JP4227638B2 - Image processing apparatus and method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image marking method for classifying, storing, and managing image data in an image processing apparatus such as a digital camera that records captured images as digital signals.

  In recent years, digital cameras having functions such as image capturing, image processing of captured images, and display of captured images have become widespread. Usually, an image taken with a digital camera is stored in a flash memory inside the digital camera or a removable memory card.

  In general, when a photographer thinks that an image he / she has taken is good, he / she adds a mark as a mark to the image. For example, a method is conceivable in which a digital camera is set in a playback mode, a favorite image is selected, and a mark adding function is selected from a menu or the like to add a mark. Also, a method of displaying a list of images after transferring the images from a digital camera to an image processing apparatus such as a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”), and adding a mark to a desired image from the displayed images Can be considered.

Further, as a method for distinguishing a favorite image from other images at the time of shooting, a method of automatically switching a folder for saving an image according to a shooting mode of the digital camera has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). ).
JP 2002-199312 A

  However, in recent digital cameras, the storage capacity of memory cards used as storage means for captured images has increased, and the number of images to be captured has increased accordingly. If the number of shots increases, there is a problem that the marking work increases and the burden on the photographer increases.

  In addition, the photographer often has limited shooting time, and it is the top priority for the photographer not to miss a photo opportunity. Therefore, when a photographer wants to mark an image taken immediately after shooting, it is necessary to interrupt the shooting, select the shot image, and perform a marking operation. As a result, the photographer may lose his photo opportunity.

  The present invention is an image processing apparatus and method capable of easily marking an image desired to be marked out of images captured from a digital camera or the like and improving the work efficiency of the marking operation. It aims at providing a program.

  In order to achieve the above object, the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 includes an image reading unit that reads a plurality of images, and an image determination unit that determines whether the plurality of read images are marking images. And attribute adding means for adding a mark to an image photographed immediately before the image determined to be the marking image among the plurality of images.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image processing method according to claim 12 includes an image reading step of reading a plurality of images, and an image determination step of determining whether the read plurality of images are images for marking. And an attribute adding step of adding a mark to an image photographed immediately before the image determined to be the marking image among the plurality of images.

  According to the present invention, it is determined whether or not the read image is a marking image. When there is an image determined to be a marking image, a mark is added to the image immediately before the image. Thereby, it is possible to easily mark an image to be marked from images captured from a digital camera or the like, and to improve the efficiency of the marking operation.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the image processing apparatus 1 includes a reading unit 100, an input unit 101, a storage unit 102, and a display unit 103. Further, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 104, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 105, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 106 are provided. The image processing apparatus 1 includes, for example, a personal computer and is connected to an image input device 2 (hereinafter referred to as “digital camera”) 2 such as a digital camera via a reading unit 100.

  The reading unit 100 reads an image captured by the digital camera 2. The input unit 101 includes a keyboard and a pointing device, and the user operates the input unit 101 to input data and instruct operation. The storage unit 102 includes a storage device such as a hard disk, and stores binary data and metadata. The display unit 103 is configured by a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), a liquid crystal display device, or the like, and displays binary data stored in the storage unit 102 or image data read by the reading unit 100.

  The CPU 104 is connected to the above-described units via a bus, and controls them by an input signal or a control program. The ROM 105 and the RAM 106 provide a memory and a work area necessary for control processing by the CPU 104. In addition, a control program for realizing a processing procedure of a flowchart described later is stored in the ROM 105.

  Next, the flow of the marking operation in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The mark in the present embodiment is a kind of attribute information added to an image. The addition of attribute information means writing specific attribute information in the header area of the image file, for example.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the marking operation in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of an operation recorded at the time of shooting and an image to be recorded in the marking operation of FIG.

  In FIG. 2, in step S201, a subject is photographed by the digital camera 2 in accordance with a user operation. If the user wants to mark an image he likes at the time of shooting, the following operation is performed. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, when the user feels that good shooting has been performed when shooting with Img — 0003, the lens is covered with a hand, a black handkerchief or the like, and one shot is taken (Img — 0004). Thereafter, normal shooting is continued (Img_0005), and the same operation is repeated when the desired shooting can be performed again.

