JP2009164871A - Image forming device, control method thereof, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a photograph image by arranging attendant information of letters, figures and symbols to an optimal direction without troubling a user. <P>SOLUTION: A face region of a person included in an image is detected (S150), a direction of the image is determined based on a vertical direction of the face detected (S170), and a date is rotated according to a direction of the image so that the direction of the determined image and the vertical direction of a date may approximately coincide with each other (S180). A layout suitable for the date rotated is set (S190), and printing is executed (S240). Accordingly, the layout of the date is done in an optimal direction without troubling a user, and the image can be printed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides an image forming apparatus that lays out auxiliary information made up of letters, numbers, and symbols on a photographic image including a person as a subject and forms it on a target, its control method, and each step of the control method for realizing by a computer Regarding the program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an image forming apparatus that forms characters such as a shooting date on a photographic paper by superimposing characters on a partial area of a photograph (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this apparatus, an area for forming characters is set at the lower right when the photographic paper is vertically long, and the vertical direction of the characters is aligned with the long side direction of the photographic paper. In addition, the user can specify an area where a character is formed and the vertical direction of the character at an arbitrary position and direction.
JP 2001-346029 A

  However, in the above-described image forming apparatus, since the photograph taken in landscape is formed so that the photographic paper is horizontally long, if the user forms characters without any designation, the photograph taken in landscape is photographic paper. However, since the long side of the photographic paper is the vertical direction, the vertical direction of the photograph and the character does not match and the character may be difficult to see. The user may specify the direction of the character in accordance with the orientation of the photo. However, when a vertically photographed photo and a horizontally photographed photo are mixed, it is necessary to specify while confirming the orientation of the photo, which is troublesome.

  An image forming apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program according to the present invention are mainly intended to form incidental information composed of letters, numbers, and symbols in an optimal direction and form a photographic image without bothering the user. .

  The image forming apparatus, the control method thereof, and the program according to the present invention employ the following means in order to achieve the main object described above.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes:
An image forming apparatus that lays out incidental information composed of letters, numbers, and symbols on a photographic image including a person as a subject and forms it on a target,
Face recognition means for recognizing the face of a person as the subject;
And a layout processing means for laying out the auxiliary information on the photographic image so that the vertical direction of the recognized face portion and the vertical direction of the auxiliary information substantially coincide.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the face portion of a person as a subject is recognized, and the auxiliary information is laid out on the photographic image so that the vertical direction of the recognized face portion substantially matches the vertical direction of the auxiliary information. Therefore, incidental information can be arranged in an optimal direction and formed into a photographic image without bothering the user.

  In such an image forming apparatus of the present invention, the image forming apparatus includes display means for displaying an image, and display control means for controlling the display means so as to preview the supplementary information laid out by the layout processing means together with the photographic image. It can also be. In this way, the user can confirm the layout of the incidental information before image formation. In this aspect of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the layout processing unit is a unit that sets a plurality of layouts of the incidental information in the vertical direction substantially matching the vertical direction of the recognized face, and the display control The means is a means for controlling the display means to display the plurality of set layouts as options, and the user selects a desired layout while the plurality of layouts are displayed on the display means. Means may be provided. By doing so, it is possible to provide the user with a selectable layout of incidental information suitable for the direction of the photographic image. Alternatively, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention according to this aspect, the image processing apparatus further includes setting means for a user to set a relative vertical direction of the auxiliary information with respect to the vertical direction of the face portion, and the layout processing means includes the recognized face The auxiliary information may be laid out on the photographic image based on the vertical direction set by the user by the setting means regardless of the vertical direction of the part. In this way, the user's setting can be prioritized regardless of the direction of the photographic image.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the supplementary information may be information including a shooting date of the photographic image. In this way, the photographing date, which is often formed in a photographic image, is set in an optimal direction, so that it is significant to apply the present invention.

A method for controlling an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is a control method by software of a computer of an image forming apparatus that lays out auxiliary information made up of letters, numbers, and symbols on a photographic image including a person as a subject and forms it on a target. ,
(A) recognizing a human face as the subject;
(B) laying out the auxiliary information on the photographic image so that the vertical direction of the face recognized in the step (a) and the vertical direction of the auxiliary information substantially match;
Is included.

