AU2019213404B2 - Unified selection model for vector and raster graphics - Google Patents

Abstract

A unified digital image selection system is described for selection and editing of both vector and raster graphics together. In one example, a first user input is received that selects a region of a digital image. In response to the first user input, a vector selection representation is generated of at least a portion of a vector graphic included in the selected region. A raster selection representation is also generated of at least a portion of a raster graphic included in the selected region in response to the first user input. A second user input is also received specifying a digital image editing operation. In response to the second user input, both the vector selection representation and the raster selection representation using the digital editing operation. The digital image is then displayed as having the edited vector selection representation and the edited raster selection representation. 1/16 100 112 A 11 126 130 2 0A 128 Computing Device 102 Digital Image Creation Application 104 Graphic Selection Module 1_16 Vector Selection Module 122 130 Raste SelctionModue122 Digital~magCreationgplicltion10 Network hVector Raster Graphic 120

Description

1/16

100

112

11 A

126

0A 128

130 2

Raste SelctionModue122

Computing Device 102 Digital Image Creation Application 104 Graphic Selection Module 1_16 Vector Selection Module 122 Digital~magCreationgplicltion10130

Network hVector

Raster Graphic 120

Unified Selection Model For Vector And Raster Graphics Inventor: Robert Tyler Voliter

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[00011 This Application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S.

Provisional Patent Application No. 62/745,121, filed October 12, 2018 and

titled "Unified Digital Content Selection System for Vector and Raster

Graphics," the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

[00021 Digital image creation applications may be configured to generate a

diverse range of graphic elements as part of creating a digital image, examples

of which include vector graphics and raster graphics. Vector graphics, for

instance, may be used to support shapes that, when rendered in a user interface,

have smooth edges regardless of a level of zoom applied to the shape. To do

so, the vector graphic is defined mathematically (e.g., using B6zier curves) and

then drawn for a particular zoom level of a user interface. Raster graphics, on

the other hand, are defined using a matrix that represents a generally

rectangular grid of pixels, e.g., as a bitmap. Raster graphics are generally used

for digital photos and to create visual effects such as mimicking a look of a

pencil, brush stroke, sprayed paint, and so forth.

[00031 Conventional digital image creation applications, however, do not

address vector and raster graphic editing functionality together. Rather,

conventional digital image creation applications implement separate sets of

tools to select and edit vector and raster graphics. For vector graphics,

conventional applications rely on selection tools to select and modify the

underlying mathematical structure of a vector graphic (e.g., to select and move

a control point of a B6zier curve) and are not usable to select pixels, directly.

For raster graphics, on the other hand, conventional applications employ

selection tools to select the pixels, directly, but are not usable for vector

graphics. As a result, conventional digital image creation applications require

users to interact with and learn a multitude of separate tools, which is both user

and computationally inefficient and leads to user frustration.

SUMMARY

[00041 A unified digital image selection system for selection and editing of

both vector and raster graphics together is described that overcomes the

limitations of conventional techniques that rely on separate tools and

applications. In one example, a first user input is received that selects a region

of a digital image. In response to the first user input, a vector selection

representation is generated of at least a portion of a vector graphic included in

the selected region. A raster selection representation is also generated of at

least a portion of a raster graphic included in the selected region in response to

the first user input.

[00051 A second user input is also received specifying a digital image editing

operation. In response to the second user input, both the vector selection

representation and the raster selection representation using the digital editing

operation. The digital image is then displayed as having the edited vector

selection representation and the edited raster selection representation.

[00061 This Summary introduces a selection of concepts in a simplified form

that are further described below in the Detailed Description. As such, this

Summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject

matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the

claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00071 The detailed description is described with reference to the

accompanying figures. Entities represented in the figures may be indicative of

one or more entities and thus reference may be made interchangeably to single

or plural forms of the entities in the discussion.

[00081 FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment in an example

implementation that is operable to employ unified digital image selection and

editing techniques for vector and raster graphics described herein.

[0009 FIG. 2 depicts a system in an example implementation showing

operation of a graphic selection module of FIG. 1 in greater detail.

[00101 FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an example

implementation in which a single user input selecting a region of a digital image is used as a basis for selecting and editing vector and raster graphics included in the selected region.

[00111 FIG. 4 depicts an example implementation of generation of a raster

graphic as part of a digital image using a digital image creation application of

FIG. 1.

[00121 FIG. 5 depicts an example implementation of generation of a vector

graphic as part of a digital image using a digital image creation application of

FIG. 1.

[00131 FIG. 6 depicts an example implementation of a selected region that

includes a portion of the raster graphic of FIG. 4.

[00141 FIG. 7 depicts an example implementation in which the selected region

of the portion of the raster graphic of FIG. 6 is deleted and another selection

region includes a portion of a vector graphic.