  In step S <b> 202, the user performs an operation of causing the image processing apparatus 1 to read all the image files of the images captured by the digital camera 2 after all the capturing is completed. Specifically, the memory card attached to the digital camera 2 is removed and attached to the reading unit 100 of the image processing apparatus 1. By this operation, the image processing apparatus 1 reads an image from the memory card. Further, the digital camera 2 and the image processing apparatus 1 (the reading unit 100) are connected by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like, and the digital camera 2 transfers the image to the image processing apparatus 1 and reads the image. Good.

  In step S203, the image processing apparatus 1 extracts a marking image such as Img_0004 from all the captured image files, and adds a mark to an image captured immediately before the marking image, that is, a corresponding image such as Img_0003. .

  Next, details of the marking operation in step S203 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a detailed flow of the marking operation in step S203 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of images before and after the marking operation of FIG. The process shown in FIG. 4 is a process executed by the CPU 104 based on the control program read from the ROM 105 or the like as described above.

  In FIG. 4, in step S401, the CPU 104 rearranges the image files of n images captured from the digital camera 2 or the like via the reading unit 100 in the order of shooting date and time, and displays an image list ImageList (i) (i: 0, 1, 2, ..., n-1). Here, when continuous shooting or the like is performed with the digital camera 2 and there are a plurality of image files having the same shooting date and time, the plurality of image files are rearranged in the order of file names. The file name order in the present embodiment is the order in which the numbers in the file names are small. The same applies to the embodiments described below.

  In step S402, the CPU 104 sets 1 to the counter i. Since the created image list includes n images, the counter is normally advanced from 0 to n-1. However, since the marking image in the present embodiment is captured after the favorite image is captured, it is clear that the ImageList (0) image is not a marking image. Therefore, the CPU 104 determines whether the image is a markup image from the ImageList (1) image file.

  Next, in step S403, the CPU 104 reads an image in the image file corresponding to ImageList (i) from the image list created in step S401. Here, the image to be read may be a main image in the image file, or may be a thumbnail image smaller than the main image included in the image file for speeding up the processing.

  In step S404, the CPU 104 calculates the average luminance of the image read in step S403. As a method of calculating the average luminance of an image, there is a method of converting a read image signal into a Y / Cb / Cr (Y: luminance signal, Cb / Cr: color difference signal) format by decompression processing / signal conversion or the like. .

  In step S <b> 405, the CPU 104 determines whether or not the image is captured with the lens covered. Specifically, the average luminance obtained by averaging the Y components of the entire image is compared with a preset threshold value (for example, 16 in 256 gradations). If the average brightness is smaller than the threshold value (average brightness <threshold value), the process proceeds to step S406; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S408. Note that the preset threshold value is not limited to the value described in this embodiment as long as it is a value that can identify an image obtained by covering the lens.

  In step S406, the CPU 104 determines that the image file of ImageList (i) is a marking image. For example, in the case of FIG. 5, it is determined that Image_0004, Image_0010, and Image_0014 are marking images.

  Next, in step S407, the CPU 104 adds a mark to the image file of ImageList (i-1) that is the previous image file. For example, in the case of FIG. 5, marks are added to Image_0003, Image_0009, and Image_0013. In step S408, the CPU 104 sets i + 1 to the counter i.

  In step S409, if the counter i is greater than or equal to n (i ≧ n), the CPU 104 ends this process. On the other hand, if the counter i is smaller than n (i <n), the process returns to step S403, and the determination of the marking image after step S403 is repeated.

  When the marking is completed as described above, a screen as shown in FIG. In this screen display, the CPU 104 displays an image with a mark so that it can be distinguished from other images. For example, it is conceivable that an icon is displayed near or over the image, or the image is highlighted with a thick frame. In this way, it is possible to automatically extract a marking image from an image photographed by a digital camera, and it is possible to easily mark an image that the user likes during photographing. In addition, the user can easily grasp the marked image, and access to the image is facilitated. Of course, the image processing apparatus in the present embodiment can also search for an image with a mark using the added mark as a search key.

  According to the first embodiment, the following effects are obtained. That is, when the user can take a favorite image during shooting with the digital camera, immediately after the shooting, the lens is covered and a single marking image is shot. Then, in the image processing apparatus, all image files including the images photographed by the above photographing method are read from the digital camera, and among the images of the read image files, an image whose average luminance is smaller than the threshold value is determined as a marking image. Then, a mark is added to the immediately preceding image file. Thereby, it is possible to easily mark an image to be marked from images captured from a digital camera or the like, and to improve the efficiency of the marking operation.