  The computer software control method of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention recognizes the face of a person as a subject, and attaches it to a photographic image so that the vertical direction of the recognized face substantially matches the vertical direction of the accompanying information. Lay out information. Therefore, the incidental information can be formed in an optimal direction and formed into a photographic image without bothering the user. Note that a step of realizing any of the functions of the above-described image forming apparatus may be added to the control method for the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

  The program of the present invention is for causing each step of the control method described above to be realized by one or a plurality of computers. This program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (for example, hard disk, ROM, FD, CD, DVD, etc.), or from a computer via a transmission medium (communication network such as the Internet or LAN). It may be distributed to another computer, or may be exchanged in any other form. If this program is executed by a single computer, or if each step is shared and executed by a plurality of computers, each step of the above-described control method is executed, so that the same effects as the control method can be obtained. .

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of a photo printer 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the photo printer 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the photo printer 10 according to the present embodiment is built in the printer main body 12, a front door 14 that can open and close the front surface of the printer main body 12, an operation panel 20 provided on the upper surface of the printer main body 12, and the printer main body 12. The printing mechanism 30 (see FIG. 2), the memory card controller 50 that controls input / output of data of the memory card 18 inserted in the memory card slot 16, and the controller 60 that controls the entire photo printer 10 (see FIG. 2). ).

  The front door 14 is a lid for opening and closing the front surface of the printer main body 12. As shown in FIG. 1, when the front door 14 is in an open state, the front door 14 is discharged to receive the recording paper S discharged from the front surface of the printer main body 12. In addition to functioning as a tray, various memory card slots 16 provided on the front surface of the printer main body 12 can be used by the user.

  The operation panel 20 includes a display 22 that displays characters, graphics, symbols, and the like, and a button group 24 arranged around the display 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the button group 24 switches the power button 24a for turning on / off the power, the display size of an image or the like displayed on the display 22 to four-division display, 15-division display, full-screen display, or the like. A display switch button 24b for displaying, a menu button 24c for calling a main menu screen on which a plurality of options relating to the print function are arranged, and a cancel for canceling the operation or interrupting the printing on the recording paper S. A button 24d, a print button 24e for instructing execution of printing on the recording paper S, a save button 24f for saving an edited image or the like in the memory card 18 inserted in the memory card slot 16, and a plurality of items displayed on the display 22 Up / down / left / right to be operated when selecting a desired option or moving the cursor Button 24g, and is configured by a the up, down, right and left buttons OK button for being disposed in the center to indicate that it has determined choices selected by the up, down, left, and right buttons 24g of 24g 24h. As shown in FIG. 1, a paper feed port 28 of the printing mechanism 30 is provided at the back of the operation panel 20, and the paper feed port 28 has left and right guide widths that match the width of the recording paper S. A pair of paper guides 29a and 29b that are slid in the direction are provided.

  The printing mechanism 30 is built in the printer main body 12 and, as shown in FIG. 2, a paper feed motor 34 that can drive a paper feed roller 32 that feeds the recording paper S onto the platen 31 and other transport rollers (not shown). A carriage 42 reciprocating in the main scanning direction along a guide rail 40 disposed in parallel to the paper feed roller 32 by a belt 38 spanned between a carriage motor 36a and a driven roller 36b, and a solvent mounted on the carriage 42. Ink cartridges 44 that individually contain black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) inks containing a dye or pigment as a colorant in water as a colorant and a carriage 42 A print head 46 that receives ink supplied from an ink cartridge 44 and ejects ink droplets, and a rear surface of the carriage 42 And a linear encoder 48 for detecting the position of the carriage 42 provided. Here, the print head 46 employs a system in which a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element to deform the piezoelectric element and pressurize the ink. However, a voltage is applied to a heating resistor (for example, a heater) to heat the ink. A method of pressurizing the ink with the generated bubbles may be employed.

  The memory card controller 50 inputs and outputs data to and from the memory card 18 inserted in the memory card slot 16. When the memory card 18 is connected to the memory card slot 16, the memory card controller 50 reads a file stored in the memory card 18 and transmits it to the controller 60 or inputs a command from the controller 60. Based on the above, data is written to the memory card 18.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 60 is configured as a microprocessor centered on the CPU 61. In addition to the CPU 61, a ROM 62 for storing various processing programs, various data, various tables, and the like, and data temporarily. A RAM 63 for storing data and an input / output (I / O) port 65 capable of communicating with the memory card 18 inserted in the memory card slot 16, the printing mechanism 30, and the operation panel 20 are provided. Is electrically connected. The controller 60 receives an image file of the memory card 18, a position signal from the linear encoder 48, an operation signal from the button group 24 of the operation panel 20, and the like via the input port 65. A control signal to the print head 46, a control command to the memory card controller 50, a drive signal to the carriage motor 36a, a drive signal to the paper feed motor 34, a display signal to the display 22 and the like are output via the output port 65. Has been.

