JP4670681B2 - Photography printing apparatus, photography printing system, photography printing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a photographic printing apparatus, a photographic printing system, and a photographic printing method that take a photograph of a user and print out the photograph after combining the photograph with a background image.

  Recently, for example, a photographic printing apparatus known under the name of Print Club (registered trademark) has been installed in game centers and the like and is gaining popularity. In the photo printing device, users can pose their own poses in the shooting room or select their favorite background and take their own images. The shot images can be used in various ways such as graffiti processing and stamp processing. The printout can be made in a state in which a simple editing process is performed.

  In such a photographic printing apparatus, for the purpose of improving the utilization rotation rate, a plurality of sets of users can widely handle a plurality of customers who proceed in parallel at different positions (for example, the photographic room and the outside of the photographic room) between the photographing process and the subsequent editing process. Adopted. Various techniques for effectively utilizing the waiting time have been proposed so that the waiting time for the print play does not become tedious for the user in such a multiple customer service (Patent Document 1).

In the photo printing apparatus of Patent Document 1, as a user participation type additional function during a waiting time for print play, in addition to a mini game and a questionnaire, a photographed image or an edited image is transmitted via a communication network N to a user's mobile phone, etc. A technique for transmitting to the Internet has been proposed.
JP 2005-192045 A (published July 14, 2005)

  However, in the photographic printing apparatus of Patent Document 1, what is transmitted to the user's cellular phone or the like is an image that has already been captured or edited before the start of the print play, and the user is to transmit an image to be transmitted. It was just a choice.

  Therefore, as for the edited image, the image transmitted to the user's mobile phone or the like and the image printed on the print paper are selected from the same option, so the image variation can be further increased for the user. There wasn't.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a photographic printing apparatus and a photographic print that provide a user with a wide variety of edited images by effectively using the waiting time for print output. The system and the photography printing method are to be realized.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a photographic printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a photographing unit that photographs a subject, and an editing that edits a photographed image photographed by the photographing unit in response to a user operation input. Means, an output means for printing out the image that has been edited by the editing means, an image creation means for creating an image in response to a user's operation input, in parallel with the print output processing by the output means, A terminal determination unit that determines a type of a portable terminal to which the image generated by the generation unit is to be transmitted; and an image generated by the image generation unit based on a determination result of the terminal determination unit Communication control means for converting the data into a data format suitable for the mobile terminal and transmitting the data to the portable terminal.

  In order to solve the above problems, the photography print system according to the present invention edits a photographing unit photographing a subject and a photographed image photographed by the photographing unit in response to a user operation input. Editing means for performing, output means for printing out the image edited by the editing means, and image creating means for creating an image in response to a user operation input in parallel with the print output processing by the output means; A terminal determination unit that determines a type of a portable terminal to which an image generated by the image generation unit is to be transmitted; and an image generated by the image generation unit based on a determination result of the terminal determination unit Communication control means for converting to a data format suitable for the type of data and transmitting it to the portable terminal.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photographic print method for editing a photographic step photographed in a photographing step of photographing a subject and the photographing step in response to a user's operation input in order to solve the above problems. A first editing step, an output step of printing out the image edited in the first editing step, and a first editing step according to a user operation input in parallel with the output step. A second editing step for creating or editing an image different from the step; a terminal determining step for determining a type of a portable terminal to which the image created or edited in the second editing step is to be transmitted; and the terminal determining step Based on the determination result, the image created or edited in the second editing step is converted into a data format suitable for the type of the portable terminal and transmitted to the portable terminal. It is characterized in a communication control step.

  In the above configuration, any user interface such as a combination of an input touch pen and a touch panel or a combination of a computer display and a mouse can be used for editing or image creation. A mobile terminal is a typical mobile terminal, but it may be a PDA having a data transmission / reception function.

  The data format suitable for the type of mobile terminal is, for example, an individual data format defined for each mobile phone communication carrier company, or an individual data format for using functions provided in a specific type of mobile phone. The data format of an image having the number of pixels corresponding to the display of the mobile terminal. Further, the data format suitable for the type of mobile terminal includes data format suitable for data transmission / reception with the mobile terminal or electronic mail.