[Second Embodiment]
The image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration (FIG. 1) as that of the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, and is the same as the first embodiment. Are given the same reference numerals and their description is omitted. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be described.

  In the first embodiment, the number of marks added to the image is one, but there are cases where it is desired to use a plurality of marks properly depending on the situation. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the type of the mark is changed in accordance with the number of marking images that have been taken continuously.

  Details of the marking operation for the image of the image processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a detailed flow of the marking operation in the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of images before and after the marking operation of FIG. The process shown in FIG. 6 is a process executed by the CPU 104 based on a control program read from the ROM 105 or the like.

  In FIG. 6, in step S601, the CPU 104 rearranges the image files of n images captured from the digital camera 2 or the like via the reading unit 100 in the order of shooting date and time, and displays an image list ImageList (i) (i: 0, 1, 2, ..., n-1). Here, when continuous shooting or the like is performed with the digital camera 2 and there are a plurality of image files having the same shooting date and time, the plurality of image files are rearranged in the order of file names. In step S602, the CPU 104 sets 1 to the counter i.

  Next, in step S603, the CPU 104 reads an image in the image file corresponding to ImageList (i) from the image list created in step S601. Here, the image to be read may be a main image in a designated image file, or may be a thumbnail image smaller than the main image included in the image file for speeding up.

  In step S604, the CPU 104 calculates the average luminance of the image read in step S603. As a method of calculating the average luminance of an image, there is a method of converting a read image signal into a Y / Cb / Cr (Y: luminance signal, Cb / Cr: color difference signal) format by decompression processing / signal conversion or the like. .

  In step S605, the CPU 104 compares the average luminance obtained by averaging the Y components of the entire image with a preset threshold value (for example, 16 in 256 gradations). If the average brightness is smaller than the threshold value (average brightness <threshold value), the process proceeds to step S606; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S613. Note that the preset threshold value is not limited to the value described in this embodiment as long as it is a value that can identify an image obtained by covering the lens.

  In step S606, the CPU 104 determines that the image file of ImageList (i) is a marking image. For example, in the case of FIG. 7, it is determined that Image_0004, Image_0010, and Image_0013 are mark-up images.

  Next, in step S607, the CPU 104 reads an image file of ImageList (i + 1) that is the next image file, and calculates the average luminance of the images in the read image file. The method for calculating the average luminance is the same as that in step S604.

  In step S608, the CPU 104 compares the average luminance obtained by averaging the Y components of the entire image of ImageList (i + 1) with a preset threshold value (for example, 16 in 256 gradations). If the average brightness is smaller than the threshold value (average brightness <threshold value), the process proceeds to step S609; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S611. This threshold value is the same as the threshold value used in step S605.

  In step S609, the CPU 104 determines that the ImageList (i + 1) image file is a markup image. For example, in the case of FIG. 7, it is determined that Image_0011 is a marking image.

  Next, in step S610, since the two image files ImageList (i) and (i + 1) are consecutively captured images based on the determination result, the CPU 104 determines the image file of ImageList (i-1). A mark A is added to. For example, in the case of FIG. 7, mark A is added to Image_0009.

  On the other hand, in step S611, since only ImageList (i) is an image for marking from the above determination result, the CPU 104 adds a mark B to the image file of ImageList (i-1). For example, in the case of FIG. 7, a mark B is added to Image_0003 and Image_0012.

  In step S612, since the next image marking image has already been determined, the CPU 104 sets i + 1 to the counter i.

  In step S613, the CPU 104 sets i + 1 to the counter i.

  In step S614, if the counter i is greater than or equal to n (i ≧ n), the CPU 104 ends this process. On the other hand, if the counter i is smaller than n (i <n), the process returns to step S603, and the determination of the marking image after step S603 is repeatedly performed.

  As described above, as shown in FIG. 7, the marking image can be automatically extracted from the image captured by the digital camera, and the mark A, Two types of marks, mark B, can be attached.