  Next, the operation of the multifunction printer 10 of the present embodiment configured as described above, particularly the operation when printing after confirming the image stored in the memory card 18 on the display 22 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a print processing routine executed by the CPU 61 of the multifunction printer 10. This routine is stored in the ROM 62 and executed by the CPU 61 when the memory card controller 50 detects that the memory card 18 has been inserted into the memory card slot 16.

  When the print processing routine of FIG. 3 is started, the CPU 61 first inputs an image file stored in the memory card 18 (step S100). An example of this image file is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, in addition to the image data itself, the image file includes header information including shooting data such as exposure and aperture, shooting date and time, image data size, thumbnail image size, and thumbnail images. ing. When an image file is input, an image selection screen 70 displaying thumbnail images is displayed on the display 22 in order to select an image to be printed by the user (step S110), and the selection of an image is waited (step S120). An example of the image selection screen 70 is shown in FIG. Here, the image is selected by operating the up / down / left / right button 24g on the image selection screen 70 and pressing the OK button 24h in accordance with the thumbnail image of the image to be printed.

  When an image is selected, the CPU 61 determines whether date setting is on (step S130). Here, for the date setting, a date setting screen (not shown) is called by the menu button 24c, and the user selects “with date setting” or “without date setting” by operating the up / down / left / right buttons 24g and presses the OK button 24h. Is done. The default value is set to “no date setting”. If it is determined in step S130 that the date setting is not turned on, the selected image is displayed as a preview (step S220), and a print instruction from the user is awaited (step S230). When the user presses the print button 24e and a print instruction is input, printing is executed without entering a date (step S240), and this routine is terminated.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S130 that the date setting is turned on, it is determined whether or not data on the shooting date is included in the image file (step S140). When it is determined that the shooting date data is not included in the image file, it is determined whether there is a next selected image (step S210). When it is determined that the next image exists, the process returns to step S140. The processing is repeated, and when it is determined that the next image does not exist, the processing after step S210 is executed, and this routine is terminated.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S140 that the image file contains the shooting date data, the face area of the person included in the main body of the image data is detected (step S150). Here, since the face area detection method is a known technique, the details thereof will be omitted. For example, there is a method of extracting pixels having a color close to the color designated as the skin color from the image as a set of skin color pixels. In this method, for example, a skin color range on the color space is defined in advance in a color space for distinguishing the skin color from other colors, and it is determined whether or not the color of each pixel is in the predetermined range. Is done. At this time, the image data is converted into a color space of hue, saturation and luminance, the average luminance of the color image is calculated, and an appropriate range is set in advance for the skin color pixel value for each predetermined range of the calculated average luminance. Thus, the skin color pixel value region within the range may be extracted as a set of skin color pixels. In this way, by dividing the average luminance of the image into a plurality of ranges and setting a range of skin color pixel values for each range, an appropriate range of skin color pixels can be selected depending on whether the entire image is bright or dark. Can be set. As a result, flesh color pixels can be detected more accurately, and a set of flesh color pixels can be extracted. At this time, it is possible to extract only the image areas that are gathered in a state where a certain number (for example, 10 pixels, or 1% or more of the total number of pixels) or more skin color pixels are in contact with each other. After extracting the set of skin color pixels, the CPU 61 performs eye extraction from the set of skin color pixels. Here, since the method for extracting the eyes is a known technique, the details thereof will be omitted. For example, two areas having lower luminance values are arranged in the collection area of the skin color pixels from the collection area of the extracted skin color pixels. The region that is present is extracted as an eye. At this time, it may be extracted by various processes such as a process using a neural network. It is assumed that the face area can be detected when the eyes can be extracted from the flesh color pixel collection area.