  In the above-described configuration, it is also preferable that the editing unit and the image creating unit are provided on the same side surface of the apparatus housing. Furthermore, in the above configuration, it is also preferable that the editing unit and the image creating unit have a common hardware configuration. According to these configurations, the user can execute the editing process and the image creation process continuously at the same place with almost no movement.

  In the above-described configuration of the photographic printing apparatus according to the present invention, the image creating means edits the photographic image based on a data format suitable for the type of portable terminal determined by the terminal determining means. It is also preferable to set the user interface at times.

  According to the above configuration, the available image decoration function and the additional functions such as sound disabling differ depending on the data format suitable for the type of mobile terminal, so the type of mobile terminal to which image data should be transmitted and its data format Accordingly, the user interface used for image editing can be used properly. For example, an example in which a user interface having operation input buttons corresponding to the above-described image decoration function and additional functions and a user interface not having these buttons are used properly can be considered.

  The photography printing apparatus according to the present invention may be configured such that, in the above-described configuration, the image creation unit is configured to allow a user to receive a plurality of types of image data when the type of the mobile terminal determined by the terminal determination unit is permitted. It is also preferable to be able to switch between a plurality of user interfaces for each type of image data in response to the operation input.

  According to said structure, according to the kind of data format with which the portable terminal of a transmission destination respond | corresponds, it becomes possible for a user to select in an appropriate flexible case.

  The photography printing apparatus according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, wherein the terminal determination unit determines a type of the mobile phone based on a mail address of the mobile phone input by a user, and the communication control unit includes: Depending on the type of mobile phone determined by the terminal determining means, the image edited by the editing means is converted into mail data in a format supported by the mobile phone and transmitted to the mobile phone. It is also preferable to do.

  Specific examples of the mail data format include an HTML format having an image decoration function, a text format (including a link address to a URL included in the text format), and transmission of an image as an attached file.

  According to the present invention, in addition to the editing process (first editing process) by the first editing unit, the editing process (second editing process) by the second editing unit can be executed. Since the second editing process is performed in parallel with the output of the already edited image by the output means, this output waiting time is effectively utilized. Further, according to the present invention, the edited image obtained by the second editing process can be transmitted to an external portable terminal in an accurate data format corresponding to the type of the portable terminal that is the transmission destination.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, even if the user has no computer expertise, the photographed and printed image can be attached to an e-mail or added to an e-mail in HTML format by using the interface of the photographic printing apparatus. Operation can be realized happily and easily.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

The photo print apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a function for taking a picture of a user as a subject, a function for allowing a user to edit graffiti on the taken picture, and a function for printing out an edited image. , A function of transmitting the edited image to an external mobile phone is provided.
(1. Appearance structure of photo printing device)
The appearance of the photographic printing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the photographic printing apparatus 1 from an angle at which the inside of the photographic space can be seen. Inside the shooting space, a camera having a digital camera for shooting a user, a lighting device for applying various lighting effects during shooting, a voice output unit including a speaker for performing voice guidance during shooting, a liquid crystal A display panel for displaying images of a display panel for a user who is composed of a flat panel display such as a display element or a display panel such as a CRT (cathode ray tube) and taking a shooting pose toward the camera unit. Known configurations are provided in the photographic printing apparatus, such as a touch panel and various buttons of a user interface that accepts input and the like.