[00151 FIG. 8 depicts an example implementation in which a selected region

includes both a portion of a raster graphic and a portion of a vector graphic, and

in which a visualization of the selected region corresponds to the vector

graphic.

[00161 FIG. 9 depicts an example implementation in which a selected region

includes both a portion of a raster graphic and a portion of a vector graphic, and

in which a visualization of the selected region corresponds to the raster graphic.

[00171 FIG. 10 depicts an example implementation in which a selected region

includes both a portion of a raster graphic and a portion of a vector graphic,

which is deleted together using a digital editing operation.

[00181 FIG. 11 depicts an example implementation in which a selected region

includes a portion of a raster graphic that is moved using a digital editing

operation.

[00191 FIG. 12 depicts an example implementation in which a selected region

includes a portion of a vector graphic that is moved using a digital editing

operation.

[00201 FIG. 13 depicts an example implementation in which a selected region is

used to transform raster and vector graphics.

[00211 FIG. 14 depicts an example implementation in which a selected region is

used to constrain a location, at which, digital editing operations are to be

performed to add vector and/or raster graphics to a digital image.

[00221 FIG. 15 depicts an example implementation in which a selected region is

specified based on color values of pixels.

[00231 FIG. 16 illustrates an example system including various components of

an example device that can be implemented as any type of computing device as

described and/or utilize with reference to FIGS. 1-15 to implement

embodiments of the techniques described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

[00241 Conventional digital image creation applications address vector graphics

and raster graphics using separate functionality. Vector graphics are defined

mathematically, e.g., using control points that are connected by curves, to form

shapes, polygons, and so forth. Each of these control points are defined on an

X/Y axis and are used to determine a direction of a path through the use of

handles. The curve may also have defined properties, including stroke color,

shape, curve, thickness, fill, and so forth. B6zier curves are an example of type

of parametric curve that is used to define a vector graphic. B6zier curves, for

instance, may be used to model smooth curves that can be scaled indefinitely.

Curves may be joined together, which are referred to as paths. Vector graphics

may be found in a variety of graphic file formats, examples of which include

scalable vector graphics (SVG), encapsulated postscript (EPS), and portable

document format (PDF).

[00251 A raster graphic, on the other hand, is implemented as a bitmap having a

dot matrix data structure that represents a generally rectangular grid of pixels.

A bitmap (i.e., a single-bit raster) corresponds bit-for-bit with a graphic

displayed by a display device. A raster graphic is generally characterized by a

width and height of the graphic in pixels and by a number of bits per pixel, or

color depth, which determines the number of colors represented. Raster

graphics may be found in a variety of graphic file formats, examples of which

include joint photographic experts group (JPEG), portable network graphics

(PNG), animated portable network graphics (APNG), graphics interchange

format (GIF), moving picture experts group (MPEG) 4, and so forth.

[00261 Thus, as is readily apparent, an underlying structure of a vector graphic

is quire different than an underlying structure of a raster graphic. Because of

this, conventional digital image editing operations support different

functionality to select and edit vector graphics as opposed to raster graphics.

For vector graphics, for instance, conventional applications rely on path

selection tools to select and modify the underlying mathematical structure of a

vector graphic (e.g., to select and move a control point of a B6zier curve) and

are not usable to select pixels, directly. For raster graphics, on the other hand,

conventional applications employ direct selection tools to select the pixels,

directly, but are not usable for vector graphics. As a result, conventional digital

image creation applications require users to interact with and learn a multitude

of separate tools, which is both user and computationally inefficient and leads

to user frustration.

[00271 Accordingly, techniques and systems are described that support unified

selection and editing of vector and raster graphics together by a digital image

creation application. In one example, the digital image creation application

receives a user selection of a representation of a graphic selection tool, e.g., a

"lasso" to specify region within a specified border, a "magic-wand" to select

adjacent colors within a threshold amount of a selected region, a bounding box,

and so forth. Another user input is also received by the digital image creation application to select a region within a digital image as displayed in a user interface by a display device, e.g., less than an entirety of the digital image.

[00281 In response to the selection of the region, the digital image creation

application generates a vector selection representation and a separate raster

selection representation. A vector selection module, for instance, may be

employed by the digital image creation system to generate and store (e.g., in a

computer-readable storage medium) a vector selection representation of a

portion of any vector graphic that is included within the selected region. The

vector graphic representation, for instance, may be formed to include control

points and curves of vector graphics that are included within the selected

region, along with defined properties of the curve such as stroke color, shape,

curve, thickness, fill, and so forth.