  According to the said 2nd Embodiment, there exist the following effects. That is, for example, when a user can shoot a favorite image while shooting with the digital camera, a single marking image is shot by covering the lens immediately after the shooting. Further, for example, when an image to be confirmed later is taken, two marking images are taken by covering the lens immediately after the taking. Then, the image processing apparatus reads from the digital camera all the image files including the images photographed by the above photographing method, and determines an image having an average luminance smaller than the threshold among the read image file images as a marking image, A mark B is added to the immediately preceding image file. On the other hand, when images having an average luminance smaller than the threshold value continue among the images of the read image file, the mark A is added to the image file immediately before the series of continuous images, with the continuous image as a marking image. Accordingly, different types of marking can be performed on a plurality of images to be marked out of images captured from a digital camera or the like, and the efficiency of the marking operation can be improved.

  In the second embodiment, two types of marks A and B are used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two or more types of marks may be used. In this case, the type of mark to be added may be determined according to how many consecutively marked images are taken.

[Third Embodiment]
The image processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration (FIG. 1) as that of the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, and is the same as the first embodiment. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be described.

  In the first and second embodiments, as a predetermined photographing method on the digital camera side, the marking image is created by covering the front of the lens and photographing. However, when a very long lens is used or when the aperture of the lens is large, it is difficult to shoot with the lens covered. Therefore, in the third embodiment, a reference image for marking is taken at the start of shooting on the digital camera side. The reference image for marking is an image serving as a reference for determining whether or not the image is a marking image. In the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the image is a marking image from the difference between the reference image for marking and another image, and a mark is automatically added.

  The flow of the marking operation in the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the marking operation in the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an outline of an operation recorded at the time of shooting and an image to be recorded in the marking operation of FIG.

  In FIG. 8, in step S <b> 801, a marking reference image is captured by the digital camera 2 in accordance with a user operation. Here, it is desirable that the image captured as the reference image for marking is one in which the conditions of the subject do not change as much as possible. An example of a subject whose subject condition is difficult to change is the ground or a uniform wall of a stadium. An example of the reference image for marking is indicated by Img_0001 in FIG.

  After shooting the reference image for marking, the user performs normal shooting (step S802). If the user wants to mark an image he likes at the time of shooting, the following operation is performed. As shown in FIG. 9, for example, when the user feels that good shooting has been performed when shooting Img — 0003, the same subject as the marking reference image (Img — 0001), for example, one ground or wall is shot. (Img — 0004). Thereafter, normal shooting is continued (Img_0005), and the same operation is repeated when the desired shooting can be performed again.

  Next, in step S <b> 803, the user performs an operation of causing the image processing apparatus 1 to read all the images captured by the digital camera 2 after all the capturing is completed. Specifically, the memory card attached to the digital camera 2 is removed and attached to the reading unit 100 of the image processing apparatus 1. By this operation, the image processing apparatus 1 reads an image from the memory card. Further, the digital camera 2 and the image processing apparatus 1 (the reading unit 100) are connected by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like, and the digital camera 2 transfers the image to the image processing apparatus 1 and reads the image. Good.

  In step S804, the image processing apparatus registers the marking reference image (Img — 0001) that is first captured among all the captured image files.

  In step S805, a mark image is extracted using the registered mark reference image, and a mark is added to a corresponding image such as Img_0003 photographed immediately before the mark image.

  Next, details of the marking operation in steps S804 and S805 in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of the marking operation in the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of images before and after the marking operation in FIG. The process shown in FIG. 10 is a process executed by the CPU 104 based on a control program read from the ROM 105 or the like.

  In FIG. 10, in step S1001, the CPU 104 rearranges the image files of n images captured from the digital camera 2 or the like via the reading unit 100 in order from the oldest shooting date and time to the image list ImageList (i) (i: 0). , 1, 2,..., N-1). Here, when continuous shooting or the like is performed with the digital camera 2 and there are a plurality of image files having the same shooting date and time, the plurality of image files are rearranged in the order of file names.

  In step S1002, the CPU 104 reads an image file of ImageList (0). The ImageList (0) image is a reference image for marking that was first taken. Here, the image to be read may be a main image in a designated image file, or may be a thumbnail image smaller than the main image included in the image file for speeding up.

  In step S <b> 1003, the CPU 104 registers the image read in step S <b> 1002 as a mark reference image and stores it in the RAM 106 or the accumulation unit 102 in the image processing apparatus 1.

