JP2010199720A - Digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera for allowing a user to check an effect of image processing before regular imaging, and to acquire a desirable image without a complicated operation. <P>SOLUTION: The digital camera includes a face detection unit, an image processing unit, an operation unit, a control unit, and a display unit. The face detection unit detects an area of a face from a captured through image. The image processing unit applies image processing to an area of the face detected by the face detection unit based on an established adjustment level wherein one adjustment level out of a plurality of different adjustment levels is established as an adjustment level in the image processing. The operation unit receives an instruction operation about the image processing. In the case that the instruction operation received by the operation unit is intended for a change of the adjustment level, the control unit changes the adjustment level established as the image processing. The display unit displays a through-image applied with image processing based on the adjustment level changed by the control unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera that acquires an image.

  Conventionally, a technique for performing various image processing on a digital image by image processing has been considered. For example, the following digital camera of Non-Patent Document 1 has a makeup function for photographing a face portion brightly and beautifully when a person is a subject.

  There is also known a digital camera that performs image processing suitable for each subject according to personal preference, age, and sex without performing image processing uniformly when a plurality of persons are subjects. (Patent Document 1 etc.).

  However, the above-described digital camera disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 cannot apply a makeup function to a through image displayed on a monitor during shooting. Therefore, the user did not know how effective the image processing is.

  Further, in the digital camera disclosed in Patent Document 1, even if it is desired to perform the same image processing on any of a plurality of persons, it has to be individually set, and the operation is complicated.

  Therefore, the digital camera of the present invention aims to obtain a preferable image without performing a complicated operation while confirming the effect of image processing before the actual imaging.

  In the digital camera of the present invention, a face detection unit that detects a face region from a captured through image and any one of a plurality of different adjustment levels is set as an adjustment level in image processing, and the face detection An image processing unit that performs image processing based on a set adjustment level on the face area detected by the unit, an operation unit that receives an instruction operation related to the image processing, and an instruction operation received by the operation unit. In the case of an instruction operation relating to the adjustment level change, a control unit that changes the adjustment level set as the image processing and a through image that has been subjected to image processing based on the adjustment level changed by the control unit are displayed. A display unit.

  The image processing unit may perform at least one of exposure correction and gradation correction on the through image as the image processing.

  The image processing unit further includes an imaging unit that acquires a main image, and the image processing unit is configured to perform color correction, contrast correction, brightness correction, and face correction based on the adjustment level changed by the control unit. The main image may be subjected to a skin beautification process including at least one of adjustment of the characteristic portion.

  The operation unit is disposed on the entire surface of the display unit and includes a touch panel capable of detecting a contact position and a moving direction of the contact position, and the control unit has a contact position detected from the touch panel. The adjustment level in the image processing may be changed by determining whether or not the face area detected by the face detection unit matches and detecting the moving direction of the contact position.

  In addition, the image processing unit further includes a classification unit that classifies a plurality of face regions detected by the face detection unit into groups, and the image processing unit applies to the face regions classified into the same group by the classification unit. Image processing based on the same adjustment level may be performed collectively.

  The classification unit may estimate at least one of gender, age, and race, and classify the detected face region based on the estimated result.

  Further, the image processing unit may not perform the image processing or perform the image processing at the lowest adjustment level on a group estimated to be a predetermined age or less.

  Further, the display unit may superimpose and display an area frame indicating a face area detected by the face detection unit together with the through image.

  The area frame may be displayed in a color corresponding to the adjustment level, or may be displayed together with a display indicating the adjustment level.

  Further, the image processing unit is based on the same adjustment level for a face region corresponding to the area frame selected and operated by the operation unit among the plurality of area frames displayed on the display unit. Image processing may be performed collectively.

  According to the digital camera of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a preferable image by an easy operation while confirming the effect of image processing before the actual imaging.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital camera 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation at the time of imaging in the manual skin beautification processing mode in the digital camera 1 It is a figure which shows the example of a through image. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation at the time of image capturing in an automatic skin beautification processing mode in the digital camera 1. It is a figure which shows the example of a through image.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the digital camera 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the digital camera 1 includes an imaging lens 2, an imaging device 3, an A / D conversion unit 4, a buffer memory 5, an image processing unit 6, a control unit 7, a display unit 8, an operation unit 9, and a memory 10. A recording I / F unit 11, a recording medium 12, and a bus 13.

