JP2006211324A - Digital camera apparatus, method and program for reproducing image, and data structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To consecutively reproduce a plurality of pieces of data which are photographed with a digital camera and recorded in a recording medium, with abundant expression by simple operation. <P>SOLUTION: In a digital camera, the photographed image data are recorded in the recording medium together with Exif information containing photographing condition information. In the digital camera, a reproduction effect to be added in the case of reproducing the image data is previously associated with a photographing condition. In the case of slide show reproduction of the image data recorded in the recording medium, the reproduction effect associated with the photographing condition corresponding to the image data is added to each image data to be reproduced. Even when a user does not perform setting each time, the reproduction effect of each image data is added automatically, and the slide show reproduction of abundant expression is enjoyed. The slide show reproduction is also carried out by selectively using image data having the photographing condition associated with the designated reproduction effect by designating the reproduction effect. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera device, an image reproducing method and an image reproducing program, and a data structure capable of continuously reproducing a plurality of image data photographed by an imaging device such as a digital camera and recorded on a recording medium.

  Digital cameras that store captured images as digital image data in a recording medium have become widespread. Many digital cameras are capable of outputting video signals. In such models, image data captured and stored in a recording medium can be displayed and enjoyed on a large monitor device or the like.

In recent years, CPUs (Central Processing Units) mounted on such digital cameras have become more sophisticated, and accordingly, image data stored in a recording medium is continuously displayed at predetermined intervals, so-called Slideshow playback is becoming possible. Patent Document 1 describes a digital camera that can play back image data stored in a recording medium as a slide show.
JP 2004-297424 A

  In addition, models that can add a predetermined reproduction effect such as fade-in and fade-out at the start and end of image display have appeared in the slide show reproduction.

  In such a digital device having an imaging function such as a digital camera according to the prior art, the reproduction effect when switching image data in the slide show display is collectively applied to a plurality of image data to be displayed in the slide show. It was realized by setting. For this reason, for example, there has been a problem that slide show reproduction reflecting the user's originality, such as display with different reproduction effects added for each image data, could not be performed.

  In the past, there have also been devices that have various combinations of playback effects in advance so that a stylish slide show playback can be performed, such as a television broadcast commercial image. In such a device, when image data reproduced from a recording medium is reproduced in order, a reproduction effect designed in advance is added to the reproduced image data in a predetermined order. However, even with such a device, since the image data is reproduced in a certain order, there is a problem that the reproduction effect and the content of the display image may not be compatible.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera apparatus and an image reproduction method capable of continuously reproducing a plurality of image data photographed by an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera and recorded on a recording medium with simple operations. And an image reproduction program, and a data structure.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention described in claim 1 shoots incident light, records image data obtained by the shooting together with shooting information of the image data, and records it on the recording medium. A digital camera apparatus that reproduces and outputs the recorded image data and adds a reproduction effect to the output image data, wherein the shooting information and the reproduction effect are associated with each other. It is a digital camera device.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the image data obtained by photographing the incident light is reproduced and output from the recording medium on which the image data is recorded together with the photographing information of the image data, and the output image is output. An image reproduction method in which a reproduction effect can be added to data, wherein the shooting information and the reproduction effect are associated with each other.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, an image output by reproducing and outputting image data from a recording medium in which image data obtained by photographing incident light is recorded together with photographing information of the image data is output. An image reproduction program characterized in that a reproduction effect can be added to data, and causes a computer apparatus to execute an image reproduction method in which shooting information and a reproduction effect are associated with each other.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data structure for instructing an image reproducing device to reproduce an image data, wherein both image data obtained by photographing and photographing information of the image data are included. This is a data structure in which shooting information and a reproduction effect are associated with each other so that a reproduction effect associated with shooting information is added to image data reproduced and output from a recorded recording medium.

  According to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photographing means for photographing incident light and outputting image data obtained by the photographing, and recording the image data on a recording medium together with photographing information of the image data. Recording / reproducing means for reproducing the image data recorded on the recording medium and photographing condition information, output means for outputting the image data reproduced from the recording medium by the recording / reproducing means, and reproduction for the image data output by the output means The digital camera apparatus includes a reproduction effect adding means for adding an effect, and associates shooting information with a reproduction effect.

  As described above, the invention according to claims 1, 15 and 16 reproduces image data from a recording medium in which image data obtained by photographing incident light is recorded together with photographing information of the image data. Since the reproduction effect can be added to the output and output image data and the shooting information and the reproduction effect are associated with each other, the image data is reproduced when reproducing the image data recorded on the recording medium. Even if it is not specified one by one, it is possible to add a reproduction effect associated with a condition at the time of photographing image data for each image data.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data structure for instructing an image reproducing device to reproduce an image data, wherein both image data obtained by photographing and photographing information of the image data are included. Since the image data reproduced and output from the recorded recording medium is associated with the shooting information and the reproduction effect in which the reproduction effect associated with the shooting information is added, the data structure When reproducing image data recorded on a recording medium, the image reproducing apparatus having the data according to the above does not specify the reproduction effect associated with the shooting conditions of the image data for each image data without specifying each image data. Can be added to.

