JP2001274970A - Printer, image processor and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simply obtain a composite image including the same subject. SOLUTION: An image processor displays plural digital images (including a cousecutive photographing file, an animation) including the same subjects and obtained hourly consecutively. At least two composing object images among the displayed images are designated by a user and based on the image data of the designated composing object image file, a sheet of image including the subject is composed. From the rapidly shot plural sheets of images and plural sheets of animations, optional plural images are superposed to be composed into a sheet of image to two-dimensionally display what cannot be recognized by a time axis in the composed image.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to the processing of digital images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Both a silver halide film camera and a digital camera usually have a continuous shooting function. In continuous shooting, shooting is performed continuously while the shutter button is pressed. As a result, a plurality of prints that change with time can be obtained. In some digital cameras, a plurality of continuously shot images are associated and handled as one moving image file.

[0003]

However, when considering the printing of a plurality of continuous images obtained as continuous shooting or moving images, conventionally, one print is obtained for one image, or Display multiple images in the index and 1
The only way is to make a single print. It is also possible to combine images by designating individual files with software of a personal computer. However, the process of image composition is not easy.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer, an image processing apparatus, and a recording medium therefor that can easily obtain a composite image including the same subject.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A printer according to the present invention includes a plurality of digital images (including a continuous shooting file and a moving image file) which include the same subject and are obtained continuously in time.
Display means for displaying, a designation means for designating two or more compositing target images among the images displayed by the display means, and image data of a compositing target image file designated by the designation means. Image combining means for combining one image including the subject, and printing means for printing the image combined by the image combining means. From a plurality of continuously shot images or a plurality of images of a moving image, an arbitrary plurality of images are superimposed and combined into one image, and an image which cannot be recognized on the time axis is displayed two-dimensionally in the combined image.

In the above-mentioned printer, the image synthesizing means obtains a synthesized image using, for example, image data of an image file to be synthesized specified by the specifying means. Further, in the above-described printer, the image synthesizing unit includes
For example, when the mutual positions of the two compositing target images specified by the specifying means are shifted from each other, the position having the smallest difference is set as the framing shift amount, and the two compositing target images shifted by the framing shift amount are set. A composite image is obtained using the image data of. Preferably, the printer further comprises a mounting section for mounting an input medium for storing the image file, and the display means reads the image file from the input medium mounted on the mounting section and displays an image.

[0007] An image processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a display means for displaying a plurality of digital images which include the same subject and are obtained continuously in time, and two or more of the images displayed by the display means. Designating means for designating a compositing target image; input means for inputting a moving amount of a stationary portion of the compositing target image; and shifting the mutual positions of the compositing target images within a range of the moving amount input by the input means. In this case, an image synthesizing means for setting the position having the smallest difference as the framing shift amount and obtaining a synthesized image using the image data of the synthesis target image shifted by the framing shift amount.

[0008] A computer-readable recording medium according to the present invention includes a step of displaying a plurality of digital images which include the same subject and are obtained continuously in time, and a step of synthesizing two or more of the displayed images. A step of designating a target image; a step of a user inputting a moving amount of a still portion of the compositing target image; and a step of shifting the mutual positions of the compositing target images within a range of the input moving amount. Setting a position having a small difference as a framing shift amount, and obtaining a synthesized image using the image data of the synthesis target image shifted by the framing shift amount.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference symbols indicate the same or equivalent ones. Considering the psychology of the user who performs continuous shooting, what the user wants is often the correlation of multiple images, and if there is a print that makes it possible to see at a glance the change in situation over time, It is thought that the user's desire to perform the photography is satisfied. Therefore, in the embodiment described below, a plurality of images are combined into one image and printed, thereby providing a print with high user satisfaction for continuously shot images and the like. From a plurality of continuously shot images or a plurality of images of a moving image, an arbitrary plurality of images can be superimposed, and, for example, a temporal change of a golf swing can be seen in one image.

FIG. 1 shows a printer. This printer is particularly effective in a coin bender lab. First, the user of the device inserts an input medium (such as a compact flash) 10 in which an image file is stored into the card mounting unit 1.
Load into 2. An image file is obtained by converting image data into a certain format. Generally, a JPEG format is used as a compression method. Ancillary information called tag information exists in the image information. The CPU 14 reads an image file from the card mounting unit 12 and
In the touch panel 2 by controlling the driver 18.
The image is displayed on the display device No. 0. Note that the CPU 14
A flash ROM 22 is provided, and an image processing program is stored. If the image processing program is stored in the input medium and transferred to the flash ROM, the flash ROM
The image processing program stored in the storage 22 can be changed. The programs processed by the CPU are C
It can be supplied using a medium such as a D-ROM and a flexible disk.