  The imaging lens 2 forms a subject image on the imaging surface of the imaging element 3. The imaging lens 2 may be an imaging optical system including a plurality of lenses such as a zoom lens and a focus lens. The imaging element 3 photoelectrically converts the subject light that has passed through the imaging lens 2 and outputs analog image signals corresponding to R, G, and B colors. The imaging device 3 performs thinning-out reading at predetermined intervals and acquires a through image when not imaging. Thereafter, the image sensor 3 acquires the main image when a release button 18 described later is fully pressed.

  An image signal output from the image sensor 3 is input to the A / D converter 4. The A / D conversion unit 4 performs A / D conversion on the analog image signal output from the image sensor 3 and changes it to a digital image signal. The digital image signals are collected into one frame and recorded in the buffer memory 5 as image data. The buffer memory 5 temporarily records image data in the pre-process and post-process of image processing by the image processing unit 6.

  The image processing unit 6 performs image processing on the image data recorded in the buffer memory 5. Examples of the image processing include well-known white balance adjustment, color interpolation, gradation conversion processing, and contour enhancement processing. The image processing unit 6 also executes a process of compressing in JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format or the like before recording an image file on the recording medium 12, and a process of decompressing and restoring the compressed data.

  The image processing unit 6 performs skin beautification processing. This skin beautification process is an image process performed on the main image, and includes the following processes.

  For example, the image processing unit 6 performs exposure correction for correcting the exposure of the image to the over side. Thereby, a preferable image in which the skin of the subject is expressed white can be obtained.

  The image processing unit 6 performs soft focus processing. Thereby, when a subject is a woman, while femininity is emphasized, a preferable image with softness can be obtained. In addition, it is possible to obtain a preferable image in which wrinkles and rough skin of the subject are not noticeable.

  In addition, the image processing unit 6 may correct the parameters of saturation and lightness to express the skin white or reduce the dullness of the skin color.

  Further, the image processing unit 6 performs correction to make the person included in the image look slim. For example, the image processing unit 6 changes the aspect ratio of the image to be slightly long and then cuts out a person portion and adjusts the size of the image. Alternatively, the image processing unit 6 may correct the outline of the face and make the cheek look thin as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-264893.

  In addition, the image processing unit 6 adjusts feature portions (eyebrows, eyes, mouth, etc.) in the face. For example, the image processing unit 6 performs correction for enlarging the eye part, correction for narrowing the nose width, and the like. Further, the image processing unit 6 corrects the color of the feature portion. For example, the image processing unit 6 performs color correction for increasing the bluish color for the upper eyelid color and color correction for increasing the red color for the lip color. Thereby, since the effect of point makeup such as eye shadow and lipstick is obtained, the appearance of a woman as a subject can be improved.

  There are five levels from the weakest level 1 to the strongest level 5 as the degree (level) of skin beautification. The higher the level of skin beautification, the whiter the subject's skin will be and the less dull and wrinkled. The level of the skin beautification process is changed from the user via the touch panel 17 described later when the through image is captured before the imaging instruction is issued. For example, level 1 is set in advance as the skin beautification level.

  When the skin softening process level is changed, the image processing unit 6 performs exposure correction and gradation correction on the live view image so that the result is equivalent to the live view image that has been subjected to the skin care process corresponding to the changed level. Do. This is because the skin beautification process is a complex process and takes time. For example, the image processing unit 6 performs exposure correction by adjusting the value of the Y component obtained from the through image data. Further, the image processing unit 6 performs gradation correction by changing the values of the Cb component and the Cr component. The display unit 8 displays the through image after exposure correction and gradation correction. As a result, though the processing time is not required, a through image having the same result as the through image subjected to the skin beautifying process can be displayed on the display unit 8 in real time.