  Next, the CPU 61 determines whether or not a face area has been detected (step S160). Here, when the set of skin color pixels cannot be extracted or when the eyes cannot be extracted after extracting the set of skin color pixels, it is determined in step S160 that the face area cannot be detected, and image direction determination described later is performed. Keep the default date layout without any processing. Here, FIG. 6 shows an example of an image in which default values are set for the date layout. As shown in the drawing, the vertical direction of the date is set to be the short side direction of the recording paper S at the lower right position when the recording paper S is in landscape orientation. For this reason, when the image is a portrait photograph, the orientation of the image does not match the orientation of the date, and the date may be difficult to see. If it is determined in step S160 that the face area has been detected, the orientation of the image is determined (step S170). The image orientation is determined by the image orientation determination process shown in FIG. Here, the description of the print processing routine will be interrupted, and the image direction determination processing will be described.

  In the image direction determination process, first, the detected face area is enclosed by a rectangle (step S300). A state in which the face area is surrounded by a rectangle is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the face area is surrounded by a rectangle indicated by a dotted line. The reference direction in the figure is used when determining the direction of the image, and is set to the short side direction when the image is landscaped, that is, the same as the upward direction of the default date of the date layout. Yes. Next, an xy coordinate system is created with the center of the area enclosed by the rectangle as the origin (0, 0) (step S310). As shown in the figure, the vertical axis in the direction coinciding with the reference direction of the image is defined as the y axis, and the horizontal axis orthogonal to the y axis is defined as the x axis. Subsequently, both eyes in the face region are connected with a line segment (step S320), and it is determined whether or not the line segment is substantially orthogonal to the x axis (step S330). Here, since the orientation of the face in the image is usually the vertical or horizontal direction of the image, the vertical direction is the vertical direction of the face when it is substantially orthogonal to the x axis. When not substantially orthogonal to the x axis, that is, when substantially orthogonal to the y axis, it can be considered that the direction along the y axis is the vertical direction of the face. When it is determined in step S330 that the line segment is substantially orthogonal to the x axis, it is determined whether or not the value of the x coordinate of the intersection is positive (step S340). When it is determined that the value of the x coordinate is positive, since both eyes are located on the positive side of the x axis from the center of the face, it is determined that the upward direction of the face is the positive direction of the x axis (step S350). It is determined that the image direction based on the upward direction is a direction rotated 90 degrees to the right with respect to the reference direction (step S360), and this process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S340 that the x-coordinate value of the intersection is not positive, both eyes are located on the negative side of the x-axis from the center of the face, so the upward direction of the face is the negative direction of the x-axis. (Step S370), the image direction is determined to be a direction rotated 270 degrees to the right with respect to the reference direction (step S380), and the process is terminated. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S320 that the line segment ley is not substantially orthogonal to the x-axis, it is determined whether or not the y-coordinate value at the intersection with the y-axis is positive (step S390). When it is determined that the value of the y coordinate is positive, both eyes are positioned on the positive side of the y axis from the center of the face, so that the upward direction of the face is determined as the positive direction of the y axis (step S400). It is determined that the direction is the same direction as the reference direction (step S410), and this process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S390 that the y-coordinate value of the intersection is not positive, the upper direction of the face is the negative y-axis direction because both eyes are located on the negative side of the y-axis with respect to the center of the face. (Step S420), it is determined that the image direction is a direction rotated 180 degrees to the right with respect to the reference direction (step S430), and this process ends. As described above, the determination of the orientation of the image is performed by determining the orientation of the face based on the position of the eye in the detected face area, and based on the determined orientation of the face or in the direction that matches the reference direction of the image. This is performed by determining which direction is 90 degrees, 180 degrees, or 270 degrees rotated to the right from the reference direction. In the image shown in FIG. 8, it is determined in step S330 that the line segment is substantially orthogonal to the x axis, and in step S340, it is determined that the x coordinate value of the intersection is not positive. The direction is determined to be the negative direction of the x-axis, and in step S380, the image direction is determined to be a direction rotated 270 degrees to the right of the reference direction.

  Returning to the print processing routine of FIG. 3, when the orientation of the image is thus determined, the date is rotated according to the determined orientation of the image (step S180). Specifically, when the image orientation matches the reference direction, no rotation is performed, and when the image orientation is rotated 90 degrees, 180 degrees, or 270 degrees to the right from the image reference direction, the date is set as the default. A process of rotating 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees to the right from the setting direction is performed. Next, the date layout is set (step S190). The date layout is set by the date layout setting process shown in FIG. Here, the description of the print processing routine is interrupted, and the date layout setting process will be described.