[00291 A raster selection module is also employed to generate a raster selection

representation that includes pixels of a raster graphic that is included in the

selected region. The raster selection module, for instance, may generate a

gray-scale raster mask in which white pixels indicate pixels that are to be

included in their entirety as part of the selected region from the digital image,

black pixels indicate pixels that are not to be included in the selected region,

and gray pixels indicating respective amounts of pixels (i.e., pixel color) that is

to be included in the selected region to support a blend area.

[00301 In this way, the digital image creation module maintains separate

representations of graphics included in the selected region in response to a

single user input and through use of a single selection tool, which may then be edited using digital editing operations. The digital image creation module, for instance, may support movement or deletion of both the vector and raster selection representations within the digital image, together using a single operation. In another instance, the digital image creation module also supports masking operations, in which, the selected region is used to contain an effect of digital image operations within the region, e.g., to draw vector and raster graphics.

[00311 In a further instance, the digital image creation module also supports

transformations to the vector and raster selection representations, e.g., to

change color, size, rotation, and so forth. A user input, for instance, may be

received to increase a scale of the selected region. In response, the digital

image creation application scales a portion of a vector graphic within the

selected region using the underlying mathematical representation. The digital

image creation application also up-samples the portion of the raster graphic

included in the raster selection representation. In this way, the digital image

creation application may synchronize digital editing operations to both

representations as desired through use of a unified input structure that

maintains the underlying functionality of the vector and raster graphics, which

is not possible in conventional techniques.

[00321 In an implementation, the digital image creation application supports a

raster-based preview of the vector graphic to support real time performance

before committing to the vector representation. An input, for instance, may be

received to draw a vector graphic, which is initially displayed as a raster graphic until completion of the stroke, which is then converted to control points of a vector graphic. This supports real time output of the graphic and increases computational efficiency, especially when combined with multiple curves and paths as part of union or subtraction operations. Further discussion of these and other examples is included in the following sections and shown in corresponding figures.

[00331 In the following discussion, an example environment is first described

that may employ the techniques described herein. Example procedures are then

described which may be performed in the example environment as well as

other environments. Consequently, performance of the example procedures is

not limited to the example environment and the example environment is not

limited to performance of the example procedures.

Example Environment

[00341 FIG. 1 is an illustration of a digital medium environment 100 in an

example implementation that is operable to employ techniques described

herein. The illustrated environment 100 includes a computing device 102,

which may be configured in a variety of ways.

[00351 The computing device 102, for instance, may be configured as a desktop

computer, a laptop computer, a mobile device (e.g., assuming a handheld

configuration such as a tablet or mobile phone as illustrated), and so forth.

Thus, the computing device 102 may range from full resource devices with

substantial memory and processor resources (e.g., personal computers, game consoles) to a low-resource device with limited memory and/or processing resources (e.g., mobile devices). Additionally, although a single computing device 102 is shown, the computing device 102 may be representative of a plurality of different devices, such as multiple servers utilized by a business to perform operations "over the cloud" as described in FIG. 16.

[00361 The computing device 102 is illustrated as including a digital image

creation application 104. The digital image creation application 104 is

implemented at least partially in hardware of the computing device 102 to

process and transform a digital image 106, which is illustrated as maintained in

storage 108 of the computing device 102. Such processing includes creation of

the digital image 106, modification of the digital image 106, and rendering of

the digital image 106 in a user interface 110 for output, e.g., by a display

device 112. Although illustrated as implemented locally at the computing

device 102, functionality of the digital image creation application 104 may also

be implemented as whole or part via functionality available via the network

114, such as part of a web service or "in the cloud."

[00371 An example of functionality incorporated by the digital image creation

application 104 to process the image 106 is illustrated as a graphic selection

module 116. The graphic selection module 116 supports unified digital image

selection and editing of vector graphics 118 and raster graphics 120 included

within a digital image 106 through use of respective vector and raster selection

modules 122, 124.

[00381 Vector graphics 118 are defined mathematically using two-dimensional

points, (e.g., control points) that are connected by curves, to form shapes,

polygons, and so forth. Each of these control points are defined on an X/Y axis

and are used to determine a direction of a path through the use of handles. The

curve may also have defined properties, including stroke color, shape, curve,

thickness, fill, and so forth. An example vector graphic 126 is illustrated as

displayed in the user interface 110 by the display device 112.

[00391 A raster graphic 120, on the other hand, is implemented as a bitmap

having a dot matrix data structure that represents a generally rectangular grid of

pixels. Raster graphics are typically used to capture photographs by digital

cameras, an example raster graphic 128 is illustrated as displayed in the user

interface 110 by the display device 112. A raster graphic 120 is generally

characterized by a width and height of the graphic in pixels and by a number of

bits per pixel, or color depth, which determines the number of colors

represented.

[00401 Due to the differences between vector and raster graphics 118, 120,

conventional digital image creation applications that support both vector and

raster graphic editing do not support both types of graphics equally and do not

support a single selection model. Rather, conventional applications force users

to use separate selection and drawing tools to edit vector and raster graphics.