  The control unit 7 performs overall control of the digital camera 1 according to a predetermined sequence program, and executes various calculations (AF, AE, etc.) necessary for imaging. The control unit 7 has functions such as a face detection unit 14, a classification unit 15, and a determination unit 16. The face detection unit 14 extracts feature points from the through image, the main image, and the image recorded on the recording medium 12 to detect the face area, the size of the face area, and the like. For example, the face detection unit 14 extracts a face region by a feature point extraction process described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-16573. Examples of the feature points include eyebrow, eye, nose, and lip end points, face contour points, head apexes, and chin lower end points. Then, the face detection unit 14 specifies the position information of the face area. For example, the face detection unit 14 calculates the X coordinate and the Y coordinate of the pixels included in the face area, with the horizontal direction of the image as the X axis and the vertical direction as the Y axis.

  The classification unit 15 classifies a plurality of persons included in the image into groups. For example, the classification unit 15 uses a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-222118 for determining race, age, gender, and the like by a calculation process using feature points constituting a facial organ, and groups a plurality of persons into groups. Turn into. The determination unit 16 determines whether or not a person included in the image is specified by a user via a touch panel 17 described later.

  The display unit 8 displays various images under the control of the control unit 7. Various images displayed on the display unit 8 include a through image, a main image, an image recorded on the recording medium 12, a menu image, and the like. The display unit 8 includes a touch panel 17. The touch panel 17 detects a position where a finger or a stylus is touched on the panel, a dragged direction, and the number of times the drag is performed. Note that tracing with the touch panel 17 being touched is referred to as dragging. The state of the touch panel 17 is detected by the control unit 7. Note that the touch panel 17 is configured by a transparent panel having a size equivalent to that of the display unit 8 because the touch panel 17 is stacked on the entire surface of the display unit 8. Moreover, in the example of this embodiment, the touch panel 17 is comprised with the electrostatic capacitance type panel which senses the electrical signal by static electricity. Not only the capacitance type, but also a resistive film type panel that detects a change in voltage due to pressure may be used.

  As described above, the touch panel 17 is operated when changing the level of the skin beautifying process. When the level is increased by one, the user touches the touch panel 17 and drags it upward once. On the other hand, when the level is lowered by one, the user touches the touch panel 17 and gently drags it down once. Thus, the user can change to a desired level by simply touching and dragging the touch panel 17.

  The operation unit 9 includes a release button 18, a cross key 19, and the like. The release button 18 is operated by the user during imaging. The cross key 19 is operated on the above menu image or the like. The states of the release button 18 and the cross key 19 are detected by the control unit 7, and a sequence based on the detected button state is executed. The recording I / F unit 11 includes a connector for connecting the recording medium 12. When the recording I / F unit 11 and the recording medium 12 are connected, data writing / reading is executed on the recording medium 12. The bus 13 connects the buffer memory 5, the image processing unit 6, the control unit 7, the display unit 8, the memory 10, and the recording I / F unit 11, thereby executing input / output of data and signals.

  The digital camera 1 having the configuration described above has a skin beautification processing mode in which the above-described skin beautification processing is performed on an image generated by imaging. When a plurality of persons are included in the image, the mode for performing the skin beautification process for each group grouped by the user is set to the manual skin beautifying mode, and the mode for performing the skin beautifying process for each group grouped by the classification unit 16 is set to auto. The skin beautifying mode is set. The skin beautification processing mode may be provided as one of existing scene modes such as a portrait mode and a landscape mode, or may be provided independently of the existing scene mode. The skin beautification mode may be set by a user's designation via the touch panel 17 or the cross key 19, or may be automatically set by the control unit 7. When the user designates, a dedicated button or the like may be provided on the operation unit 9 or a menu image or the like may be displayed on the display unit 8.

  First, the manual skin beautification processing mode will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation at the time of imaging in the manual skin beautification processing mode in the digital camera 1. The flowchart of FIG. 2 is executed when manual skin beautification processing mode is set and acquisition of a through image is started. Note that the control unit 7 may determine preferable imaging conditions when the skin beautification processing mode is set. For example, exposure, imaging sensitivity, and the like may be conditions suitable for the skin beautification processing mode.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a through image. Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 3, a scene in which three women (A, B, C), one man (D), and one child (E) are imaged will be described as an example. Moreover, operation of the touch panel 17 is an example, and is not limited to this.

  Step S101 is processing for detecting a face area. Each time the face detection unit 14 acquires a through image, the face detection unit 14 detects a face area from the through image.