  The illuminating device in the photographing space functions as a flash at the time of photographing and also functions as a normal illumination. Inside these lighting devices, for example, a strobe lighting unit that emits light during flash and a fluorescent lamp that emits light as normal illumination are provided. In addition to the normal lighting device, the photography printing apparatus 1 can be appropriately provided with a lighting device for a special lighting effect in a specific mode.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the photographic printing apparatus 1 includes a casing 110, a first unit 111 that constitutes the casing 110, a second unit 112, a ceiling portion 113, and a first unit that is adjacent to the back side of the casing 110. It consists of three units 114. In FIG. 3, the front direction 111-1, the right side surface 111-2, the back side 111-3, the left side surface 111-4, the front side 112-1, and the right side surface 112 are provided as surface directions for convenience in explaining the arrangement state of each unit. -2, the back surface 112-3, and the left side surface 112-4 are illustrated.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the photographic printing apparatus 1 as viewed from the viewpoint at a position on the opposite side of the photographic printing apparatus 1 from the viewpoint of FIG. In FIG. 4, in addition to the member numbers in FIG. 3, on each surface of the third unit 114, a front upper stage (screen part) 114-1, a front middle stage 114-2, a front lower stage 114-3, and a rear upper stage 114-4 are provided. (Partition), direction explanation of back middle stage 114-5, back lower stage 114-6, side face 114-7 is given.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the third unit 114 includes an editing processing touch panel 21, touch pens 22 </ b> A and 22 </ b> B, and audio output units 163 </ b> A and 163 </ b> B.

  The editing processing touch panel 21 displays various messages and images in editing processing such as graffiti. Specifically, the editing processing touch panel 21 displays an image to be edited and various editing tools during image editing processing such as graffiti. As described above, when the photographic printing apparatus 1 is operated, various messages and images to be presented to the user are displayed by the photographic space display, the editing processing touch panel 21 and the like. The user can select a button to be displayed as the process proceeds or draw an image such as a graffiti by bringing the touch pens 22A and 22B into contact with the editing processing touch panel 21. By providing the two touch pens 22 </ b> A and 22 </ b> B in this way, two users can simultaneously input graffiti processing (editing processing) or the like on the captured image displayed on the editing processing touch panel 21.

  Note that the back middle stage 114-5 of the third unit 114 is provided with the editing touch panel 30, touch pens 31A and 31B, and an audio output unit similar to those in FIG. With the touch pens 31 </ b> A and 31 </ b> B, the user waiting for the printing process can input the graffiti process for the photographed image displayed on the editing process touch panel 30. Details of the editing processing realized by the editing processing touch panel 30 will be described later.

  A lower portion of the side surface 114-7 of the third unit 114 is provided with a print discharge port through which print paper printed by a printer (output means) 34 described later is discharged after the photographing process and the editing process are finished. The printer 34 is provided inside the housing of the third unit 114, and when the editing operation is completed, the user takes out a photographic print from the print discharge port.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the photography printing apparatus 1 provides services according to the following flow. Here, a state in which the first set of users (A1 and A2) and the second set of users (B1 and B2) move and flow with play will be described.

  First, when the first set of users (A1 and A2) completes the shooting play in the shooting space, the user moves to the first editing space. The first set of users (A1 and A2) performs a graffiti play (editing process) in which the captured image obtained by the shooting process is edited with the editing touch panel 21 or the touch pens 22A and 22B, while the second set of users. (B1 and B2) perform shooting play in the shooting space. Usually, the time required for the edit play is longer than the time required for the shooting play. Therefore, when the shooting play of the second set of users (B1 and B2) is finished, the first set of users (A1 and A2) is still the first set. The editing space is waiting. Therefore, the second set of users (B1 and B2) moves to the second editing space when the shooting play is completed, and the graffiti for editing the shot image obtained by the shooting process with the editing processing touch panel 30 or the touch pens 31A and 31B. Execute play. When the user (A1, A2) and the user (B1, B2) complete the graffiti play, they wait for the print paper to be discharged while enjoying the mini game play in each editing space, and receive the print paper from the print discharge port 171. . According to the photographic printing apparatus 1 having such a configuration, since the first editing space and the second editing space are separated, it is possible to serve customers at the maximum triple, so that it is possible to increase the user's rotation rate. It has become.

  In the above description, the print discharge port 171 is provided below the side surface 114-7 of the third unit 114. However, the position of the print discharge port 171 is not limited to this. For example, a print discharge port 171 may be provided in each of the lower front stage 114-3 and the lower back stage 114-6 of the third unit 114 so that the user who has completed the mini game play can take out the print output on the spot.