In one conventional example in which the application is pixel based (e.g., for

editing digital photographs), the selection tools select pixels on raster layers,

with path selection tools used to select control points of Bezier curves for vector graphics. In this conventional example, raster selection cannot be used on vector graphics and the operations available to edit raster selections are different than the operations available to edit vector selections. In another conventional example, the application leverages vector graphics to produce illustrations such as logos, clip art, and so forth. In this conventional example, the application does not support pixel level selection and editing commands and thus forces users to switch to a different application to do so. Thus, conventional digital image creation applications are disjointed and inefficient, both computationally with respect to use of multiple applications and tools as well as user inefficient by requiring users to learn and implement these separate tools, which may be frustrating.

[00411 Accordingly, in the techniques described herein the graphic selection

module 116 supports a unified digital image selection system that supports

selection and editing of vector and raster graphics 118, 120 together. A user

input, for instance, may be received by the graphic selection module 116 that

selects a representation of a graphic selection tool 130, e.g., a "lasso" in the

illustrated example. Another user input is then received to select a region

within the digital image, which causes the vector and raster selection modules

122, 124 to generate separate representations that are maintained in memory of

the computing device 102. The selected region may be visualized in a number

of ways, including "marching ants" (e.g., a moving dashed border), a colored

overlay, an "onion skin," and so forth.

[00421 The representation of the vector graphic 118 maintains the underlying

mathematical structure and thus has infinite resolution, whereas the

representation of the raster graphic includes pixels from the selected region and

thus has the same resolution as the underlying graphics. Digital editing

operations implemented through use of tools or commands to edit the selected

region are applied by the graphic selection module 116 to both representations

in parallel, and thus the edits are synchronized for both types of graphics. The

selected region may also act as a mask to support drawing within the region,

with the raster graphics masked using a blending mode and vector graphics

masked using a planar map. The graphic selection module 116 may also

support functionality to convert vector graphics 118 to raster graphics 120 via

rasterization or convert raster graphics 120 to vector graphics 118 via curve

fitting. Further discussion of these and other examples is included in the

following section.

[00431 In general, functionality, features, and concepts described in relation to

the examples above and below may be employed in the context of the example

procedures described below. Further, functionality, features, and concepts

described in relation to different figures and examples in this document may be

interchanged among one another and are not limited to implementation in the

context of a particular figure or procedure. Moreover, blocks associated with

different representative procedures and corresponding figures herein may be

applied together and/or combined in different ways. Thus, individual

functionality, features, and concepts described in relation to different example environments, devices, components, figures, and procedures herein may be used in any suitable combinations and are not limited to the particular combinations represented by the enumerated examples in this description.

Unified Selection and Editing of Vector and Raster Graphics

[00441 FIG. 2 depicts a system in an example implementation showing

operation of a graphic selection module of FIG. 1 in greater detail. FIG. 3

depicts a procedure 300 in an example implementation in which a single user

input selecting a region of a digital image is used as a basis for selecting and

editing vector and/or raster graphics included in the selected region.

[00451 The following discussion describes techniques that may be implemented

utilizing the previously described systems and devices. Aspects of each of the

procedures may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a

combination thereof. The procedures are shown as a set of blocks that specify

operations performed by one or more devices and are not necessarily limited to

the orders shown for performing the operations by the respective blocks. In

portions of the following discussion, reference will be made to FIGS. 1-15.

[00461 This example begins by creating a digital image 106 by a digital image

creation application 104 that includes a vector graphic 118 and a raster graphic

120. As shown in an example implementation 400 of FIG. 4, a user input is

received by the digital image creation application 104 that selects a

representation of a raster drawing tool 402 to then draw the raster graphic 120

(e.g., as a gesture or via a cursor control device), which is maintained in a

dedicated raster layer 404 in the digital image 106.

[00471 As shown in an example implementation 500 of FIG. 5, a user input is

also received by the digital image creation application 104 that selects a

representation of a vector drawing tool 502 to then draw the vector graphic 118

(e.g., as a gesture or via a cursor control device), which is maintained in a

dedicated vector layer 504 in the digital image 106. Thus, at this point the

digital image 106 includes both vector and raster graphics 118, 120 within a

single digital image 106.

[00481 To initiate selection, a user input is received that selects a representation

of a graphic selection tool 130, e.g., a "lasso" in the illustrated example 600 of

FIG. 6. A selection detection module 202 then receives a first user input 204

that selects a region 206 of the digital image 106 (block 302). In the illustrated

lasso example, for instance, a freeform line is used to define an outer border of

the selected region 206. Once completed, the selection detection module 202 is

configured to indicate the selected region, including "marching ants" (e.g., a

moving dashed border) as illustrated, a colored overlay, an "onion skin," and so

forth. Similar functionality may also be used to define a bounding box, e.g.,

through use of a click-and-drag operation using a cursor control device or

gesture. Other examples are also contemplated, including use of a "magic

wand" as further described below in relation to FIG. 15 as well as intelligent

selection of objects using machine learning to detect subjects or edges of objects. In this way, the selected region 206 may include a portion of the digital image 106, to which, a digital editing operation is to be applied.