  Step S102 is processing to display an area frame indicating the detected face area. First, the control unit 7 sets an area frame according to the size and position information of the face area detected in step S101. Then, the control unit 7 displays the area frame so as to overlap the through image so as to match the outline of the face region. For example, the control unit 7 displays the area frame 25 from the area frame 21 as shown in FIG. In addition, the control part 7 changes the color of an area frame for every level of beautification process so that a user can recognize the present level of beautification process only by seeing an area frame at a glance. In addition, although the rectangular area frame was used in the example of FIG. 3, the shape of the area frame is not limited to this. For example, a star-shaped area frame may be used. Further, the area frame may be displayed lightly so that the effect of the skin beautification process can be easily confirmed.

  Step S103 is processing for performing exposure correction and gradation correction on all the subjects. The image processing unit 6 performs exposure correction and gradation correction on the region within the area frame of all the subjects so that the result is equivalent to the level 1 skin beautification process. The display unit 8 displays a through image after exposure correction and gradation correction. Thereby, the user can confirm that level 1 skin beautification processing is applied to all subjects.

  Step S104 is processing to change the color of the area frame. At this point, all the subjects are in a uniform group. The control unit 7 changes the color from the area frame 21 to the area frame 25 to a color corresponding to level 1. Moreover, the control part 7 displays the level of the skin beautifying process near any one area frame. In the example of FIG. 3, an asterisk 31 indicating level 1 is displayed near the area frame 25. In this state, if it is desired to change the skin softening level of all persons without specifying a person, the skin softening level of all persons can be changed by touching and dragging one of the subjects.

  Here, the touch of a person will be described. When specifying the person, the user touches an area in any of the area frames set in step S102. The determination unit 16 determines that a person has been touched when the position touched on the touch panel 17 matches the position in any of the area frames set in step S102.

  Step S105 is processing for determining whether or not one person has been touched and dragged. The determination unit 16 determines whether any one person has been touched and dragged via the touch panel 17. When one person is touched and dragged (when the determination in step S105 is YES), the process proceeds to step S106. On the other hand, when one person is not touched and dragged (when the determination in step S105 is NO), the process proceeds to step S107.

  Step S106 is processing for performing exposure correction and gradation correction on all the subjects. First, the control unit 7 changes the skin-beautifying process level of all the subjects according to the dragged direction and the number of times. Then, the image processing unit 6 and the display unit 8 perform the same process as in step S103. Then, it progresses to step S116 mentioned later.

  Next, grouping will be described. When applying the skin softening level change to a plurality of persons, the user continuously touches the persons to be grouped via the touch panel 17. For example, when the user wants to group two women A and B in FIG. 3, the user touches woman A and woman B in succession.

  Step S107 is processing to determine whether or not different persons have been touched continuously. The determination unit 16 determines whether or not different persons are continuously touched via the touch panel 17. When different persons are continuously touched (when the determination in step S107 is YES), the process proceeds to step S108. On the other hand, when different persons are not continuously touched (when the determination in step S107 is NO), the process proceeds to step S112 described later.

  Step S108 is a grouping process. The control unit 7 groups the persons touched in step S107. For example, female A and female B in FIG. 3 are grouped.

  Step S109 is processing to change the line type of the area frame. The control unit 7 changes the line type of the area frame indicating the persons grouped in step S108. Thereby, it can show to a user that it was grouped. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, the line types of the area frame 21 and the area frame 22 are changed.

  Step S110 is processing for determining whether or not a grouped person has been dragged. The determination unit 16 determines whether the persons grouped in step S108 have been dragged via the touch panel 17. When the grouped person is dragged (when the determination in step S110 is YES), the process proceeds to step S111. On the other hand, when the grouped person is not dragged (when the determination in step S110 is NO), the process returns to step S107, and it is determined whether or not a different person has been touched.

  Step S111 is processing for performing exposure correction and gradation correction on all members of the same group. First, the control unit 7 changes the skin-beautifying process level of all the same group as the person dragged in step S110 according to the dragged direction and the number of times. Then, the image processing unit 6 and the display unit 8 perform the same process as in step S103.

  Next, the case of not grouping will be described. When applying a change in the level of skin beautification to one person, the user continues to touch that person via the touch panel 17.