  In the date layout setting process, first, it is determined whether or not manual selection of the date layout by the user is turned on (step S500). Here, the manual selection of the date layout is performed by the user selecting “manual selection” or “automatic setting” up / down / left / right after the user selects “with date setting” and presses the OK button 24h on the date setting screen described above. This is done by operating 24g to select and pressing the OK button 24h. The default value is set to “automatic setting”. If it is determined in step S500 that manual layout selection is not turned on, the date layout is set in the lower right with respect to the image orientation (step S570), and this process ends. An example of an image in which the date layout is automatically set is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the direction of the date is the direction rotated in step S180. If it is determined in step S160 that the face area has not been detected, the date is laid out with default values set. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S500 that manual layout selection is turned on, layout candidates are set at the four corners of the image so that the user can select a desired layout position (step S510). A screen 72 is displayed on the display 22 (step S520). An example of this layout selection screen 72 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the direction of the date is the direction rotated in step S180. If it is determined in step S160 that the face area has not been detected, layout candidates are displayed in the direction of the default value setting date. Next, it is determined whether any layout candidate has been selected (step S530). Here, the layout is selected by operating the up / down / left / right button 24g on the layout selection screen 72 and pressing the OK button 24h in accordance with the layout candidate to be selected. When a layout candidate is selected, a message for inquiring the user whether or not to change the date direction is displayed (step S540). An example of the displayed message is shown in FIG. When the message is displayed, it is determined whether or not a change operation has been performed by the user (step S550). If the change operation has been performed, the date is rotated based on the user's change operation (step S560), and this process is performed. finish. Here, the change operation is performed by pressing the OK button 24h during message display, selecting date change, then operating the up / down / left / right button 24g, and pressing the OK button 24h again when the date is in the desired direction. Done. For example, the date is rotated so as to face the reference direction when the upper button is pressed, and is rotated so as to turn 90 degrees to the right from the reference direction when the right button is pressed. If the user presses the cancel button 24d during the message display, it is determined in step S550 that no change operation is performed, and the process ends.

  Returning to the print processing routine of FIG. 3, when the position and orientation for laying out the date are set in this way, it is determined in step S210 whether or not there is a next selected image, and when it is determined that the next image exists, step is performed. Returning to S140, the processing is repeated, and when it is determined that the next image does not exist, the processing after step S220 is executed, and this routine is terminated. An example of the preview screen 74 displayed on the display 22 in step S220 is shown in FIG. FIG. 13 illustrates a case where the date on the upper right (upper left in the figure) with respect to the image direction is selected on the layout selection screen 72 in FIG. 11. As described above, the orientation of the image is determined from the detected face direction, and printing can be executed after the date is rotated and laid out so that the determined orientation of the image and the orientation of the date substantially coincide with each other.

  Here, the correspondence between the components of the present embodiment and the components of the present invention will be clarified. The controller 60 that executes step S150 of the print processing routine of FIG. 3 of this embodiment corresponds to the face recognition means, and the controller 60 that executes steps S170 to S190 of the print processing routine of FIG. It corresponds to. The display 22 corresponds to display means, the controller 60 corresponds to display control means, the up / down / left / right buttons 24g and the OK button 24h of the button group 24 correspond to selection means, and the up / down / left / right buttons 24g and OK of the button group 24. The button 24h corresponds to setting means. In the present embodiment, an example of a method for controlling the image forming apparatus of the present invention by software of a computer is clarified by describing the operation of the photo printer 10.

  According to the photo printer 10 of the present embodiment described in detail above, the face area of a person included in the image is detected, the orientation of the image is determined based on the detected vertical direction of the face, and the determined orientation of the image The date is rotated in accordance with the orientation of the image so that the vertical direction of the date substantially matches the vertical direction of the date, the layout of the rotated date is set, and then printing is executed. Therefore, an image can be printed after the date is laid out in an optimal direction without bothering the user.

  In addition, since the date laid out on the display 22 is previewed, the user can check the layout. Further, since a plurality of layouts of dates in the vertical direction substantially matching the vertical direction of the determined face portion are displayed on the display 22 as options, a date layout suitable for the image direction is provided to the user in a selectable manner. be able to. Furthermore, since the date is laid out based on the vertical direction selected by the user regardless of the vertical direction of the determined face, the user setting can be prioritized regardless of the image direction.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the date is printed. However, the date is not limited to the date, and any data may be used as long as it is composed of letters, numbers, and symbols, such as a photograph comment and shooting data such as exposure and aperture. . For comments about a photo, for example, a comment setting screen (not shown) is called by the menu button 24c, and the user operates the up / down / left / right buttons 24g from the standard comment list, such as “Happy Birthday” or “Celebration! It may be set by selecting a standard comment and pressing the OK button 24h, or may be set by inputting a comment provided with an input system for inputting characters and the like.