  In step S1004, the CPU 104 sets 1 to the counter i. Since the created image list includes n images, the counter is normally advanced from 0 to n-1. In this embodiment, since the image of ImageList (0) is a reference image for marking, the CPU 104 determines whether or not it is a marking image from the image file of ImageList (1).

In step S1005, the CPU 104 reads an image in the image file corresponding to ImageList (i) from the image list created in step S1001, and calculates a difference from the marking reference image read in step S1003. This difference corresponds to the degree of similarity indicating how similar the image in the image file corresponding to ImageList (i) and the marking reference image are. If the difference is large, the two are not similar, that is, the similarity is low. Conversely, if the difference is small, it can be said that both are similar, that is, the degree of similarity is high. Here, the difference value calculation method is the sum of the difference values of the element components of each image. For example, when the pixel value of the difference value is (R _R , G _R , B _R ) and the pixel value of the comparison target image is (R _I , G _I , B _I ),
^{_{D (i.j) = (R R}} -R I) 2 + (G R -G I) 2 + (B R -B I) 2
Thus, the total difference value SD is expressed as follows.

SD = ΣD (i.j)
In step S1006, the CPU 104 compares the difference value SD with a preset threshold value (for example, 4096). If the difference value SD is smaller than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S1007, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1009.

  In step S1007, the CPU 104 determines that the image file of ImageList (i) is a marking image.

  Next, in step S1008, since ImageList (i) is an image for marking based on the determination result, the CPU 104 adds a mark to the image file of ImageList (i-1).

  In step S1009, the CPU 104 sets i + 1 to the counter i.

  In step S1010, the CPU 104 ends the process if the counter i is n or more (i ≧ n). On the other hand, if the counter i is smaller than n (i <n), the process returns to step S1005, and the determination of the marking image after step S1005 is repeated.

  As described above, as shown in FIG. 11, an arbitrary marked reference image can be automatically extracted from an image photographed by a digital camera, and an image that a user likes during photographing can be easily marked. Can be attached.

  According to the said 3rd Embodiment, there exist the following effects. That is, normal shooting is performed after a subject that is a reference image for marking is previously captured on the digital camera side, and when a favorite image is captured, a single subject that is a reference image for marking is captured immediately after. Then, in the image processing apparatus, all image files including the images photographed by the photographing method are read from the digital camera, and the first image is registered as a reference image for marking. Then, an image whose difference value between the image of the read image file and the reference image for marking is smaller than the threshold is determined as a marking image, and a mark is added to the immediately preceding image file. Thereby, it is possible to easily mark an image to be marked out of images captured from a digital camera or the like, and it is possible to improve the work efficiency of the marking operation. In addition, when the user wants to perform marking, the user can easily perform marking with substantially the same operation as that of normal shooting without performing an operation such as covering the lens.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The image processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration (FIG. 1) as the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, and is the same as the first embodiment. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be described.

  In the third embodiment, it is necessary to capture a reference image for marking at the start of imaging. However, if the imaging conditions are severe, an appropriate reference image for marking may not be captured. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, a mark image is registered using a gyro sensor inside the digital camera, and it is determined whether the image is a mark image from gyro sensor information (hereinafter referred to as “gyro information”). To add a mark automatically.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an outline of an operation and a recorded image necessary for photographing at the time of a marking operation in the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  The user takes a reference image for marking using the digital camera 2. The reference image for marking is taken with the digital camera in a portrait orientation. An example of the reference image for marking is shown in Img_0001 and Img_0004 in FIG.

  After shooting the reference image for marking, the user performs normal shooting. As shown in FIG. 12, for example, when the user likes the image Img_0003 to Img_0003 and wants to mark the image after taking the image Img_0002 to Img_0003, the image for marking is taken by taking the digital camera vertically. Img — 0004 is obtained. Thereafter, normal photographing is continued (Img_0005). That is, when the user feels that good shooting has been performed, one mark reference image is shot immediately after.

  The user performs an operation of causing the image processing apparatus 1 to read all the images photographed by the digital camera 2 after the photographing is completed. Specifically, the memory card attached to the digital camera 2 is removed and attached to the reading unit 100 of the image processing apparatus 1. By this operation, the image processing apparatus 1 reads an image from the memory card. Further, the digital camera 2 and the image processing apparatus 1 (the reading unit 100) are connected by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like, and the digital camera 2 transfers the image to the image processing apparatus 1 and reads the image. Good.