  Step S112 is processing to determine whether or not the same person has been touched continuously. The determination unit 16 determines whether or not the same person is continuously touched via the touch panel 17. When the same person is continuously touched (when the determination in step S112 is YES), the process proceeds to step S113. On the other hand, when the same person has not been touched continuously (when the determination in step S112 is NO), the process returns to step S105 to determine whether one person has been touched and dragged.

  Step S113 is a process of changing the line type of the area frame. The control unit 7 changes the line type of the area frame indicating the person touched in step S112.

  Step S114 is processing to determine whether or not the touched person has been dragged. The determination unit 16 determines whether or not the person touched in step S <b> 112 has been dragged via the touch panel 17. When the touched person is dragged (when the determination in step S114 is YES), the process proceeds to step S115. On the other hand, when the touched person is not dragged (when the determination in step S114 is NO), the process returns to step S107, and it is determined whether or not another person has been touched continuously.

  Step S115 is processing for performing exposure correction and gradation correction on the touched person. First, the control unit 7 changes the level of the touched person according to the dragged direction and the number of times. Then, the image processing unit 6 and the display unit 8 perform the same process as in step S103.

  Step S116 is a process for displaying the level of the skin beautifying process. The control unit 7 changes the color of the area frame to a color corresponding to the changed level. Moreover, the control part 7 displays the level of the skin beautifying process near the area frame. If a plurality of persons are at the same level, the level may be displayed near the area frame of any one person. In the example of FIG. 3, an asterisk 32 indicating level 5 is displayed near the area frame 21.

  Step S117 is processing for determining whether or not the release button 18 has been fully pressed. If the release button 18 is fully pressed (when the determination in step S117 is YES), the process proceeds to step S118. On the other hand, when the release button 18 is not fully pressed (when the determination in step S117 is NO), the process returns to step S107, and it is determined whether or not different persons are continuously touched. In other words, the user can create a group until the release button 18 is fully pressed, and can change the skin softening process level. In the example of FIG. 3, female C and male D are in the same group, and the level of skin beautification processing is set to 2.

  Step S118 is processing for acquiring the main image. The control unit 7 controls each unit to acquire the main image.

  Step S119 is processing for performing skin beautification processing. The image processing unit 6 performs skin beautification processing on the main image according to the level displayed in step S116. In the example of FIG. 3, the image processing unit 6 performs level 5 skin beautification processing on the area in the area frame 21 and the area in the area frame 22. The image processing unit 6 performs level 2 skin beautification processing on the area in the area frame 23 and the area in the area frame 24. Further, the image processing unit 6 performs level 1 skin beautification processing on the area within the area frame 25. Thereby, the skin beautification process can be performed for each group at a level desired by the user.

  Step S120 is processing for setting the skin beautifying process and recording the main image. The control unit 7 records, in the memory 10, the person's configuration associated with the level of the skin beautifying process in step S <b> 119 as the skin beautifying process setting. Further, the control unit 7 records the main image after the skin beautification process on the recording medium 12. Note that the control unit 7 may record the setting for the skin beautification processing in the Exif information (accompanying information) of the main image. By recording such information, the user can check what skin-beautifying process has been performed when reproducing the main image. Note that the setting for skin beautification processing may be recorded as a separate file associated with the main image instead of recording as supplementary information.

  When the same composition is obtained at the next imaging, the control unit 7 may display this setting file as a “previously used setting” icon so as to overlap the through image. And if this icon is touched via the touch panel 17, the control part 7 will control the image process part 6, and will apply skin care processing. Note that this application is canceled by touching the icon again. This eliminates the need to set again when imaging a person having the same configuration, and thus makes the camera easy to use for the user.

  Next, the automatic skin beautification processing mode will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation at the time of imaging in the automatic skin beautification processing mode in the digital camera 1. The flowchart of FIG. 4 is executed when the automatic skin beautification processing mode is set and acquisition of a through image is started. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a through image. Hereinafter, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a scene in which three women (A, B, C), one man (D), and one child (E) are imaged will be described as an example.

  Step S201 is processing for detecting a face area. Each time the face detection unit 14 acquires a through image, the face detection unit 14 detects a face area from the through image.