(2. Functional configuration of photo printing device)
Next, the functional configuration of the photographic printing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in addition to the above-described configuration, the photographic printing apparatus 1 has a camera (photographing means) 12, a photographing processing touch panel 13, a live view display panel 14, lighting devices 17a and 17b, a front, Speakers 18a and 18b, storage device (recording medium) 23, external disk drive (recording medium) 24, communication interface (I / F) (communication means) 25, mobile phone communication unit 26, ID tag reader / writer 33, printer 34, A printing paper unit 40 and a control device 50 are provided.

  Here, the live view display panel 14 is a display panel that is provided in the vicinity of the camera 12 and displays a live view for a user who takes a shooting pose toward the camera 12. For example, it is composed of a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display element or a display panel such as a CRT (cathode ray tube). The live view display panel 14 synthesizes a captured moving image including the user captured by the camera 12 and a decorative moving image that is a foreshadow or a background with respect to the captured moving image. The synthesized moving image (live view image) is displayed to the user. Thereby, a user who takes a shooting pose toward the camera unit can visually recognize his / her appearance in real time, and can perform shooting processing while confirming his / her pose.

  The control device 50 comprehensively controls the operations of the various configurations described above in the photographic printing apparatus 1. The control device 50 includes a communication control unit 51 that controls communication with an external device via the communication interface 25, a data processing unit 52, a shooting processing touch panel 13, an editing processing touch panel 21, and an editing processing touch panel 30. A touch panel control unit 53 that performs overall control of display and user operation input, and an image processing unit 54 that executes various types of image processing including editing processing. The data processing unit 52 includes a transmission / reception processing unit 52a that executes transmission / reception management of image data, and a data conversion unit 52b that converts image data into an appropriate data format in accordance with transmission / reception of image data.

The control device 50 is configured by, for example, a PC-based computer. And operation control of various composition is performed by making a computer run a control program.
For example, the control program recorded on an external disk such as a CD-ROM may be read and used by the external disk drive 24, or the control program stored in the storage device 23 may be read and used. It may be a form to do. Further, a mode in which the control program is downloaded from an external network via the communication interface 25, stored in the storage device 23, and the like may be considered.

  The storage device 23 is configured by a nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk. The contents stored in the storage device 23 include the above-described control program (including data corresponding to a selection mode such as image editing content), an OS (operating system) program, various other programs, and operation settings in the camera 12. Values, captured images and edited image data. Examples of the operation setting values in the camera 12 include white balance values set at the time of shipment of the apparatus and maintenance, various parameter values related to image processing when adjusting the brightness and darkness of a captured image, and the like.

  The external disk drive 24 is a drive device that reads from and writes to an external disk such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD-ROM, or DVD-RAM. Instead of the external disk drive 24, a semiconductor memory card reader / writer may be used.

  The ID tag reader / writer 33 and the printer 34 constitute a printer unit, and a print paper 42 and an ID tag 41 serving as a photo print output medium are mounted on the printer unit as a print paper unit 40 as a set. It is like that.

  When image data of a print image to be output is sent from the control device 50, the printer 34 performs printing on the print paper 42 based on the image data. For example, a sublimation printer is used as the printer 34. When a sublimation type printer is used, a sublimation type ink film is delivered as a set in addition to the print paper 42 and the ID tag 41, and is attached to the photographic printing apparatus 1.

  The ID tag reader / writer 33 reads out various identification information recorded in the ID tag 41 and outputs it to the control device 50. The ID tag 41 is configured by an IC chip having a memory function. Examples of the identification information include a unique ID, the number of sheets, a sheet type, and ink-specific color information (when an ink film is set).

  Based on the identification information read by the ID tag reader / writer 33, the control device 50 determines whether the attached print paper 42 and ink film can be used in the photography printing apparatus 1 and can use them. The printer 34 can be operated only in some cases. That is, it is set so that only the print paper 42 and the ink film specified in the photo printing apparatus 1 can be used.