  According to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photographing means for photographing incident light and outputting image data obtained by the photographing, and recording the image data on a recording medium together with photographing information of the image data. Recording / reproducing means for reproducing the image data recorded on the recording medium and photographing condition information, output means for outputting the image data reproduced from the recording medium by the recording / reproducing means, and reproduction for the image data output by the output means Reproduction effect adding means for adding an effect, and the shooting information and the reproduction effect are associated with each other. Therefore, when image data shot and recorded on the recording medium is read out from the recording medium and reproduced, Even if it is not specified one by one, it is possible to add a reproduction effect associated with the condition at the time of photographing image data for each image data.

  In the present invention, since the shooting information of the camera and the playback effect are associated with each other, the slide show playback using the captured image data is performed, and the playback effect associated with the shooting information of the displayed image data is displayed. In addition, there is an effect that the user can enjoy a variety of slide show reproduction without the user having to set the reproduction effect for each image data.

  In addition, since the playback effect associated with the shooting information of the camera is used in the slide show playback of the shot image data, the user decides the shooting conditions from the time of shooting and shoots while determining the shooting conditions. In addition, there is an effect that it is possible to provide a way to enjoy a camera different from the conventional one.

  Furthermore, since the shooting information of the camera is associated with the playback effect, image data that matches the specified shooting condition is selected, and the playback effect associated with the shooting condition is added to the display of the image data to perform slide show playback. It is possible to perform a stylish slide show playback as if the designer decided the order.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present invention, information that can be acquired at the time of shooting with a camera, such as shooting condition information, is associated with a playback effect when playing back image data. When the captured image data is displayed by slide show playback that continuously displays a plurality of images for a predetermined time, a reproduction effect associated with information at the time of capturing the image data is added to each image data. To do.

  Since the information at the time of shooting the image data and the reproduction effect are associated with each other, the user can enjoy a variety of slide show reproduction without setting the reproduction effect for each image data.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described more specifically. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an example of a digital camera device 1 applicable to an embodiment of the present invention. The control unit 30 includes, for example, a microprocessor, and controls each unit of the digital camera device 1 according to a program stored in advance in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 31. The control unit 30 has a RAM (Random Access Memory) (not shown) and is used as a work memory when executing a program.

  Since the digital camera device 1 has a microprocessor and a memory as described above and is controlled according to a program operating on the microprocessor, it can be regarded as a kind of computer device.

  The operation I / F (interface) unit 32 is provided with operators such as a shutter button and various switches and dials for setting photographing conditions in the digital camera device 1 and controls according to operations on these operators. Output a signal. The control signal is supplied to the control unit 30. In response to the control signal, the control unit 30 sends a predetermined command to each unit of the digital camera device 1 to perform various settings and controls.

  The optical system 10 includes a lens group, a lens driving unit for performing zoom and focus control, and a diaphragm control unit for controlling a diaphragm amount. A mechanical shutter that controls the shutter speed by mechanically opening and closing the optical path may be provided in the optical system 10. These controls in the optical system 10 are performed based on commands from the control unit 30.

  The imaging unit 11 converts light from a subject incident through the optical system 10 into an electrical signal using an imaging device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), performs predetermined signal processing, and outputs it as image data. To do. A shutter can also be configured by controlling the image sensor. For example, only an image signal having image information is sampled by a CDS (Correlated Double Sampling) circuit, noise is removed, and a gain is adjusted by an AGC (Auto Gain Control) circuit. . Then, the image data is converted into image data by the A / D conversion circuit and output from the imaging unit 11.

  The image data output from the imaging unit 11 is supplied to the signal processing unit 12. The signal processing unit 12 performs gamma processing, white balance processing, and the like on the image data supplied from the imaging unit 11 and adjusts and outputs the image quality. The image data output from the signal processing unit 12 is temporarily written in the memory 23 via the data bus 20.

  The image data written in the memory 23 is read at a predetermined timing and supplied to the image processing unit 13 via the data bus 20. The image processing unit 13 performs compression coding processing on the supplied image data based on a command from the control unit 30 at the time of shooting. As a compression encoding method, a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) method can be applied. Note that the compression encoding method of image data is not limited to the JPEG method, and whether or not to perform compression encoding processing may be selected.

  Further, the image processing unit 13 is based on an instruction from the control unit 30, information attached to the image data to be processed, for example, information indicating the shooting conditions at the time of shooting, or information (images related to the shot image data). Characteristic information such as data luminance information) is added to the image data as shooting information to form an image data file storing the image data and corresponding shooting information.

  The image data file formed by the image processing unit 13 is temporarily written in the memory 23. Then, it is read from the memory 23 by an instruction from the control unit 30 and recorded on the recording medium 14 formed of a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory. Recording of a file on the recording medium 14 is performed under the control of a file system implemented by a program based on the control of the control unit 30. It is also possible to record and manage files hierarchically using folders.

  Note that the recording medium 14 is not limited to a nonvolatile memory. For example, an optical disc capable of recording data can be used as the recording medium 14. For example, a hard disk can be used as the recording medium 14.

  The video output processing unit 22 converts the image data read from the memory 23 into a signal suitable for display on an external monitor such as a television receiver with a video input terminal, and outputs the signal. As an example, in the case of outputting as an analog video signal, the video output processing unit 22 reads out image data by thinning out predetermined lines and pixels from the memory 23 and performs filtering to form image data of odd and even fields. To do. The image data is D / A converted and converted into a component video signal or a composite video signal, and a signal necessary as a video signal such as a horizontal synchronizing signal or a vertical synchronizing signal is added and output.