[00491 As previously described, unified selection of vector and raster graphics

118, 120 is supported by the graphic selection module 126 such that a single

tool may be used for selection and editing of vector graphics 118, raster

graphics 120, or both. Thus, in FIG. 6 the selected region 206 includes a

portion of the raster graphic 120, which is then deleted in a digital editing

operation as shown in an example 700 of FIG. 7. As also shown in the

example 700 of FIG. 7, another selected region 206 includes a portion of the

vector graphic 118. Thus, the graphic selection tool 130 may be used for either

the vector or raster graphics 118, 120.

[00501 The graphic selection tool 130 may also be used for simultaneous

selection of both vector and raster graphics within the selected region 206. As

shown in an example 800 of FIG. 8, for instance, the first user input 204

defines a selected region 206 that includes at least a portion of the vector

graphic 118 and at least a portion of the raster graphic 120. The user interface

110 depicts the visualization of the selected region 206 as smooth in

accordance with vector graphics in FIG 8 whereas in an example 900 of FIG. 9

the visualization of the selected region 206 follows a pixel grid.

[00511 Returning again to FIG. 2, in response to the first user input 204, a

vector selection representation 208 is generated by the vector selection module

122 of at least a portion of a vector graphic 118 included in the selected region

206 (block 304). The vector selection module 122, for instance, may identify control points and curves of the vector graphic 118 that are included within the selected region 206. Portions of the curve that are "cut off' at the edge of the selected region 206 may be recreated using curve fitting.

[00521 The vector selection representation 208 also includes defined properties

of the vector graphic 118 that are within the selected region 206, including

stroke color, shape, curve, thickness, fill, and so forth. In this way, the vector

selection representation 208 maintains the underlying mathematical structure

and thus is infinitely scalable and retains functionality of the vector graphic

118, e.g., to change control points, curves, defined properties, and so forth.

[00531 A raster selection representation 210 is also generated by the raster

selection module 124 of at least a portion of a raster graphic 120 included in

the selected region in response to the first user input (block 306). The raster

selection representation 210, for instance, may include pixels from the bitmap

that lie within a border of the selected region 206. In one example, the raster

selection representation 210 is generated as a gray-scale raster mask, in which,

white pixels indicate pixels that are to be included in their entirety as part of the

selected region from the digital image, black pixels indicate pixels that are not

to be included in the selected region, and gray pixels indicating respective

amounts of pixels (i.e., pixel color) that is to be included in the selected region

206 to support a blend area.

[00541 The vector selection representation 208 and the raster selection

representation 210 are stored to a computer-readable storage medium (e.g.,

memory) of the computing device 102 as a basis to perform a digital editing operation. A digital image editing module 212, for instance, may receive a second user input 214 specifying a digital image editing operation (block 308).

In response to the second user input 214, both the vector selection

representation 208 and the raster selection representation 210 are edited,

together, using the digital editing operation (block 310), thereby generating an

edited vector selection representation 216 and an edited raster selection

representation 218. The digital image 106 is then displayed as having the

edited vector selection representation 216 and the edited raster selection

representation 218 (block 312).

[00551 A variety of different types of digital editing operations may be

performed that leverage the selected region, examples of which are represented

by a digital content transformation module 220, a digital content masking

module 222, and a digital content preview module 224. A variety of

transformations may be supported by the digital content transformation module

220. As shown in an example implementation 1000 of FIG. 10, for instance, at

a first stage 1002 a selected region 206 includes portions of vector and raster

graphics 118, 120, which is deleted together in a single operation as shown at

the second stage 1004.

[00561 In an example implementation 1100 of FIG. 11, the selected region 206

includes a portion of the raster graphic 120 at the first stage 1102. At the

second stage 1104, the selected region 206 is moved within the digital image,

e.g., via a gesture, a click-and-drag operation, and so forth. In an example

implementation 1200 of FIG. 12, the selected region 206 includes a portion of the vector graphic 118 at the first stage 1202. At the second stage 1204, the selected region 206 is moved within the digital image.