  In addition, by counting down the number of sheets each time the print sheet 42 is used based on the sheet number information recorded in the ID tag 41, the remaining number of sheets can be grasped. Therefore, when the remaining number of sheets is reduced, a configuration that warns the user with a display means or the like can avoid a problem such as running out of sheets during use by the user. . When counting down the number of sheets, the sheet number information recorded in the ID tag 41 is also rewritten. As a result, when the paper is used up, the paper number information recorded in the ID tag 41 is also zero, and the ID tag 41 can be invalidated.

  Further, by reading out the paper type information recorded in the ID tag 41 and the color information specific to the ink, and correcting the color component of the image data in consideration of these, an accurate image on the paper or the ink film is obtained. Output can be performed.

  The ID tag 41 includes a non-contact type ID tag capable of wireless data communication and a contact type ID tag provided with a terminal. The ID tag reader / writer 33 is either one of these or It corresponds to both.

  In the above example, the ID tag 41 is used to check whether the print paper 42 can be used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the print paper 42 and the ink film are used. It is good also as a structure which confirms using the barcode etc. which are printed on the packing material etc. which pack up. However, when a barcode is used, there are problems that the amount of information that can be included is small and that information cannot be rewritten by counting down the number of sheets, for example.

  The printed paper 42 may be a paper sheet which is a normal paper-like medium, or a seal sheet made up of an adhesive sheet and a release sheet attached to the adhesive surface of the adhesive seal. May be.

  The functional configuration of the photographic printing apparatus 1 has been described above. However, the photographic printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is configured to pass through the communication interface 25 and the communication network N (network) such as the Internet as shown in FIG. It is configured to be able to perform data communication with the management server 100 and other photography and printing apparatuses 1. Furthermore, the photography printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can perform various data communications such as image data and e-mail with the external mobile phone 200 by the communication function of the mobile phone communication unit 26. That is, the photographic printing apparatus 1 includes a communication unit for communicating with an external device via the communication network N and a communication unit for communicating with the external device via a communication line of a mobile phone.

(3. Operation flow of photographing printing device)
Next, an operation flow of the photographing print apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in S <b> 1, a standby demonstration screen is displayed on the photographing processing touch panel 13 as a reception process in the photographing space. The demonstration screen includes information such as the machine name, abbreviation, and outline of the photographic printing apparatus 1. In this demonstration screen, a message prompting the user to insert coins, such as “Please insert coins”, may be displayed. When a user entering the shooting space R1 inserts a coin and the charging process by the charging processing unit 43 ends, the demonstration screen is switched to a shooting process screen, and the reception process S1 is completed.

  In S <b> 2, the user designates a moment for taking a photograph with the photographing process touch panel 13 while visually recognizing his / her appearance displayed on the live view display unit 14, and performs a photographing process in the photographing space.

  In the shooting process, the user selects various shooting conditions such as lighting conditions at the time of shooting and the curtain color as a background. A shooting screen (FIG. 8) is displayed on the touch panel 13 for shooting processing, and shooting processing is started. On this shooting screen, a live image obtained by synthesizing a moving image obtained by shooting a user with a curtain as a background and a decorative moving image. The view is displayed in real time and the shooting button is displayed. This live view is also displayed on the live view display unit 14.

  A round button located on the left side in the shooting screen of FIG. 8 is a shooting button. When the user touches the shooting button, the countdown starts. Then, at the end of the countdown, a still image is set from the live view display unit 14 or the live view displayed on the shooting screen. In this way, a still image is set from a synthesized moving image obtained by synthesizing a captured moving image and a decorative moving image. In the subsequent editing process, editing is performed based on the still image set here.

  After such photography is performed twice, a photographing confirmation screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the photographing processing touch panel 13. This photographing confirmation screen is a screen for accumulating and displaying photographed images. In FIG. 9, among images accumulated by taking a picture, an image touched by the user is enlarged and displayed on the left side in the figure, and the remaining images are displayed side by side on the right side in the figure. With this enlarged display, the user can confirm the desired image in detail.