  The data bus 20 is further connected to a display unit 21 using, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) as a display element. The display unit 21 displays image data output from the signal processing unit 12 and written in the memory 23 during shooting, and is used as a shooting monitor. At the time of reproduction, the image data output from the image processing unit 13 and written in the memory 23 is displayed and used as a monitor for the image data file recorded on the recording medium 14.

  On the other hand, the control unit 30 can generate image data for displaying a menu screen, various setting screens, and the like. This image data generated by the control unit 30 is also supplied to the display unit 21 and the video output processing unit 22 via the data bus 20 (not shown).

  In such a configuration, shooting conditions are set by the user's operation on the operation I / F unit 32 prior to shooting. When the setting is not performed, for example, a default setting value stored in advance in, for example, the ROM 31 of the digital camera device 1 is used. Shooting conditions include exposure (exposure compensation value, exposure program, etc.), shutter speed, photometry method (whether photometry is performed on a divided part of the screen or the entire surface, etc.), and the type of light source ( Color temperature), lens focal length (long distance, close-up, zoom, etc.), presence / absence and type of flash (normal flash, red-eye prevention, sync, etc.), presence / absence of continuous shooting, resolution of captured image, captured image data It can be considered whether to compress or the compression rate when compressing. Based on the set photographing condition, the control unit 30 controls the optical system 10, the imaging unit 11, the signal processing unit 12, and the image processing unit 13.

  The light from the subject is received by the imaging unit 11 via the optical system 10 and converted into an electrical signal by photoelectric conversion, and then subjected to predetermined signal processing and A / D conversion as described above to obtain image data. Is output. When the user presses a shutter provided in the operation I / F unit 32, a control signal corresponding to that is supplied to the control unit 30. When the control unit 30 detects that the shutter has been pressed by this control signal, the control unit 30 controls the signal processing unit 12 to capture the image data supplied from the imaging unit 11.

  In addition, when the shutter is pressed, the control unit 30 captures and analyzes part or all of the image data output from the imaging unit 11, and based on the analysis result, a focus control signal for controlling focus, exposure, and the like. Generating an exposure control signal for controlling. These focus control signal and exposure control signal are supplied to the optical system 10 and the imaging unit 11, respectively, and focus control and exposure control are performed.

  The image data captured by the signal processing unit 12 is subjected to predetermined processing and temporarily written in the memory 23 via the data bus 20. The image processing unit 13 reads out image data from the memory 23, performs compression encoding processing, and writes it in different areas of the memory 23. On the other hand, shooting information based on the set shooting conditions and the shooting conditions that change at the time of shooting as described above is generated by the control unit 30. Shooting information is added to the image data that has been compression-encoded and written in the memory 23, read out from the memory 23, and recorded on the recording medium 14 as an image data file.

  At the time of reproduction, an image data file is read from the recording medium 14 and supplied to the image processing unit 13. The image processing unit 13 extracts the shooting information and the image data from the image data file, supplies the shooting information to the control unit 30, decodes the compression code of the image data, and writes it in different areas of the memory 23. This image data is read from the memory 23 under the control of the control unit 30 and supplied to the display unit 21 and / or the video output processing unit 22 via the data bus 20.

  When slide show playback is designated as the playback method, an image data file is read from the recording medium 14 and processing supplied to the display unit 21 and / or the video output processing unit 22 through the processing as described above. For example, the image data file to be read out is made different at a predetermined interval and is repeated. At this time, the shooting information stored in the read image data file is acquired by the control unit 30, and the reproduction effect associated with the shooting information in advance is supplied to the display unit 21 and / or the video output processing unit 22. It can be added for each image data.

  Next, an image data file in which image data and shooting information are stored will be schematically described. As an image data file format, Exif (Exchangeable image file format), which has already been standardized as a file format for image data for digital still cameras, can be applied.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of an image data file (Exif file) 100 to which Exif is applied. The Exif file 100 includes a header part 110 and an image data part 120. The image data unit 120 stores the main body of image data obtained by imaging. A thumbnail image obtained by reducing the image size of the image data can also be stored. In the header part 110, information accompanying the image data stored in the image data part 120 is described and stored in a tag format. Hereinafter, the information accompanying the image data stored in the header part 110 is referred to as Exif information.

  As the Exif information, information related to imaging conditions of image data and information related to image data can be recorded. It is also possible to describe manufacturer-specific information.

  Examples of information relating to shooting conditions include exposure time, shutter speed, aperture value, exposure correction value, photometry method, type of light source, presence and type of flash, lens focal length, exposure program, and spectral sensitivity. If the digital camera device 1 has a GPS (Global Positioning System) function, the latitude and longitude of the shooting location and the shooting time can be used as shooting conditions. As information about the image data, the brightness value of the image data, the presence / absence and rotation angle of the image, the resolution (number of pixels, gradation), and the like can be considered. Further, as information unique to the manufacturer, information related to continuous shooting can be considered.

  As the data used as the Exif information, a value set by default and / or user operation or a value set by automatic control at the time of shooting is acquired by the control unit 30. The control unit 30 attaches a tag to each of the acquired data for each data type and stores it in the header unit 110 as Exif information.

  Note that the data types stored as Exif information are not limited to those described above, and more types of data can be acquired and stored as Exif information. Moreover, it is not necessary to use all the data types described above.