The user selects an image including the same subject from a plurality of images displayed on the display device of the touch panel 20, which is a user interface. FIG. 2 shows a plurality of images (thumbnail images) 2 displayed on the touch panel 20.
00 is shown. The touch panel 20 is further provided with buttons 202 and 204 for instructing image selection and image synthesis.

The image selected on the touch panel 20 is C
The image is recognized by the PU 14 and becomes a target image for image synthesis.
The CPU 14 uses the selected image data in the memory as input data, performs an image synthesis operation, and stores the obtained synthesized image in the memory 16. The composite image is displayed on the touch panel 20
Will be displayed. As described above, the image synthesis is automatically executed with a single touch on a continuous shooting file or a moving image file including the same subject. When printing, an external print engine 26 is output via the output interface 24.
And output the data of the composite image to the like. The print engine 26 creates, for example, a silver halide print.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of image synthesis by the CPU 14. First, an image file is read from the input medium 10 mounted on the card mounting unit 12, and a plurality of images are displayed on the touch panel 20 (S10). Next, the selection of the image to be synthesized from the displayed images is received by the user (S12), and the selected image is stored in the memory 1 (S12).
6 (S14). Next, from the selected image, 1
The images are combined (S16), and the combined image is displayed on the touch panel 20 (S18). Next, the user determines whether or not to print the composite image on the touch panel 20.
(S20), and when printing, outputs the data of the composite image to the output interface 24 (S2).
2).

Next, image composition (S16 in FIG. 3) will be described. Here, the images are superimposed and averaged. FIG. 4 shows one example. The three images shown on the upper side are selected as compositing targets. In these images, a person is waving his arms up and down. When these three images are overlaid and averaged,
A composite image shown below is obtained. Looking at this composite image, the time change of the arm position can be seen at a glance. Specifically, in the image synthesis operation, the CPU 14 performs the following averaging operation as shown in FIG. 5 (S160). Here, the n images selected for image synthesis are G1 and G
2,..., Gn, and sequentially assign numbers to the image data (pixel values) of the respective images as shown in FIG.
(1,1), p (2,1),..., P (x, y). G
, Gn,..., Gn have the same number of vertical and horizontal pixels, and x
Is the number of pixels representing the vertical width, and y is the number of pixels representing the horizontal width. Further, the first pixel of the image G1 is defined as G1p (1,
1), the first pixel of the image G2 is G2p (1, 1),..., And the first pixel of the composite image Gout is Goutp (1, 1). Goutp (1,1) = {G1p (1,1) + G2p (1,1) +... + Gnp (1,1)} / n Goutp (2,1) = {G1p (2,1) + G2p (2) Goutp (x, y) = {G1p (x, y) + G2p (x, y) +... + Gnp (x, y)) / The pixel data Gout obtained by the n operation are sequentially stored in the memory 14.
And save it.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, a composite image is created by simply averaging a plurality of input images. However, in the present embodiment, a static portion and an active portion of the input image are recognized, and the static portions of the multiple images are accurately overlapped. By matching, framing deviation during shooting
Cancel (including factors such as camera shake). 7 and 10, the images G1 and G2 to be combined shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 are both images composed of a group of buildings and an airplane. The image G1 is earlier in time, and the airplane is moving to the left relative to the building. Since the positions of the building groups are displaced in the two images, when the two images G1 and G2 are combined by the method of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. Are synthesized as if they were moving. Therefore, the framing shift is canceled so that only the airplane that is originally moving in the frame moves and the group of buildings that should have stopped does not move, and two images are combined as shown in FIG. That is, from G1 to G
Cut out the part (hatched part) where 2 protrudes, and G2
For the portion where G1 protrudes from, the image of G1 is synthesized as it is. Thus, looking at the composite image,
At a glance, you can see at a glance how the airplane is moving with respect to the stationary buildings.