  Step S202 is a grouping process. The classification unit 15 discriminates the age, sex, and the like from the face area detected in step S201 and groups them. For example, in the example of FIG. 5, when female A, female B, and female C are all in their 30s, they are classified into three groups: female A, female B, female C group, male D group, and child E group. Is done.

  Step S203 is processing for performing exposure correction and gradation correction for each group. First, the control unit 7 sets a skin beautification level for each group grouped in step S202. The level of skin beautification is set in advance in consideration of age, sex, and the like. For example, level 1 for men and children, level 2 for women in their 20s, level 3 for women in their 30s, and level 4 for women in their 40s. The image processing unit 6 performs exposure correction and gradation correction to achieve a result equivalent to the set level for the area within the area frame of all the subjects. The display unit 8 displays the through image after exposure correction and gradation correction. As a result, if a high-level skin beautification process is performed on a man or a child, there is a risk that an unnatural image may be produced, but this fear is eliminated.

  Step S204 is processing to display an area frame. First, the control unit 7 sets an area frame according to the size of the face area detected in step S201, position information, and the level of skin beautification processing. Then, the control unit 7 displays the area frame so as to overlap the through image so as to match the outline of the face region. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 7 displays a grouping cancellation button 31 that accepts the cancellation of grouping, superimposed on the through image.

  Next, a case where the user determines that the level of the skin beautifying process in step S203 is not appropriate and changes the level of the skin beautifying process will be described.

  Step S205 is processing to determine whether or not the screen has been touched and dragged. The determination unit 16 determines whether or not an area excluding a person, that is, an area excluding an area within an area frame, is touched and dragged via the touch panel 17. When the area excluding the person is touched and dragged (when the determination in step S205 is YES), the process proceeds to step S206. On the other hand, when the area excluding the person is not touched and dragged (when the determination in step S205 is NO), the process proceeds to step S207.

  Step S206 is processing for performing exposure correction and gradation correction on all the subjects. First, the control unit 7 changes the skin-beautifying process level of all the subjects according to the dragged direction and the number of times. Then, the image processing unit 6 and the display unit 8 perform the same process as in step S203. Then, it progresses to step S213 mentioned later.

  Step S207 is processing for determining whether or not one person has been touched and dragged. The determination unit 16 determines whether any one person has been touched and dragged via the touch panel 17. When one person is touched and dragged (when the determination in step S207 is YES), the process proceeds to step S208. On the other hand, when one person is not touched and dragged (when the determination in step S207 is NO), the process proceeds to step S209.

  Step S208 is processing for performing exposure correction and gradation correction on all members of the same group. First, the control unit 7 changes the skin-beautifying process level of all the same group as the person dragged in step S207 according to the dragged direction and the number of times. Then, the image processing unit 6 and the display unit 8 perform the same process as in step S203. Then, it progresses to step S213 mentioned later.

  Step S209 is processing to determine whether or not the grouping cancellation button 31 has been touched. The control unit 7 determines whether or not the group release button 31 has been touched via the touch panel 17. When the group release button 31 is touched (when the determination at step S209 is YES), the process proceeds to step S210. On the other hand, when the group release button 31 is not touched (when the determination in step S209 is NO), the process proceeds to step S213 described later.

  Step S210 is a process for canceling the grouping.

  Step S211 is processing for determining whether or not one person has been touched and dragged. The determination unit 16 determines whether any one person has been touched and dragged via the touch panel 17. When one person is touched and dragged (when the process of step S211 is YES), the process proceeds to step S212. On the other hand, when one person is not touched and dragged (when the process of step S211 is NO), the process proceeds to step S213 described later.

  Step S212 is processing for performing exposure correction and gradation correction on the touched person. First, the control unit 7 changes the level of the touched person according to the dragged direction and the number of times. Then, the image processing unit 6 and the display unit 8 perform the same process as in step S203.

  From step S213 to step S217, processing similar to that from step S116 to step S120 in the flowchart of FIG. 2 is performed. Note that in step S217, the control unit 7 records the association of the characteristics such as the person's age and sex with the level of the skin beautifying process as the skin beautifying process setting.

  In the first embodiment, the image processing unit 6 compares through images acquired before and after, and when a new face area is detected, performs a level 1 skin beautification process on the face. May be.