In the present invention, this Exif information is associated with a reproduction effect when image data is displayed. An image data reproduction effect will be schematically described. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, the reproduction effect includes a predetermined period from the beginning of the display period of image data to a predetermined period (from the start t _{0 of the} display period to time t ₁ after a predetermined time) and a predetermined period until the end. (Between the time t ₂ on the rear end side of the display period and the end of the display period t ₃ ). Hereinafter, an effect added to the predetermined period from the beginning of the display period of the image data is referred to as a start reproduction effect, and an effect added to the predetermined period from the end of the display period is referred to as an end reproduction effect. Only one of the start reproduction effect and the end reproduction effect may be added as the image data is reproduced.

  There are various types of reproduction effects. As the reproduction effect, a fade-in in the start reproduction effect period, a fade-out in the end reproduction effect period, and a cross-fade effect of the first and second image data can be considered. Furthermore, as a playback effect, an animation effect that starts and ends display while moving image data in the start playback effect period and the end playback effect period can be considered. During the display of the first image data, the second image data can be displayed by being overlapped by the animation effect of movement. Furthermore, as a display effect, a so-called wiping process in which the display by the first image data is partially and gradually replaced by the display by the next second image data can be considered. In addition, so-called mosaic processing is considered in which data of one pixel is applied to a plurality of adjacent pixels at a predetermined interval. In the movement animation effect, the wipe process, and the mosaic process, a variety of movement patterns, wipe patterns, and mosaic patterns can be considered.

  Note that the reproduction effect is not limited to these examples, and can be considered more variously. For example, an effect of adding other image data to the original image data such as a frame display is also possible.

  The reproduction effect as described above is executed by the control unit 30 according to a predetermined program (hereinafter referred to as a reproduction effect program). For example, the control unit 30 performs predetermined control on reading of the image data written in the memory 23 according to the reproduction effect program, or performs a predetermined calculation for each pixel data constituting the image data, so that the display image is displayed. Create a change and add a playback effect. The reproduction effect program is created, for example, on the vendor side that provides the digital camera device 1 and stored in the ROM 31 in advance. The method for describing the reproduction effect program is not particularly limited as long as a predetermined effect can be realized.

  The association between the reproduction effect and the Exif information will be described. Consider different reproduction effects A, B, and C, and Exif information a, b, and c of different types of shooting conditions (exposure time, shutter speed, presence / absence of flash, etc.). For example, the reproduction effect A is associated with the value range X in the Exif information a. Further, the value range Y in the Exif information b is associated with the reproduction effect B.

  As a more specific example, the Exif information “shutter speed higher than 1/100 sec” is associated with the reproduction effect A which is a fade-in and fade-out effect. Exif information “exposure time of 250 msec or less” is associated with a reproduction effect B which is a moving animation effect of a certain pattern.

  A plurality of pieces of Exif information can be associated with one reproduction effect. For example, the Exif information “subject distance at infinity” and the Exif information “shutter speed higher than 1/250 sec” are associated with the reproduction effect C that is a wipe process of a certain pattern. That is, the reproduction effect C is executed when both the Exif information “the subject distance is infinite” and the Exif information “the shutter speed is faster than 1/250 sec”. When a plurality of pieces of Exif information are associated with one reproduction effect, a priority order can be set between the plurality of pieces of Exif information.

  In this way, by associating the reproduction effect with the Exif information, for example, during the slide show reproduction, the reproduction effect corresponding to the Exif information added to the image data is automatically added to the displayed image data. can do. In addition, as in first and second modifications of the embodiment described later, image data to which Exif information associated with the same reproduction effect is added is searched, and a slide show is reproduced using the searched image data. Can also be done. Note that a start reproduction effect and an end reproduction effect can be set independently for the reproduction of one image data. In addition, the display period of the image data can be associated with Exif information.

  The association between the reproduction effect and the Exif information is set, for example, on the vendor side that provides the digital camera device 1 and is stored in the ROM 31 in advance as an association table between the reproduction effect and the Exif information. That is, the items of Exif information and the range of values that can be associated with the reproduction effect are extremely varied, and it is very complicated work for the user to set one by one. It is considered preferable to provide it. Note that the association between effective Exif information and the reproduction effect depends largely on the sense of the designer.

  Of course, the association between the Exif information and the reproduction effect may be edited by the user through an operation from the operation I / F unit 32. In this case, the ROM 31 may be rewritable such as EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and the created association table may be written in the ROM 31. When the ROM 31 is rewritable, it is easy for the vendor side to provide a new association table via, for example, the recording medium 14 so that the association table on the ROM 31 can be updated.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the association setting screen 130 for the user to associate the reproduction effect with the Exif information. This association setting screen 130 is displayed on the display unit 21 based on a display control signal generated by the control unit 30 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 31. Based on the display of the association setting screen 130, the user operates an operator provided in the operation I / F unit 32 to select a setting item, input a setting value, save the setting content, and based on the set content. Slideshow playback can be performed. As an example, the operation I / F unit 32 is provided with a four-direction key that can designate four directions such as up, down, left, and right as an operation element, and an input item is selected by an operation in the up and down direction of the operation element. The value can be selected by the operation of and the value can be fixed. Image data obtained by actual slide show reproduction is supplied to the video output processing unit 22 and displayed on an external monitor.