Next, image composition in the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the step of image synthesis (FIG. 3, S16), first, "framing shift" is detected (S165). Specifically, FIG.
Consider the detection of a framing shift between two images as shown in the flowchart of FIG. The “shake assumed range” b (for example, 15 pixels) is set for the two images G1 and G2. This is because two images G in the composite image (see FIG. 10)
1, G2 corresponds to the maximum number of pixels assumed not to overlap. In other words, it is a parameter indicating how much the stationary part has moved due to blurring. Then, S is calculated for each of G2 by shifting the pixels G2 up, down, left, and right within the range of the expected camera shake range b (S1650).
This S is the sum of the absolute value of the difference between each pixel value of G2 and the pixel value of G1 at the position corresponding to that pixel, G1 and G
2 is divided by the number of pixels of the overlapping portion. Specifically, the number of pixels of G2 shifted rightward with respect to G1 is set to 1, and the number of pixels of G2 shifted downward with respect to G1 is m.
Then, the next pixel shift amount is calculated.

[Formula 1] Here, b ≧ l, m. In this way, the image G2 is moved up, down, left, and right with respect to the image G1, and the pixel shift amount S (l, m)
Is calculated, and the minimum value of S (l, m) within the expected camera shake range is obtained, and 1 and m at that time are set as the framing shift amount (S1652).

Next, the following processing is performed for an image area where two images do not overlap (S167). Here, the image G2 is shifted on the basis of the “framing shift amount”, pixels that have shifted from the image G1 due to the shift are deleted, and the remaining portion of the image G1 is deleted. Use as is. Next, an averaging operation is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment to generate a composite image (S1).
69). However, as described above, the pixel value of the image G1 is used as it is without performing the averaging operation for the portion where the image G1 is left. In the first and second embodiments, a printer has been described as an example of the image processing apparatus. However, this may be a personal computer.

[0018]

According to the present invention, by combining a plurality of images obtained consecutively in time and outputting them as one print, it is possible to see the change of the time axis within one print. And an image desired by a user who performs continuous shooting. C
Due to the characteristics of the CD sensor, it is possible to obtain a print such as multiple exposure photographing that is difficult to perform with a digital camera. Since the user can select the number of photos to be combined and the number of images to be combined, it is possible to combine images that have not been captured at regular time intervals.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image processing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example of an image display on a touch panel.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of image processing.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of image composition according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of image synthesis.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the pixel number order (the vertical axis is x pixels, and the horizontal axis is y pixels)

FIG. 7 shows one of two images selected for image synthesis.
Two figures

FIG. 8 shows one of two images selected for image synthesis.
Two figures

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining an example of combining two images.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image obtained by image synthesis according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of image composition according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of framing shift amount detection.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 input medium, 12 card mounting part, 14
CPU, 20 touch panel, 26 print engine.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toshihiro Hamamura 2-3-13 Azuchicho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka F-term in Osaka International Building Minolta Co., Ltd. (reference) 2C087 AB01 BA03 BD07 5B050 BA15 CA07 EA19 FA03 FA13 5B057 CE08 DA20 DC02 DC32 5C076 AA19 CA02 CA10 9A001 HH28 JJ35 KK42

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A display means for displaying a plurality of digital images containing the same subject and obtained continuously in time, and a designation for designating two or more images to be combined among the images displayed by the display means Means, an image synthesizing means for synthesizing a single image including the subject based on image data of an image file to be synthesized specified by the specifying means, and a printing means for printing an image synthesized by the image synthesizing means. And a printer. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein said image synthesizing unit obtains a synthesized image using image data of an image file to be synthesized specified by the specifying unit. 3. The image synthesizing means sets a position having the smallest difference when the mutual positions of the two synthesis target images specified by the specifying means are shifted, as the framing shift amount, and sets the framing shift amount. 2 just shifted
2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein a composite image is obtained using image data of two composite target images. 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mounting unit for mounting an input medium for storing the image file, wherein the display unit reads the image file from the input medium mounted on the mounting unit and displays an image. A printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. A display means for displaying a plurality of digital images which include the same subject and are obtained consecutively in time, and a designation for designating two or more images to be combined among the images displayed by the display means. Means, an input means for inputting a moving amount of a stationary portion of the compositing target image, and a smallest difference when the mutual positions of the composing target images are shifted within a range of the moving amount input by the input means. An image processing apparatus comprising: a position setting unit configured to set a position as a framing shift amount, and an image synthesizing unit configured to obtain a synthesized image using image data of the synthesis target image shifted by the framing shift amount. 6. A step of displaying a plurality of digital images which include the same subject and are obtained consecutively in time; a step of designating two or more synthesis target images in the displayed images; A step of the user inputting the moving amount of the still part of the target image; and, within the range of the input moving amount, a position having the smallest difference when the mutual positions of the compositing target images are shifted as the framing shift amount. A computer-readable recording medium for recording a program comprising: setting and obtaining a composite image using image data of the composite target image shifted by a framing shift amount.