  In the embodiment described above, the date layout can be manually selected in the date layout setting process, but only automatic setting may be used. In this case, the processing in steps S500 to S560 in FIG. 9 may be omitted.

  In the above-described embodiment, in the date layout setting process, the date layout at the time of automatic setting is set to the lower right position with respect to the image direction, but is not limited to the lower right position, and the user can set a desired position. It may be settable. Further, when the face area is not detected at the time of automatic setting, the date is laid out by setting the default value, but the layout selection screen may be displayed to allow the user to select the date layout.

  In the above-described embodiment, the preview display is performed after the date layout is set. However, the printing may be directly performed without performing the preview display.

  In the above-described embodiment, the eyes are extracted when detecting the face area, but other parts such as the mouth may be detected instead of the eyes. Moreover, although the upper direction of the face was determined based on the direction of the eyes, it is not limited to this. For example, the eyes and mouth are extracted and the direction from the mouth toward the eyes is determined as the upper direction of the face. Also good.

  In the embodiment described above, the photo printer 10 is an ink jet printing mechanism. However, the present invention may be applied to a printer such as an electrophotographic system or a dot impact system, and functions such as a scanner in addition to the printer. The present invention may be applied to a multi-function machine that has both.

1 is an external view of a photo printer 10. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a photo printer 10. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a print processing routine. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of an image file. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image selection screen. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image by which the default value was set to the date layout. The flowchart which shows an example of an image direction determination process. Explanatory drawing which shows a mode that the direction of an image is determined. The flowchart which shows an example of a date layout setting process. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the image by which the layout of the date was set automatically. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the layout selection screen 72. FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the change inquiry message of a date direction. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the preview screen.

Explanation of symbols

  10 Photo Printer, 12 Printer Body, 14 Front Door, 16 Memory Card Slot, 18 Memory Card, 20 Operation Panel, 22 Display, 24 Button Group, 24a Power Button, 24b Display Switch Button, 24c Menu Button, 24d Cancel Button, 24e Print button, 24f Save button, 24g Up / down / left / right button, 24h OK button, 30 printing mechanism, 31 platen, 32 paper feed roller, 34 paper feed motor, 36a carriage motor, 36b driven roller, 38 belt, 40 guide rail, 42 carriage , 44 Ink cartridge, 46 Print head, 48 Linear encoder, 50 Memory card controller, 60 Controller, 61 CPU, 62 ROM, 63 RAM, 65 (I / O) Over DOO, 67 bus, 70 an image selection screen 70a cursor 72 date layout selection screen, 72a cursor 74 print preview screen, S paper.

Claims (7)

An image forming apparatus that lays out incidental information including letters, numbers, and symbols on a photographic image including a person as a subject and forms it on a target,
Face recognition means for recognizing the face of a person as the subject;
Layout processing means for laying out the auxiliary information on the photographic image so that the vertical direction of the recognized face portion substantially matches the vertical direction of the auxiliary information;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
Display means for displaying an image;
Display control means for controlling the display means so that the supplementary information laid out by the layout processing means together with the photographic image is displayed as a preview;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,
The layout processing means is a means for setting a plurality of layouts of the incidental information in the vertical direction substantially matching the vertical direction of the recognized face part;
The display control means is means for controlling the display means to display the set layouts as options.
An image forming apparatus comprising: a selection unit that allows a user to select a desired layout in a state where the plurality of layouts are displayed on the display unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,
A setting unit that allows a user to set a relative vertical direction of the incidental information with respect to the vertical direction of the face;
The layout processing unit is a unit that lays out the auxiliary information on the photographic image based on a vertical direction set by a user by the setting unit regardless of a vertical direction of the recognized face.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the incidental information is information including a shooting date of the photographic image. A control method by software of a computer of an image forming apparatus that lays out incidental information consisting of letters, numbers, and symbols on a photographic image including a person as a subject and forms it on a target,
(A) recognizing a human face as the subject;
(B) laying out the auxiliary information on the photographic image so that the vertical direction of the face recognized in the step (a) and the vertical direction of the auxiliary information substantially match;
A method for controlling an image forming apparatus.   A program for realizing each step of the control method according to claim 6 by a computer.

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