[00571 In the example implementation 1300 of FIG. 13, resizing and rotation

transformations are shown as applied to the selected region 206. At a first

stage 1302, the digital image includes a vector graphic 118 and a raster graphic

120. At the second stage 1304, the selected region 206 includes a portion of

the raster graphic 120, which is resized in the illustrated example by

upsampling pixels included in the raster selection representation 210 that

corresponds to the selected region. At the third stage 1306, the selected region

206 includes a portion of the vector graphic 118. The portion of the vector

graphic 118 is resized based on the mathematical structure (e.g., proportional

upward adjustment of spacing of control points and curves) included in the

vector selection representation 208 that corresponds to the selected region 206.

In this example, the vector selection representation 208 is also rotated with

respect to the digital image 106. Scaling of the selected region 208 may be

performed in a similar manner by downsampling and proportional downward

adjustment of the selected region 206. Other transformations are also

contemplated that may be implemented by the digital content transformation

module 220, such as recoloring.

[00581 FIG. 14 depicts an example implementation 1400 in which the selected

region 206 is used to constrain a location, at which, digital editing operations

are to be performed to add vector and/or raster graphics to the digital image

106. In this example, the digital content masking module 222 receives the first user input 204 as defining a selected region 206 as previously described, which may be performed using one or more strokes to form a union, intersection, and so forth of the selected region 206.

[00591 The second user input 214 is then used to define vector or raster

graphics 118, 120 for inclusion within the selected region 206, which are

"masked out" outside of this region within the digital image 106. In this way, a

user may draw freely within the user interface 110 over the digital image 106,

with inputs occurring within the selected region 206 being added to the digital

image 106 and in which inputs occurring outside the selected region 206 are

not added.

[00601 FIG. 15 depicts an example implementation 1500 in which a selected

region 206 is specified based on color values of pixels. In the previous

example, the select region 206 is formed by drawing a border, e.g., as a

freeform line, bounding box, and so forth. In some instances, however, it may

be difficult to use these tools to manually select a complex geometric shape. In

a first stage 1502 of FIG. 15, for instance, a designer may wish to select a nose

of the tiger. Manually drawing a border, however, may be difficult to perform

accurately. Accordingly, the selection too may be configured as a "magic

wand" in which the first user input 204 selects a pixel in the digital image 106.

Pixels having color values within a threshold amount, which may be user

selectable, are included in the selected region 206 by the selection detection

module 202. The selected region 206 based on the pixels (e.g., bitmap) may

also be used to select portions of vector graphics 118. This may be performed based on color, by curve fitting based on a border of the selected region 206, and so forth. For example, a "smart select" tool may be used that detects edges to make it easier for a user to loosely draw over an image and select along the edits. In addition machine learning based selection may be used to select the subject of an image. Similar to magic wand examples above, the pixel based selection that comes from the smart select tool or subject selection tool is transformed into an equivalent vector representation. In this way, the graphic selection module 126 may support a variety of techniques to specify the selected region 206.

Example System and Device

[00611 FIG. 16 illustrates an example system generally at 1600 that includes an

example computing device 1602 that is representative of one or more

computing systems and/or devices that may implement the various techniques

described herein. This is illustrated through inclusion of the graphic selection

module 126. The computing device 1602 may be, for example, a server of a

service provider, a device associated with a client (e.g., a client device), an on

chip system, and/or any other suitable computing device or computing system.

[00621 The example computing device 1602 as illustrated includes a processing

system 1604, one or more computer-readable media 1606, and one or more I/O

interface 1608 that are communicatively coupled, one to another. Although not

shown, the computing device 1602 may further include a system bus or other

data and command transfer system that couples the various components, one to another. A system bus can include any one or combination of different bus structures, such as a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a universal serial bus, and/or a processor or local bus that utilizes any of a variety of bus architectures. A variety of other examples are also contemplated, such as control and data lines.

[00631 The processing system 1604 is representative of functionality to perform

one or more operations using hardware. Accordingly, the processing system

1604 is illustrated as including hardware element 1610 that may be configured

as processors, functional blocks, and so forth. This may include

implementation in hardware as an application specific integrated circuit or

other logic device formed using one or more semiconductors. The hardware

elements 1610 are not limited by the materials from which they are formed or

the processing mechanisms employed therein. For example, processors may be

comprised of semiconductor(s) and/or transistors (e.g., electronic integrated

circuits (ICs)). In such a context, processor-executable instructions may be

electronically-executable instructions.

[00641 The computer-readable storage media 1606 is illustrated as including

memory/storage 1612. The memory/storage 1612 represents memory/storage

capacity associated with one or more computer-readable media. The

memory/storage component 1612 may include volatile media (such as random

access memory (RAM)) and/or nonvolatile media (such as read only memory

(ROM), Flash memory, optical disks, magnetic disks, and so forth). The

memory/storage component 1612 may include fixed media (e.g., RAM, ROM, a fixed hard drive, and so on) as well as removable media (e.g., Flash memory, a removable hard drive, an optical disc, and so forth). The computer-readable media 1606 may be configured in a variety of other ways as further described below.