  As described above, the digital camera 1 according to the first embodiment displays a through image on the display unit 8 according to the level of skin beautification processing. Further, the specification of the person and the change of the level of the skin beautifying process are accepted via the touch panel 17. Therefore, according to the digital camera 1 of 1st Embodiment, the user can visually recognize the person by whom the skin beautification process was carried out with a through image in real time. Further, the user can easily change the level of the skin beautifying process simply by touching the touch panel 17 and dragging. Therefore, according to the digital camera 1 of the first embodiment, a preferable image can be obtained by an easy operation while confirming the effect of the image processing before the actual imaging.

  Further, in a manual skin beautification mode in a scene in which a plurality of persons are imaged, a person to whom skin beautification processing is applied is specified and grouped via the touch panel 17. Then, the image processing unit 6 performs the skin softening process at the same level on the persons classified into the same group. Therefore, the operation procedure can be simplified and the processing efficiency can be increased. Further, in the automatic skin beautification mode that automates this operation, the user only has to operate the release button 18. Therefore, according to the digital camera 1, since a skin beautification process is performed for each group at an appropriate level in a scene where a plurality of people are captured, a preferable image can be obtained.

  In addition, since the operability is improved as described above, the target of the skin beautification process is not limited to women, and it is expected to spread as a new mode when imaging a person.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In 1st Embodiment, the example which performs the skin beautification process with respect to this image at the time of imaging was shown. In the second embodiment, an example in which skin beautification processing is performed on an image recorded on the recording medium 12 during reproduction will be described. Here, since the configuration of the digital camera in the following embodiment is the same as that of the digital camera 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the second embodiment, the control unit 7 displays the automatic skin beautification processing button and the manual skin beautification processing button so as to be superimposed on the image to be subjected to skin beautification processing during reproduction. The control unit 7 determines that any of the buttons is touched when the position at which the automatic skin beautification button or the manual skin beautification button is displayed matches the position at which the touch panel 17 is touched. When the automatic skin beautification processing button is touched, processing similar to that in steps S101 to S116 and step S119 in the flowchart of FIG. 2 is performed. When the manual skin beautification processing button is touched, the same processing as steps S201 to S213 and S216 in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is performed.

  According to the digital camera 1 of the second embodiment, the same processing as that of the first embodiment can be performed, and a preferable image can be obtained by an easy operation while confirming the effect of the image processing during reproduction. Also, according to the digital camera 1 of the second embodiment, the level of skin beautification processing can be changed during reproduction even if a desired image is not obtained during imaging.

(Supplement of embodiment)
In the first embodiment, an example of performing the skin beautification process on the main image and then recording the image on the recording medium 12 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the exposure correction and the gradation correction similar to the through image are performed on the main image and recorded on the recording medium 12. Then, as shown in the second embodiment, the skin beautification process is performed during reproduction. Thereby, the time required for skin beautification processing can be shortened, and the interval for acquiring the main image can be shortened. Therefore, the risk of missing a photo opportunity can be reduced.

  Further, the view image may be displayed on the display unit 8 after performing the skin beautification process on the main image. At this time, the area frame may be displayed overlaid on the view image for a few seconds, and then the area frame may be erased. Thereby, the user can confirm the final group and the level of skin beautification. In this case, the image at the time of imaging may be subjected to exposure correction and gradation correction similar to those of the through image to generate a view image, or the skin image processing may be performed on the image at the time of imaging to generate a view image. Also good.

  In 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment, although the example which performs the specification of a person and the change of the skin beautifying process using the touch panel 17 was shown, it is not restricted to this. For example, a cross key 19 or a rotary multi selector (not shown) may be used. In addition, a dedicated button for grouping may be prepared in the digital camera 1.

  In step S103 of the first embodiment, an example in which exposure correction and gradation correction are performed to achieve the same result as level 1 skin beautification processing is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the skin softening processing level may be changed by a user custom. Further, in step S203, a preset level of the skin beautifying process may be changed by the user custom. Further, the skin beautification process may not be performed on the face area determined to be a child. The same may be applied to the second embodiment.