  Note that the display method and operation method described above regarding the association setting screen 130 can be similarly applied to a similar display screen described later.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the association setting screen 130 can set the reproduction effect for “exposure mode”, “aperture value”, and “shooting date / time” in the Exif information. For example, by switching the tabs 131A, 131B, and 131C using a predetermined operator, Exif information to be set from “exposure mode”, “aperture value”, and “shooting date / time” is selected, and the association setting screen 130 is displayed. However, the display switches to the display for associating the reproduction effect with the selected Exif information.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the “exposure mode” is expressed by words such as “person”, “manual”, “landscape”, etc., according to the content of the exposure program. An exposure mode to be associated with a reproduction effect is selected from the display areas 132A to 132D, and a start reproduction effect, an end reproduction effect, and a display time are set by the display area 133, respectively. Here, the exposure mode currently set is indicated by a triangle mark displayed on the left side of the display areas 132A to 132D. The exposure mode “default” indicates an exposure mode other than that in which, for example, the reproduction effect is explicitly set.

  Note that the “aperture value” and “shooting date and time” in the Exif information in FIG. Furthermore, with respect to “shooting date and time”, the reproduction effect can be set based on the shooting date and time of each image data file actually recorded on the recording medium 14.

  The method for setting the reproduction effect is not limited to this example. Of course, the Exif information that can set the reproduction effect is not limited to the example of FIG. In addition, when a plurality of pieces of Exif information are associated with the same reproduction effect, it is conceivable to set a priority for the Exif information. The priority order may be set in advance on the vendor side, or may be set by the user.

  Button images 136 and 138 provided at the bottom of the association setting screen 130 are used to instruct execution and cancellation of slide show reproduction using an image data file having Exif information set on the association setting screen 130. The button image 137 is used to instruct the saving of the setting contents set on the association setting screen 130. By operating a predetermined operator to select a button image 137 for instructing storage and performing a determination operation, the setting content is stored in the ROM 31 that is rewritable, for example. It is also possible to save the setting contents in the recording medium 14.

  By storing the setting contents in the ROM 31, the association information between the Exif information and the reproduction effect can be read from the ROM 31 when the digital camera device 1 is activated. In addition, by saving the setting contents in the recording medium 14, it is possible to execute a slide show reproduction based on the setting contents that differ for each recording medium 14.

  Next, a slide show reproduction operation according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Prior to the start of slideshow playback, basic settings relating to slideshow playback can be made. FIG. 5 shows an example basic setting screen 150 for performing basic settings for slide show reproduction. The basic setting screen 150 is provided with display areas 151 to 156 for performing basic settings for slide show reproduction. The user selects a setting target from the display areas 151 to 156 and inputs a value using an operator such as a four-way key provided in the operation I / F unit 32.

  A display area 151 designates a playback method for slide show playback. In this embodiment, three types of slide show playback are defined: “custom”, “stylish”, and “standard”.

  “Custom” corresponds to this embodiment. When image data is first selected and the selected image data is sequentially reproduced, the effect associated with the Exif information corresponding to the reproduced image data. It is a method of adding. “Stylish” corresponds to first and second modifications of the embodiment described later. For example, first, a reproduction effect to be added is selected, and image data having Exif information associated with the reproduction effect is selected. This is a method of selecting and sequentially reproducing. “Standard” is a method in which a selected reproduction effect is fixedly added to all image data to be played back as a slide show. Note that the slide show playback method is not limited to the above three types.

  Display areas 152 to 154 set default values for the start reproduction effect, the end reproduction effect, and the display time. The display time is, for example, a time obtained by subtracting the time of the start reproduction effect and the end reproduction effect from the display period of FIG. This sets a reproduction effect to be added when, for example, valid Exif information does not exist in an image data file to be played back as a slide show, and a reproduction effect corresponding to the Exif information cannot be added.

  The display area 155 sets a location on the recording medium 14 where an image data file for slide show reproduction exists. The display area 156 sets whether or not the slide show reproduction is repeated again after the reproduction of all the selected image data files is completed.

  In FIG. 5, button images 157 and 158 provided at the bottom of the basic setting screen 150 are for instructing execution and cancellation of slide show reproduction. For example, by using a four-way key provided in the operation I / F unit 32 to select a button image 157 indicating execution and performing a predetermined determination operation, the contents displayed in the display areas 151 to 156 are displayed as a slide show. Playback starts. While the slide show reproduction is being performed, the slide image reproduction currently being performed can be interrupted by selecting the button image 158 instructing cancellation and performing a determination operation.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example slide show reproduction operation according to the embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 corresponds to, for example, “custom” of the slide show reproduction method described above. In the basic setting screen 150 shown in FIG. 5, “Custom” is selected in the display area 151, and the button image 157 is selected and determined to be predetermined with the other display areas 152 to 156 being set in advance. When the operation is performed, slide show reproduction is started.

  When the slide show reproduction is started, first, in step S10, the image data file recorded on the recording medium 14 is selected and read out and transferred to the memory 23. When image data is compressed and encoded and stored in the image data file, the image data is transferred to the memory 23 while being compressed. In the next step S11, the image processing unit 15 reads the compressed image data written in the memory 23, decodes the compressed code, decompresses the compressed image data, and writes the compressed image data on the memory 23. Write to an address that is different from the current address.