[00651 Input/output interface(s) 1608 are representative of functionality to

allow a user to enter commands and information to computing device 1602,

and also allow information to be presented to the user and/or other components

or devices using various input/output devices. Examples of input devices

include a keyboard, a cursor control device (e.g., a mouse), a microphone, a

scanner, touch functionality (e.g., capacitive or other sensors that are

configured to detect physical touch), a camera (e.g., which may employ visible

or non-visible wavelengths such as infrared frequencies to recognize movement

as gestures that do not involve touch), and so forth. Examples of output

devices include a display device (e.g., a monitor or projector), speakers, a

printer, a network card, tactile-response device, and so forth. Thus, the

computing device 1602 may be configured in a variety of ways as further

described below to support user interaction.

[00661 Various techniques may be described herein in the general context of

software, hardware elements, or program modules. Generally, such modules

include routines, programs, objects, elements, components, data structures, and

so forth that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data

types. The terms "module," "functionality," and "component" as used herein

generally represent software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof.

The features of the techniques described herein are platform-independent,

meaning that the techniques may be implemented on a variety of commercial

computing platforms having a variety of processors.

[00671 An implementation of the described modules and techniques may be

stored on or transmitted across some form of computer-readable media. The

computer-readable media may include a variety of media that may be accessed

by the computing device 1602. By way of example, and not limitation,

computer-readable media may include "computer-readable storage media" and

"computer-readable signal media."

[00681 "Computer-readable storage media" may refer to media and/or devices

that enable persistent and/or non-transitory storage of information in contrast to

mere signal transmission, carrier waves, or signals per se. Thus, computer

readable storage media refers to non-signal bearing media. The computer

readable storage media includes hardware such as volatile and non-volatile,

removable and non-removable media and/or storage devices implemented in a

method or technology suitable for storage of information such as computer

readable instructions, data structures, program modules, logic elements/circuits,

or other data. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but

are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory

technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage,

hard disks, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other

magnetic storage devices, or other storage device, tangible media, or article of manufacture suitable to store the desired information and which may be accessed by a computer.

[00691 "Computer-readable signal media" may refer to a signal-bearing

medium that is configured to transmit instructions to the hardware of the

computing device 1602, such as via a network. Signal media typically may

embody computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or

other data in a modulated data signal, such as carrier waves, data signals, or

other transport mechanism. Signal media also include any information delivery

media. The term "modulated data signal" means a signal that has one or more

of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information

in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media

include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and

wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media.

[00701 As previously described, hardware elements 1610 and computer

readable media 1606 are representative of modules, programmable device logic

and/or fixed device logic implemented in a hardware form that may be

employed in some embodiments to implement at least some aspects of the

techniques described herein, such as to perform one or more instructions.

Hardware may include components of an integrated circuit or on-chip system,

an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate

array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and other

implementations in silicon or other hardware. In this context, hardware may

operate as a processing device that performs program tasks defined by instructions and/or logic embodied by the hardware as well as a hardware utilized to store instructions for execution, e.g., the computer-readable storage media described previously.

[00711 Combinations of the foregoing may also be employed to implement

various techniques described herein. Accordingly, software, hardware, or

executable modules may be implemented as one or more instructions and/or

logic embodied on some form of computer-readable storage media and/or by

one or more hardware elements 1610. The computing device 1602 may be

configured to implement particular instructions and/or functions corresponding

to the software and/or hardware modules. Accordingly, implementation of a

module that is executable by the computing device 1602 as software may be

achieved at least partially in hardware, e.g., through use of computer-readable

storage media and/or hardware elements 1610 of the processing system 1604.

The instructions and/or functions may be executable/operable by one or more

articles of manufacture (for example, one or more computing devices 1602

and/or processing systems 1604) to implement techniques, modules, and

examples described herein.

[00721 The techniques described herein may be supported by various

configurations of the computing device 1602 and are not limited to the specific

examples of the techniques described herein. This functionality may also be

implemented all or in part through use of a distributed system, such as over a

"cloud" 1614 via a platform 1616 as described below.

[00731 The cloud 1614 includes and/or is representative of a platform 1616

for resources 1618. The platform 1616 abstracts underlying functionality of

hardware (e.g., servers) and software resources of the cloud 1614. The

resources 1618 may include applications and/or data that can be utilized while

computer processing is executed on servers that are remote from the computing

device 1602. Resources 1618 can also include services provided over the

Internet and/or through a subscriber network, such as a cellular or Wi-Fi

network.