  In 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment, although the example which changes the level of the skin beautifying process according to the frequency | count that the touch panel 17 was dragged was shown, it does not restrict to this. For example, the setting of the skin beautifying process may be turned off for a person who does not want to perform the skin beautifying process. If you want to change the level greatly, change the drag width greatly. For example, when the user drags upward, the level of skin beautification may be changed from level 1 to level 5. In addition, when the level is set to the lowest level (level 1), the level may be raised only by touching without dragging. Similarly, when the level is set to the highest level (level 5), the level may be lowered only by touching. Further, the skin softening process level may be changed according to the number of times of touching, not the number of times of dragging.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the level of the skin beautification process is displayed as a numerical value, but this is not restrictive. For example, a bar indicating the level may be displayed. In this case, the level becomes easy to understand at a glance.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the area frame and the level of the skin beautifying process are displayed superimposed on the through image, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, display or non-display may be selected by customization. Further, the group and level may be displayed by a specific operation such as touching an area in the area frame.

  In 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment, although the example which changes the color of an area frame for every level of the beautifying process was shown, it does not restrict to this. For example, the line and shape of the area frame may be changed.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, when the eye part of a person is touched, the brightness of the pupil may be increased according to the number of touches. For example, the image processing unit 6 puts white brightness that shines like light into the pupil. The shine shape may be a round shape or a star shape. Furthermore, the pupil color may be changed. Further, the size of the eyes may be increased according to the number of touches. At this time, taking into account the age of the person, the degree of enlargement of the eyes may be increased by one touch for younger age.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, an example of a digital camera is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, application software operable on a personal computer can be provided with functions shown in the grouping procedure and the skin beautifying procedure in the first and second embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital camera, 3 ... Image sensor, 6 ... Image processing part, 7 ... Control part, 8 ... Display part, 14 ... Face detection part, 15 ... Classification part, 16 ... Determination part, 17 ... Touch panel

JP 2004-246456 A

Casio Computer Co., Ltd. EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z300 Instruction Manual

Claims (10)

A face detection unit for detecting a face area from a captured through image;
Any one of a plurality of different adjustment levels is set as an adjustment level in image processing, and image processing based on the set adjustment level is performed on the face area detected by the face detection unit. An image processing unit to be applied;
An operation unit that receives an instruction operation related to the image processing;
A control unit that changes the adjustment level set as the image processing when the instruction operation received by the operation unit is an instruction operation related to the change of the adjustment level;
And a display unit that displays a through image that has been subjected to image processing based on the adjustment level changed by the control unit. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein
The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the image processing unit performs at least one of exposure correction and gradation correction on the through image as the image processing. The digital camera according to claim 1 or 2,
It further includes an imaging unit for acquiring the main image,
The image processing unit includes a skin beautification process including at least one of color tone correction, contrast correction, brightness correction, and adjustment of a characteristic portion in the face area based on the adjustment level changed by the control unit. Is applied to the main image. The digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
The operation unit is arranged on the entire surface of the display unit and includes a touch panel capable of detecting a contact position and a moving direction of the contact position.
The control unit determines whether the contact position detected from the touch panel coincides with the face area detected by the face detection unit, and detects the moving direction of the contact position, thereby performing the image processing. A digital camera characterized in that the adjustment level is changed. The digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:
A classification unit that classifies a plurality of face regions detected by the face detection unit into groups;
The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the image processing unit collectively performs image processing based on the same adjustment level on the face regions classified into the same group by the classification unit. The digital camera according to claim 5, wherein
The digital camera is characterized in that the classification unit estimates at least one of gender, age, and race, and classifies based on the estimated result. The digital camera according to claim 6, wherein
The digital processing apparatus, wherein the image processing unit does not perform the image processing or performs the image processing at the lowest adjustment level on a group estimated to be a predetermined age or less. The digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the display unit superimposes and displays an area frame indicating a face area detected by the face detection unit together with the through image. The digital camera according to claim 8, wherein
The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the area frame is displayed in a color corresponding to the adjustment level, or is displayed together with a display indicating the adjustment level. The digital camera according to claim 8 or 9,
The image processing unit performs image processing based on the same adjustment level for a face region corresponding to an area frame selected and operated by the operation unit among the plurality of area frames displayed on the display unit. A digital camera characterized by applying all at once.

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