  In next step S <b> 12, the control unit 30 determines whether or not Exif information is attached to the image data written in the memory 23. If it is determined that the Exif information is attached, the control unit 30 reads and acquires the Exif information from the memory 23 in step S13. When the Exif information is acquired by the control unit 30, it is determined in step S14 whether or not the acquired Exif information includes information associated with the start reproduction effect. If it is determined that there is, the process proceeds to step S15, the start reproduction effect associated with the Exif information is added, and reproduction of the image data written in the memory 23 in step S11 is started.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S14 that there is no information associated with the start playback effect, the process proceeds to step S16, and the start playback effect specified as the default in the display area 152 of the basic setting screen 150 is displayed. In addition, the reproduction of the image data written in the memory 23 in step S11 is started.

  When the reproduction of the image data is started by adding the start reproduction effect in step S15 or step S16, the process proceeds to step S17. In step S17, it is determined whether or not the Exif information acquired in step S13 includes information associated with the display time of the image data. If it is determined that there is, the process proceeds to step S18, and the image data is displayed during the display time associated with the Exif information.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S17 that there is no information associated with the display time of the image data, the process proceeds to step S19, and the display designated as the default in the display area 154 of the basic setting screen 150 is displayed. The image data is displayed during the time.

  When the display for the display time designated in step S18 or step S19 is terminated, the process proceeds to step S20. In step S20, it is determined whether or not the Exif information acquired in step S13 includes information associated with the end reproduction effect. If it is determined that there is, the process proceeds to step S21, the end reproduction effect associated with the Exif information is added and the reproduction of the image data is continued, and the display of the image data is performed according to the end reproduction effect. For example, turn off.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S20 that there is no information associated with the start playback effect, the process proceeds to step S22, and the end playback effect specified as the default in the display area 153 of the basic setting screen 150 is displayed. In addition, the reproduction of the image data is finished.

  If it is determined in step S12 that the Exif information is not added to the decompressed image data written in the memory 23, the process proceeds to step S23, and further steps S24 and S25. The processing is advanced, and according to the start playback effect, display time, and end playback effect set as default values on the basic setting screen 150, the playback effect is added and the display time is controlled, and the image data is displayed.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, when the image data file recorded on the recording medium 14 is reproduced as a slide show, the start reproduction effect, the display time, and the end reproduction effect are based on the Exif information attached to the image data as described above. Are added and controlled automatically. Therefore, it is possible to perform slide show reproduction rich in expressiveness without bothering the user.

  In addition, it is possible to use the camera in such a way that the shooting conditions are set in consideration of the slide show reproduction during shooting, and it is possible to provide a way to enjoy a camera that has not been available in the past.

  Next, a first modification of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first modification of this embodiment, the reproduction effect associated with the Exif information of the image data is added to preview the image data, and the image data having the Exif information associated with the desired reproduction effect is It can be selected as candidate image data to be used for slide show reproduction.

  Then, image data actually used for slide show reproduction is further selected from the selected candidate image data. The selected candidate image data can be selected at random, for example, and slide show reproduction can be performed.

  The configurations of the digital camera device 1 and the image data file 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 in the embodiment of the invention described above, the association between the Exif information attached to the image data and the reproduction effect, etc. Since this embodiment can be applied as it is to the first modification of this embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted to avoid complexity.

  FIG. 7 shows an example slide show image setting screen 160 for previewing and selecting image data. In the display area 162, for example, a plurality of candidate image data used for slide show reproduction are displayed.

  At least the image data file that can be displayed in the display area 162 is read from the recording medium 14. Exif information is acquired by the control unit 30 for each of the read image data files, and the image data is supplied to the display unit 21 via the above-described decompression process or the like, and is displayed in the display area 162 in a predetermined manner. Is done. The image data displayed in the display area 162 can be sequentially switched by a predetermined operation on the operator, for example, an operation of the four-way key in the left-right direction. That is, an image data file is read from the recording medium 14 as necessary in accordance with an operation on the operation element, and sequentially displayed in the display area 162 by the processing as described above.

  The display area 161 is a preview display section for a reproduction effect, and one of the image data displayed in the display area 162 is displayed with the reproduction effect associated with the Exif information attached to the image data added. Is done. In the example of FIG. 7, the image data (indicated by a double frame in FIG. 7) displayed in the center among the three pieces of image data displayed in the display area 162 is displayed together in the display area 161. It is like that. At this time, the reproduction effect program for executing the reproduction effect associated with the Exif information attached to the image data is read from the ROM 31, for example, by the control unit 30. Then, a reproduction effect by the read reproduction effect program is added to the display of the image data on the display area 161. It is also possible to add a reproduction effect at an arbitrary timing according to a user operation.

  The user looks at the reproduction effect added to the image data preview-displayed in the display area 161 and selects whether or not to use image data having Exif information associated with the reproduction effect for slide show reproduction. For example, the image data (image data file) displayed in the display area 161 is selected by operating an operator provided to the operation I / F unit 32 that instructs determination. By selecting the image data, the Exif information associated with the reproduction effect added to the image data can be specified.

  For example, the user selects a desired reproduction effect using the slide show image setting screen 160, and an image data file having Exif information associated with the selected reproduction effect is recorded on the recording medium 14. Can be selected in advance.

  At this time, the selection condition of the image data file can be designated based on a plurality of items of Exif information. In this case, it is preferable to set a priority in advance for each item of a plurality of Exif information. In addition, as a result of selecting an image data file based on a plurality of items of Exif information, if only a small number of image data files are selected for slide show reproduction, the number of items of Exif information used for selecting the image data file is set. Less is better.