[00741 The platform 1616 may abstract resources and functions to connect the

computing device 1602 with other computing devices. The platform 1616 may

also serve to abstract scaling of resources to provide a corresponding level of

scale to encountered demand for the resources 1618 that are implemented via

the platform 1616. Accordingly, in an interconnected device embodiment,

implementation of functionality described herein may be distributed throughout

the system 1600. For example, the functionality may be implemented in part

on the computing device 1602 as well as via the platform 1616 that abstracts

the functionality of the cloud 1614.

Conclusion

[00751 Although the invention has been described in language specific to

structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the

invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claimed invention.

[00761 Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the

context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as

"comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a

stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any

other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

[00771 The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not

be taken as, an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art

forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia

Claims (20)

1. In a digital medium image editing environment, a method implemented by a computing device, the method comprising: receiving, by the computing device, a first user input selecting a region of a digital image; generating, responsive to the receiving of the first user input by the computing device: a vector selection representation of at least a portion of a vector graphic included in the selected region; and a raster selection representation of at least a portion of a raster graphic included in the selected region; receiving, by the computing device, a second user input specifying a digital image editing operation; displaying, by the computing device, a raster-based preview of the digital editing operation in real time as the second user input is received; editing, by the computing device, both the vector selection representation and the raster selection representation using the digital editing operation; and displaying, by the computing device, the digital image having the edited vector selection representation and the edited raster selection representation by replacing the raster-based preview.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the vector selection representation defines the portion of the vector graphic using two-dimensional points connected by at least one curve.

3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein the at least one curve is a B6zier curve and the two-dimensional points are control points of the B6zier curve.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the raster selection representation is masked using a gray-scale raster mask and the vector selection representation is masked using a planar map.

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the raster selection representation defines the portion of the raster graphic as pixels using a bitmap.

6. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the edited vector selection representation is defined mathematically using two-dimensional points connected by a curve and the edited raster selection representation is defined using a bitmap.

7. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the digital editing operation causes a change to an underlying mathematical structure of the vector selection representation and to pixels of the raster selection representation.

8. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the digital editing operation includes movement of the portion of the vector graphic and the portion of the raster graphic within the digital image.

9. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the digital editing operation includes a masking operation based on the portion of the vector graphic and the portion of the raster graphic within the digital image.

10. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the digital editing operation includes a transformation operation based on the portion of the vector graphic and the portion of the raster graphic within the digital image.

11. The method as described in claim 10, wherein the transformation operation includes resizing, rotation, or color.

12. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the displaying the raster-based preview includes initially displaying the vector selection representation as pixels initially as having the digital editing operation applied to the portion of the vector graphic in real time as the second user input is received and wherein the displaying of the edited vector selection representation replaces the initially displayed pixels of the raster-based preview of the vector selection representation.

13. In a digital medium image editing environment, a system comprising: means for detecting a first user input as selecting a region of a digital image; means for generating a vector selection representation of at least a portion of a vector graphic included in the selected region responsive to the receiving of the first user input; means for generating a raster selection representation of at least a portion of a raster graphic included in the selected region responsive to receiving of the first user input; means for receiving a second user input specifying a digital editing operation; means for generating a raster-based preview in real time as the second input is received as applying the digital editing operation to the vector selection representation and the raster selection representation; means for editing both the vector selection representation and the raster selection representation using the digital editing operation in response to the second user input; and means for replacing a display of the raster-based preview with a display of the edited vector selection representation and the edited raster selection representation responsive to completion of the second user input..

14. The system as described in claim 13, wherein the vector selection representation defines the portion of the vector graphic using two-dimensional points connected by at least one curve.

15. The system as described in claim 14, wherein the at least one curve is a Bezier curve and the two-dimensional points are control points of the Bezier curve.

16. The system as described in claim 13, wherein the raster selection representation is masked using a gray-scale raster mask and the vector selection representation is masked using a planar map.

17. The system as described in claim 13, wherein the raster selection representation defines the portion of the raster graphic as pixels using a bitmap.

18. In a digital medium image editing environment, a method implemented by a computing device, the method comprising: receiving, by the computing device, a first user input selecting a region of a digital image; generating, responsive to the recelvmg of the first user input by the computing device, a vector selection representation of at least a portion of a vector graphic included in the selected region; receiving, by the computing device, a second user input specifying a digital image editing operation; displaying, by the computing device, a raster-based preview of the digital editing operation in real time as being applied to the vector selection representation as the second user input is received; editing, by the computing device, the vector selection representation using the digital editing operation; and displaying, by the computing device, the digital image having the edited vector selection representation by replacing the raster-based preview.

19. The method as described in claim 18, wherein the generating responsive to the receiving of the first user input includes generating a raster selection representation of at least a portion of a raster graphic included in the selected region.

20. The method as described in claim 19, wherein: the editing includes editing both the vector selection representation and the raster selection representation using the digital editing operation; and the displaying includes displaying the digital image having the edited vector selection representation and the edited raster selection representation by replacing the raster-based preview