  Next, details of the marking operation in the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing details of the marking operation in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of images before and after the marking operation of FIG. The process shown in FIG. 13 is a process executed by the CPU 104 based on a control program read from the ROM 105 or the like.

  In FIG. 13, in step S1301, the CPU 104 rearranges the image files of n images captured from the digital camera 2 or the like via the reading unit 100 in order from the oldest shooting date and time to the image list ImageList (i) (i: 0, 1, 2, ..., n-1). Here, when continuous shooting or the like is performed with the digital camera 2 and there are a plurality of image files having the same shooting date and time, the plurality of image files are rearranged in the order of file names.

  In step S1302, the CPU 104 reads an image file of ImageList (0). The ImageList (0) image is a reference image for marking that was first taken. Here, only the gyro information included in the image is read.

  In step S1303, the gyro information of the read reference image for marking is registered as a parameter called Ref and stored in the RAM 106 or the storage unit 102 in the image processing apparatus 1.

  In step S1305, the CPU 104 reads gyro information Gyro (i) in the image file corresponding to ImageList (i).

  In step S1306, the CPU 104 compares the difference between the gyro information Ref registered in step S1303 and Gyro (i) (Ref-Gyro (i)) and a preset threshold value. If the difference between the gyro information Ref and Gyro (i) is smaller than the threshold (Ref-Gyro (i) <threshold), the process proceeds to step S1307; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S1309.

  In step S1307, the CPU 104 determines that the image file of ImageList (i) is a marking image.

  In step S1308, since ImageList (i) is a marking image based on the determination result, the CPU 104 adds a mark to the image file of ImageList (i-1).

  In step S1309, the CPU 104 sets i + 1 to the counter i.

  In step S1310, if the counter i is greater than or equal to n (i ≧ n), the CPU 104 ends this process. On the other hand, if the counter i is smaller than n (i <n), the process returns to step S1305, and the determination of the marking image after step S1305 is repeated.

  As described above, as shown in FIG. 14, an arbitrary marked reference image can be automatically extracted from an image photographed by a digital camera, and a user can easily mark a favorite image during photographing. Can be attached.

  The fourth embodiment provides the following effects. That is, normal shooting is performed after a vertical image serving as a reference image for marking is captured in advance on the digital camera side, and when a favorite image is captured, one image is captured with the digital camera positioned vertically. Then, in the image processing apparatus, all image files including the image photographed by the photographing method are read from the digital camera, and the gyro information Ref is registered from the image having the gyro information. Then, an image in which the difference between the registered gyro information Ref and Gyro (i) is smaller than a preset threshold is determined as a marking image, and a mark is added to the immediately preceding image file. Thereby, it is possible to easily mark an image to be marked out of images captured from a digital camera or the like, and it is possible to improve the work efficiency of the marking operation. In addition, when the user wants to perform marking, the user can easily perform marking with substantially the same operation as normal shooting without shooting the ground, walls, and the like.

  In the fourth embodiment, an image using a gyro sensor is registered as a reference image. However, an image captured in the vertical direction from the beginning may be handled as a marking image without being registered in advance. .

  Also, as in the second embodiment, when a plurality of marking images are taken continuously, another type of mark may be added.

[Fifth Embodiment]
The image processing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration (FIG. 1) as the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, and is the same as in the first embodiment. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be described.

  In the marking methods described in the first to fourth embodiments, when a large number of images are marked, a large number of marking images are generated. Originally, the image for marking is taken for marking other images, not for browsing. Therefore, when a user browses images, many images for marking are displayed. This may make it difficult to view the image. Thus, in the fifth embodiment, a mode in which no marking image is displayed will be described.

  The flow of the marking operation in the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a flow of a marking operation in the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 15, in step S1501, the user performs shooting using the shooting method described in step S201 of FIG. 2 of the first embodiment. That is, when the user feels that good shooting has been performed, a single low-luminance image is shot by covering the lens immediately after the shooting.

  In step S1502, after the shooting is completed, the user causes the image processing apparatus 1 to capture all the images shot by the digital camera 2, as in step S202 of FIG.