  Next, an image data file used for actual slide show reproduction is further selected from the image data file having Exif information associated with a desired reproduction effect selected by the user as described above.

  For example, image data having Exif information associated with a desired reproduction effect selected as described above using the slide show image setting screen 160 is displayed in the display area 162. One of the displayed image data 162 is displayed with a reproduction effect associated with the Exif information included in the image data. The user previews the image data and the reproduction effect displayed in the display area 161 in this manner, and operates an actual slideshow by operating, for example, an operator provided for determination in the operation I / F unit 32. Select and determine image data to be used for playback.

  This operation is repeated while switching the image data displayed in the display area 161 until it is considered that all image data used for actual slide show reproduction has been prepared. The file name of the selected image data is temporarily stored in, for example, a RAM included in the control unit 30. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a file name or the like may be recorded on the recording medium 14. The selection order of the image data can be reflected in the playback order of the image data at the time of slide show playback.

  Thus, a more stylish slide show reproduction can be executed by sequentially selecting and reproducing the image data file to which a specific reproduction effect is added. In addition, it is possible to provide a different way to enjoy a camera that allows the user to perform shooting while determining shooting conditions in consideration of slide show playback from the time of shooting.

  In the above description, image data used for actual slide show playback is further selected from image data having specific Exif information, and slide show playback is performed according to the selection order. However, this is not limited to this example. For example, when image data having specific Exif information is selected, image data used for slide show reproduction may be randomly selected from the selected image data. This makes it easy to enjoy slideshow playback.

  Next, a second modification of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second modification, Exif information is used as a selection condition for image data used for slide show reproduction. That is, an image data file having specific Exif information is retrieved from the image data file recorded on the recording medium 14, and the retrieved image data file is used for slide show reproduction.

  The configurations of the digital camera device 1 and the image data file 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 in the embodiment of the invention described above, the association between the Exif information attached to the image data and the reproduction effect, etc. Since this embodiment can be applied as it is to the first modification of this embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted to avoid complexity.

  As an example, a browser screen (not shown) for browsing a reproduction effect that is incorporated in advance in the digital camera device 1 (a reproduction effect program is stored in the ROM 31) is prepared. For example, the browser screen displays a preview image of a predetermined image or an image based on an image data file recorded on the recording medium 14 with a reproduction effect added. The reproduction effect to be added can be selected by a predetermined operation on the operation I / F unit 32. The selected reproduction effect is determined by a predetermined operation on the operation I / F unit 32, and a reproduction effect program for executing the reproduction effect is read from the ROM 31 to the control unit 30, for example. The selection of the reproduction effect is not limited to this example. For example, the reproduction effect may be selected from a list display without performing preview reproduction of the reproduction effect.

  When the reproduction effect is selected, an image data file having Exif information associated with the reproduction effect is searched from the image data file recorded on the recording medium 14. The retrieved image data file is reproduced as a slide show with a reproduction effect associated with the Exif information of the image data file added.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the slide show reproduction according to the second modification of the embodiment. Prior to the start of processing according to this flowchart, the playback effect is selected in advance using the browser screen described above. Then, for example, the slide show reproduction is started by designating the button image 137 on the basic setting screen 150 described with reference to FIG.

  In the case of the second modification of this embodiment, for example, “stylish” is displayed in the display area 151, and the reproduction effect setting information designated in advance as the default is displayed in the display areas 152 to 154. . Not limited to this, the setting information of the selected reproduction effect may be displayed in the display areas 152 to 154. Further, for example, the contents of the display areas 155 and 156 can be set separately by the user.

  Note that the reading of the image data file from the recording medium 14 and the reproduction of the image data stored in the read image data file are the same as those already described in the above-described embodiment and the like. In order to avoid this, detailed description is omitted.

  In FIG. 8, when slide show reproduction is started, in step S30, an association table of reproduction effects and Exif information stored in the ROM 31 is referred to, and Exif information associated with the reproduction effect selected in advance is acquired. Is done.

  In the next step S31, the image data file having the Exif information acquired in step S30 is searched from the recording medium 14. The search target is based on the content displayed in the display area 155 on the basic setting screen 150, for example. For example, image data files to be searched on the recording medium 14 are sequentially read from the recording medium 14 and stored in the memory 23. The control unit 30 extracts Exif information from the image data file stored in the memory 23. The image data portion in the image data file may be held on the memory 23 or may be discarded once. Then, an image data file having Exif information that matches the Exif information acquired in step S30 is searched.

  Based on the search result in step S31, in the next step S32, it is determined whether or not an image data file having Exif information that matches the Exif information acquired in step S30 exists in the recording medium 14.

  If it is determined that it exists, the process proceeds to step S33. In step S33, the searched image data file is selected at random, for example, a reproduction effect associated with the Exif information of the selected image data file is added, and an image based on the image data stored in the image data file is added. Is displayed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S32 that no image data file having Exif information that matches the Exif information acquired in step S30 exists on the recording medium 14, the process proceeds to step S34. In step S34, the image data file in the recording medium 14 is selected and read, for example, at random, for example, a reproduction effect associated with the Exif information of the image data file is added, and the image stored in the image data file is stored. Display images with data. In step S34, not limited to this, for example, a reproduction effect designated in advance as a default may be added.

