in step S78, it is verified whether or not the setting of the specific color correction mode has been canceled. If the setting of the specific color correction mode has not yet been canceled, the process returns to step S72. On the other hand, if the setting of the specific color correction mode is cancelled, the process ends.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the specific color determination process of the imaging apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
A specific color is selected by the method described above.
(Step S92)
Next, in step S92, the set specific color range area is determined, and if the set specific color is the specific color range area, the process proceeds to step S93. On the other hand, if the set specific color is not within the range of the specific color, the process proceeds to step S95.
As a method for determining the range area of the specific color, for example, determination is performed in a range of a certain number of pixels (for example, 5 × 5 pixels), and the number of pixels of a predetermined pixel is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (for example, 5/25 pixels). If so, it is determined that it is within the determination area of the specific color, and if it is equal to or less than the threshold value, it is determined that it is outside the determination area. Note that whether or not the color is a specific color is determined based on whether or not the Cb and Cr values of the pixel of interest are included in the specific color region, as shown in FIG.

(Step S93)
In step S93, since it is determined that it is within the determination region of the specific color, the screen shown in FIG. 16B is displayed. Here, the development result when image processing is performed on the acquired image with settings of saturation and hue is displayed. In each block, an image around the determination area is cut out and displayed.
(Step S94)
In step S94, an exit process is performed upon completion of the specific color determination process, and the process ends.
(Step S95)
In step S95, a warning indicating that the selected specific color is outside the determination region is displayed.
(Step S96)
Next, in step S96, it is verified whether or not the selected specific color falls within the determination area of the other specific color, and when the selected specific color falls within the determination area of the other specific color. Advances to step S97. On the other hand, if the selected specific color is not a determination area for another specific color, the process is terminated.
(Step S97)

Next, in step S97, the determined other specific color is selected. That is, when the selected color is not in the determination area but in another determination area (for example, when the selected color is included in the magenta determination area even though red is selected), After the warning is displayed in step S95, the screen can move to a magenta specific color selection screen.
This completes the color correction setting for the specific color. In order to leave this specific color correction mode, a method of separately assigning the mode end to the operation key unit 110 is possible. After setting in the specific color correction mode, shooting is performed with the set color correction value during still image shooting.
In general, a digital camera has an advantage that it can be post-processed by a personal computer. However, even if it is desired to faithfully reproduce a color, it is difficult to accurately store the subject color at the time of shooting and process it later. The method of reproducing the color most faithfully is to check whether the photographed image and the subject have the same color by photographing the subject with the correct color setting in front of the subject at the time of photographing. For this purpose, it is necessary to correct a color different from the actual color tone. When correcting a specific color as in the present invention, the user compares the through image with the actual subject and actually uses the color correction. It is necessary to make the through image close to the color of the subject.
Therefore, according to the imaging apparatus and the imaging processing method of the present invention, as an effect corresponding to the first, second, third, and thirteenth aspects, the user can view the current image by displaying a through image with achromatic colors other than the specific color. There is an effect that it is possible to easily recognize which color saturation and hue are to be corrected in a subject.

Further, as an effect corresponding to claims 4, 5 and 14, by changing the saturation of the selected specific color and the color correction value of the hue, the through image after the change and the through image after the change are switched at a predetermined time interval, The user can confirm the color correction change degree by comparing, and there is an effect that the intended color correction can be selected.
Further, as an effect corresponding to claims 4 and 6, when changing the saturation and hue correction value of the selected specific color, the through images before and after the change are displayed side by side, and the colors before and after the change are simultaneously displayed. By making it possible to confirm, it is possible to easily recognize the difference in color, and the user can change the color correction value and perform accurate color matching.
Further, as an effect corresponding to claims 7, 8, 9 and 15, the user selects a color to be changed, and for the selected color, an image that has been subjected to actual color correction by changing the saturation and hue is selected. Compared to the actual subject, it is possible to perform comparison, and accurate color matching can be performed, and by performing actual processing, failure due to the difference in color after shooting and shooting is prevented. There is an effect that can be.

Further, as an effect corresponding to claims 10 and 11, when the selection of a specific color or the selection of a color designated at the time of selecting an area is wrong, a user's operability can be improved by issuing a warning. Has an effect.
Further, as an effect corresponding to claim 12, a rough image of the operational effect such as how to change when the setting is changed by displaying the setting value and the sample image together as the help mode is displayed. In addition to having an effect that can be easily grasped, and if you want to change the color setting in advance before shooting, is it necessary to grasp the outline even if there is no actual color sample on the spot? There is an effect that can be done.