  In step S1503, the image processing apparatus 1 extracts a marking image from all the captured image files, adds a hidden file attribute to the marking image, and the corresponding image captured immediately before the marking image. A mark is added to.

  In step S1504, when displaying the captured image, the image processing apparatus 1 does not display the file with the hidden file attribute, displays the marked image with a mark, and displays an image that is neither. Is displayed as it is.

  Next, details of the marking operation in step S1503 in FIG. 15 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing details of the marking operation in step S1503 of FIG. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display state of an image before and after the marking operation of FIG. The process shown in FIG. 15 is a process executed by the CPU 104 based on a control program read from the ROM 105 or the like.

  In FIG. 16, in step S1601, the CPU 104 rearranges the image files of n images captured from the digital camera 2 or the like via the reading unit 100 in the order of shooting date and time, and displays the image list ImageList (i) (i: 0, 1, 2, ..., n-1). Here, when continuous shooting or the like is performed with the digital camera 2 and there are a plurality of image files having the same shooting date and time, the plurality of image files are rearranged in the order of file names.

  In step S1602, the CPU 104 sets 1 to the counter i.

  In step S1603, the CPU 104 reads an image in the image file corresponding to ImageList (i) from the image list created in step S1602. Here, the image to be read may be a main image in the image file, or may be a thumbnail image smaller than the main image included in the image file for speeding up the processing.

  In step S1604, the CPU 104 calculates the average luminance of the image read in step S1603. As a method of calculating the average luminance of an image, there is a method of converting a read image signal into a Y / Cb / Cr (Y: luminance signal, Cb / Cr: color difference signal) format by decompression processing / signal conversion or the like. .

  In step S1605, the CPU 104 compares the average luminance obtained by averaging the Y components of the entire image with a preset threshold value (for example, 16 in 256 gradations). If the average brightness is smaller than the threshold value (average brightness <threshold value), the process proceeds to step S406; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S1609.

  In step S1606, the CPU 104 determines that the image file of ImageList (i) is a marking image.

  In step S1607, the CPU 104 adds a hidden file attribute to the image file of ImageList (i), that is, the image for marking.

  In step S1608, the CPU 104 adds a mark to the image file of ImageList (i-1) that is the previous image file. In step S1609, the CPU 104 sets i + 1 to the counter i.

  In step S1610, the CPU 104 ends the process if the counter i is n or more (i ≧ n). On the other hand, if the counter i is smaller than n (i <n), the process returns to step S1603, and the determination of the marking image after step S1603 is repeatedly performed.

  As described above, as shown in FIG. 17, by extracting the marking image from the image captured by the digital camera and adding the hidden file attribute, the captured image is displayed without displaying the marking image. It becomes possible to do.

  According to the said 5th Embodiment, there exist the following effects. That is, when a user can take a favorite image while taking a picture with the digital camera, immediately after the taking, the lens is covered and a single marking image is taken. Then, in the image processing apparatus, all image files including the images photographed by the above photographing method are read from the digital camera, and among the images of the read image files, an image whose average luminance is smaller than the threshold value is determined as a marking image. . Then, a hidden file attribute is added to the marking image, and a mark is added to the immediately preceding image file. Thereby, it is possible to display only the image with the mark and other images without displaying the image for marking. In addition, it is possible to easily mark an image to be marked out of images captured from a digital camera or the like, thereby improving the work efficiency of the marking work.

  In the fifth embodiment, the marking image is determined using the luminance component. However, as in the first to fourth embodiments, a marking reference image is used, or a digital camera is used. A gyro sensor may be used, or a plurality of photographs may be taken to give the importance of the mark.

  In the first to fifth embodiments, images are rearranged in order of date and time, but may be rearranged in order of file names. If the file name is counted up and given each time a shot is taken, the order of shooting matches the order when sorted in file name order, so the image in the order before the marking image is That is the image you want to mark. Arranging in order of file names speeds up processing. In the first embodiment, the average luminance is used. However, a cumulative value of Y components of the entire image may be used.