  For example, according to the content displayed in the display area 156 of the basic setting screen 150, the processing in step S33 or step S34 is performed until the display by all the image data files to be displayed is completed or the reproduction by all the image data files to be displayed Is repeated, and a series of slide show reproduction processing is completed.

  Thus, by using the digital camera device 1 according to the second modification of the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to easily enjoy a stylish slide show reproduction as if the designer decided the order.

  In the above description, Exif is used as the format of the image data file applicable to the present invention, but this is not limited to this example. In other words, if the image data obtained by shooting is associated with the shooting conditions at the time of shooting the image data, other data file formats can be applied. Further, the shooting conditions and the image data are not necessarily present in the same file. These may be separated from each other and associated with each other by a file name, a correspondence table, or the like, or the imaging conditions may be in a database format and associated with image data.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an example of a digital camera device 1 applicable to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a basic diagram which shows the structure of an example of the image data file to which Exif was applied. It is a basic diagram for demonstrating the reproduction effect added to the image data output. It is a basic diagram which shows the correlation setting screen of an example for a user to perform the correlation of the reproduction effect with Exif information. It is a basic diagram which shows the example of a basic setting screen for performing the basic setting of slide show reproduction | regeneration. It is a flowchart which shows an example slide show reproduction | regeneration operation | movement by one Embodiment of this invention. It is an approximate line figure showing an example slide show image setting screen for performing preview and selection of image data. It is a flowchart which shows a process of an example of the slide show reproduction | regeneration by the 2nd modification of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital Camera Device 11 Imaging Unit 12 Signal Processing Unit 13 Image Processing Unit 14 Recording Medium 20 Data Bus 21 Display Unit 22 Video Output Processing Unit 23 Memory 30 Control Unit 31 ROM
32 Operation I / F unit 130 Association setting screen 150 Basic setting screen 160 Slide show image setting screen

Claims (18)

The incident light is photographed, the image data obtained by photographing is recorded on a recording medium together with photographing information of the image data, the image data recorded on the recording medium is reproduced and output, and the image data that is output A digital camera device capable of adding a reproduction effect to
A digital camera device characterized in that the photographing information and the reproduction effect are associated with each other. The digital camera device according to claim 1,
The digital camera device characterized in that the photographing information is information indicating photographing conditions at the time of photographing image data. The digital camera device according to claim 1,
The digital camera apparatus characterized in that the photographing information is information indicating characteristics of image data. The digital camera device according to claim 1,
A digital camera apparatus characterized in that the photographing information and the reproduction effect are associated in advance. The digital camera device according to claim 1,
A plurality of the image data recorded on the recording medium can be sequentially reproduced and output as a slide show. The shooting information corresponding to each of the image data reproduced by the slide show reproduction can be obtained. A digital camera apparatus characterized in that the reproduction effect associated with the camera is added. The digital camera device according to claim 1,
The digital camera device according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction effect is an effect added during a predetermined period of the reproduction start of the image data. The digital camera device according to claim 1,
The digital camera device according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction effect is an effect added in a predetermined period of completion of reproduction of the image data. The digital camera device according to claim 1,
The digital camera apparatus characterized in that the reproduction effect is an instruction to reproduce the image data. The digital camera device according to claim 1,
The digital camera apparatus characterized in that the reproduction effect changes the image data over a predetermined time. The digital camera device according to claim 1,
A digital camera apparatus characterized in that a plurality of the photographing information can be associated with one reproduction effect. The digital camera device according to claim 10, wherein
A digital camera apparatus characterized in that a priority order can be set for the plurality of pieces of photographing information. The digital camera device according to claim 1,
A digital camera device, wherein image data corresponding to the photographing information associated with the designated reproduction effect is selectively reproduced from the image data recorded on the recording medium. The digital camera device according to claim 12, wherein
A digital camera apparatus characterized in that the designated reproduction effect can be previewed. The digital camera device according to claim 12, wherein
A plurality of the image data recorded on the recording medium can be sequentially reproduced and output in a slide show. The image data corresponding to the shooting information associated with the designated reproduction effect is used. A digital camera device characterized in that the slide show is reproduced. Image data obtained by photographing incident light can be reproduced and output from a recording medium recorded together with photographing information of the image data, and a reproduction effect can be added to the output image data. An image reproduction method as described above,
An image reproduction method characterized in that the shooting information and the reproduction effect are associated with each other.   Image data obtained by photographing incident light can be reproduced and output from a recording medium recorded together with photographing information of the image data, and a reproduction effect can be added to the output image data. An image reproduction program for causing a computer apparatus to execute an image reproduction method configured to associate the shooting information with the reproduction effect. A data structure for instructing an image reproduction device on a method of reproducing image data,
A reproduction effect associated with the photographing information is added to the image data reproduced and output from a recording medium in which the image data obtained by photographing and the photographing information of the image data are recorded together. A data structure in which shooting information and a reproduction effect are associated with each other. Photographing means for photographing incident light and outputting image data obtained by photographing;
Recording and reproducing means for recording the image data together with shooting information of the image data on a recording medium, and reproducing the image data and the shooting condition information recorded on the recording medium;
Output means for outputting the image data reproduced from the recording medium by the recording / reproducing means;
Reproduction effect addition means for adding a reproduction effect to the image data output by the output means,
A digital camera device characterized in that the photographing information and the reproduction effect are associated with each other.

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