1 Sub liquid crystal display (sub LCD)
2 Release button 3 Strobe light emitting unit 4 Mode dial 5 Ranging unit 6 Remote control (remote control) light receiving unit 7 Lens unit 8 Autofocus display light emitting diode (AF display LED)
9 Light-emitting diode for strobe display (LED for strobe display)
10 Liquid crystal display monitor (LCD monitor)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Optical finder 12 Zoom button 13 Power switch 14 Operation part 101 CCD (image sensor)
102 Front end 103 SDRAM (Synchronous dynamic random access memory)
104 Camera processor 107 RAM (Random access memory)
108 ROM (Read Only Memory)
109 Sub central processing unit (sub CPU)
110 Operation Key Unit 111 Sub LCD Driver 113 Buzzer 114 Strobe Circuit 115 Audio Recording Unit 116 Audio Playback Unit 117 LCD Driver 118 Video Amplifier (Video Amplifier)
119 Video Connector 120 Internal Memory 121 Memory Card Slot 122 USB (Universal Serial Bus) Connector 123 Serial Interface Unit 124 Memory Card 7-1 Zoom Optical System 7-1a Zoom Lens System 7-1b Zoom Motor 7-2 Focus Optical System 7- 2a Focus lens system 7-2b Focus motor 7-3 Aperture unit 7-3a Aperture 7-3b Aperture motor 7-4 Mechanical shutter unit 7-4a Mechanical shutter 7-4b Mechanical shutter motor 7-5 Motor driver 102-1 Correlated double Sampling unit (CDS)
102-2 Automatic gain controller (AGC)
102-3 A / D (Analog-Digital) Converter 102-4 Timing Generator (TG)
104-1 CCD1 signal processing block 104-2 CCD2 signal processing block 104-3 CPU (central processing unit) block 104-4 Local SRAM (local static random access memory)
104-5 USB processing block 104-6 Serial processing block 104-7 JPEG codec (CODEC) block 104-8 Resize block 104-9 Video signal display block 104-10 Memory card controller block 115-1 Audio recording circuit 115 -2 Microphone amplifier 115-3 Microphone (microphone)
116-1 Audio reproduction circuit 116-2 Audio amplifier (audio amplifier)
116-3 Speaker 123-1 Serial Driver Circuit 123-2 Serial Connector 130, 131 Slider

JP 2006-87054 A JP 2009-65644 A JP 2009-65645 A

Claims (15)

Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
Image processing means for performing image processing of an image captured by the imaging means;
Image display means for displaying the image processed by the image processing means;
Specific color selection means for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors;
Color correction means for performing color correction by the image processing means for the specific color selected by the specific color selection means,
When a specific color is selected, a through image is displayed on the image display means, and when the specific color is selected by the specific color selection means, a color other than the specific color of the through image is displayed in an achromatic color. An imaging apparatus characterized by comprising.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color correction unit corrects the saturation of the specific color.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color correction unit corrects a hue of the specific color. Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
Image processing means for performing image processing of an image captured by the imaging means;
Image display means for displaying the image processed by the image processing means;
Specific color selection means for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors;
Color correction means for performing color correction by the image processing means for the specific color selected by the specific color selection means;
Color correction setting value changing means for selecting a setting value to be corrected by the color correction means for a specific color set by the specific color selection means from preset setting values;
And a through image display method is changed when the color correction setting value is changed by the color correction setting value changing means.   The through image display method can be changed by switching the through image processed with the color correction setting value before the change and the through image processed with the color correction setting value after the change at a predetermined time interval. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the imaging apparatus is executed.   The display method of the through image is changed by displaying the through image processed with the color correction setting value before the change and the through image processed with the color correction setting value after the change side by side. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4. Imaging means for capturing a subject image;
Image processing means for performing image processing of an image captured by the imaging means;
Image display means for displaying the image processed by the image processing means;
Specific color selection means for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors;
Color correction means for performing color correction by the image processing means for the specific color selected by the specific color selection means;
Area selection means for selecting coordinates within the screen of the image display means,
An image pickup apparatus configured to be able to select an area selected in a color correction mode of a specific color from an image developed and arranged by the color correction unit.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the color correction unit corrects saturation and hue of the specific color.   When determining a specific color, if a certain pixel range is targeted for determination and the number of pixels of a predetermined pixel in the specific color determination area is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the specific color is in the determination area The imaging apparatus according to claim 7.   When determining a specific color, the color of the selected portion of the specific color is calculated to determine whether or not it corresponds to the specific color, and a warning is issued if it does not correspond to the selected specific color The imaging device according to claim 9.   After issuing the warning, when the determined specific color corresponds to another specific color area, the mode can be shifted to the corresponding specific color selection mode. The imaging device according to claim 10.   8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when the help mode is selected at the time of correcting the specific color, the sample image after performing the update process of the specific color is displayed side by side with the set value. An image processing step for performing image processing of the captured image;
An image display step for displaying the image processed through the image processing step;
A specific color selection step for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors;
A color correction step of performing color correction in the image processing step on the specific color selected in the specific color selection step,
And in the specific color selecting step, and displays the through image through the image display step, when one particular color from among a plurality of colors of the indicated the through image is selected, the specific color of the through image An imaging processing method characterized in that a color other than the above is displayed in an achromatic color. An image processing step for performing image processing of the captured image;
An image display step for displaying the image processed through the image processing step;
A specific color selection step for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors;
A color correction step of performing color correction in the image processing step on the specific color selected in the specific color selection step;
A color correction setting value changing step of selecting a setting value to be corrected in the color correction step from a preset value for the specific color set in the specific color selection step;
And a through image display method is changed when the color correction setting value is changed by the color correction setting value changing step. An image processing step for performing image processing of the captured image;
An image display step for displaying the image processed through the image processing step;
A specific color selection step for allowing the user to select one specific color from a plurality of preset colors;
A color correction step of performing color correction in the image processing step on the specific color selected in the specific color selection step;
An area selection step for selecting coordinates within the screen of the image display means,
In the specific color selection step, an area selected in the color correction mode of a specific color can be selected from images developed and arranged in the color correction step.