  In a digital camera, a compression method for an image file to be stored can be set. For example, it can be set to save only a RAW image (hereinafter, referred to as “RAW”) in which CMOS or CCD sensor information is recorded as it is. It is also possible to set to save an image compressed to a large size by the RAW and JPEG methods. It is also possible to set to save only an image compressed to a large size with JPEG and to save only an image compressed to a small size with JPEG. In this case, an image list ImageList (n) only for RAW, an image list ImageList (n) only for JPEG large size, and the like are created. The list for each type of image file is marked according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  By creating a list according to the file storage setting in this way, it is possible to mark regardless of the storage setting in the digital camera.

  In the first to fifth embodiments, the case has been described in which an image input device such as a digital camera is connected to an image processing device such as a PC, and marking is performed on the image processing device side. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the marking process may be performed in the image input device without connecting the image input device such as a digital camera to the image processing device. That is, the image input device may read an image from the memory card and perform processing up to the processing performed by the image processing device in the first to fifth embodiments.

  In the first to fifth embodiments, a plurality of read images are once rearranged, and a mark is added to the image immediately before the marking image. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to specify an image to be marked by searching for the latest image taken among images taken before the date and time of the image for marking without sorting. Is possible.

  The object of the present invention is achieved by executing the following processing. That is, a storage medium that records a program code of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus is stored in the storage medium. This is the process of reading the code.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention.

  Moreover, the following can be used as a storage medium for supplying the program code. For example, floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD + RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM or the like. Alternatively, the program code may be downloaded via a network.

  Further, the present invention includes a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by executing the program code read by the computer. In addition, an OS (operating system) running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing based on an instruction of the program code, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing. Is also included.

  Furthermore, a case where the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized by the following processing is also included in the present invention. That is, the program code read from the storage medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Thereafter, based on the instruction of the program code, the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the marking operation | movement in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the operation | movement required at the time of imaging | photography and the recorded image in the marking operation | movement of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed flow of the marking operation | movement in step S203 of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the image before and behind the marking operation | movement of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed flow of the marking operation | movement in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the image before and behind the marking operation | movement of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the marking operation | movement in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the image required and the operation | movement required at the time of imaging | photography in the marking operation | movement of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the marking operation | movement in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the image before and behind the marking operation | movement of FIG. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the operation | movement required at the time of imaging | photography at the time of the marking operation | movement in the 4th Embodiment of this invention, and the image recorded. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the marking operation | movement in the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the image before and behind the marking operation | movement of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the marking operation | movement in the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the marking operation | movement in step S1503 of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the image before and behind the marking operation | movement of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image processing apparatus 2 Image input device 100 Reading part 101 Input part 102 Storage part 103 Display part 104 CPU
105 ROM
106 RAM

Claims (13)

Image reading means for reading a plurality of images;
Image determination means for determining whether or not the plurality of read images are marking images;
An image processing apparatus comprising: an attribute adding unit that adds a mark to an image photographed immediately before the image determined to be the marking image among the plurality of images. Further comprising display control means for displaying the plurality of images,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays the image to which the mark is added so as to be distinguishable from other images.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image determination unit determines whether the image is a marking image by comparing an average luminance of the image with a preset threshold value.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the average luminance is a cumulative value of Y components of the entire image.   2. The image attribute adding unit adds a type of mark corresponding to the number of the consecutive marking images when the marking images are continuously photographed. An image processing apparatus according to 1. A reference image registration means for registering a specific image as a reference image for the determination;
The image determination unit calculates a similarity between the image and the registered reference image information, and compares the similarity with a preset threshold value to determine whether the image is a marking image. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the reference image registration unit registers any one of the plurality of read images as a reference image.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image determination unit calculates the similarity based on a difference between an average luminance of the image and an average luminance of the reference image.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the average luminance is a cumulative value of Y components of the entire image. Gyro information registration means for registering gyro information for the determination is further provided,
The image determination unit calculates a difference between the gyro information included in the image and the registered gyro information, and compares the difference with a preset threshold value to determine whether the image is a marking image. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1. The attribute adding means adds a hidden file attribute to the marked image when the image determining means determines that the image is a marking image;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit does not display the image assigned with the hidden file attribute. An image reading process for reading a plurality of images;
An image determination step for determining whether or not the plurality of read images are marking images;
An image processing method comprising: an attribute addition step of adding a mark to an image photographed immediately before the image determined to be the marking image among the plurality of images.   A computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute the image processing method according to claim 12.

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