  The control device 50 repeats the above-mentioned photography for a total of four times until the predetermined maximum photographing time elapses, and when the number of photographed images reaches the cumulative limit of eight or when the predetermined maximum photographing time has elapsed. Then, the image selection screen shown in FIG. 10 is displayed. On this image selection screen, a still image taken by the process so far is displayed. When the user touches a still image desired to be printed, the touched still image is selected as a still image for editing and print output. In the photo processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, up to four still images for editing and print output can be selected.

  When the display of the image selection screen is completed, a graffiti movement screen for displaying a message for prompting the user to move to the first editing space or the second editing space is displayed on the photographing processing touch panel 13. Here, guidance for urging the user to move from the speaker 25 may flow.

As described above, since the shooting process of S4 is completed, the display of the shooting process touch panel 13 is as follows.
Return to the demonstration screen in S1 and wait for the next user.

  Next, the customer service of the photographic printing apparatus 1 in the first editing space will be described.

  In the following description, it is assumed that the user performs editing processing in the first editing space. However, even when the user performs editing processing in the second editing space, the editing processing touch panel and the like to be operated are different. The customer service is the same except for this.

  The photography printing apparatus 1 performs an editing process (editing process 1) such as graffiti in the first editing space by the function of the image processing unit 54 (S3).

  The editing processing touch panel 21 displays a graffiti editing screen in a standby state or when the user completes the movement to the first editing space, so that the user can perform editing processing. On the left side of the editing screen for graffiti shown in FIG. 11, an editing target image selected from the four editing and print output still images selected in S2 is displayed. The user can switch the image to be edited as appropriate by operating the touch pens 22A and 22B. In the upper center of FIG. 11, the remaining time of the time limit that can be edited is displayed.

  In addition, a selection area for tools for performing editing processing is displayed on the upper right side of the editing screen. As tools, for example, a plurality of types of pens and their colors, frame images, and various stamp buttons are displayed, and a desired editing process is performed by selecting one of these buttons. In FIG. 11, selectable pens, stamps, frame type selection buttons and size designation buttons are displayed from the right side to the center of the editing screen. Note that, as shown as “recommended” and “standard” in FIG. 11, the stamp types on the editing screen are preferably classified into groups according to the usage frequency and the theme of the picture. If such group classification is made, the user can quickly select a desired stamp. Further, if a configuration is adopted in which the display stamp group is switched in units of groups, even if the number of stamp types is enormous, it becomes easier for the user to grasp and select.

  Although FIG. 11 shows an example of a horizontally long screen, the editing screen is divided into left and right as a vertically long image by changing the position of the tools on this screen, and the right and left users can edit each image. Good. Usually, the user on the left side of the screen edits using the touch pen 22A, and the user on the right side of the screen edits using the touch pen 22B.

  Also, at the bottom of the editing screen, buttons such as eraser (large, medium and small) and redo (one / all) are displayed, and a desired erasing process is performed by selecting one of these buttons.

  In the editing process of the photographic printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a “hollow stamp” function that uses a part of the image to be edited as a stamp pattern can be used. The specific procedure when using the “cut-out stamp” function is as follows.

  First, by using the touch pens 22 </ b> A and 22 </ b> B to touch the “hollow stamp” button on the editing screen, the use of the “hollow stamp” function is started. Next, by selecting a desired stamp shape from the stamp shape list displayed on the editing screen, the shape of “cutout stamp” is selected. For example, in the stamp shape list, shapes such as a rectangle, a circle, a triangle, a star, and a trapezoid are listed, and the user selects a desired shape from these shapes.

  Thereafter, when the user touches an arbitrary part of the image to be edited on the editing screen with the touch pens 22A and 22B, the selected shape appears around the pressed part of the image to be edited. The area within the selected shape is a cut-out portion of the image to be edited, that is, a stamp image area.

  At this time, when the touch panel for editing process 21 is continuously pressed with the touch pens 22A and 22B, it is also preferable to periodically change the size of the cutout portion in the order of small → medium → large → medium → small. Thereby, the user can cut out the image to be edited with a desired area size by separating the touch pen 22 from the editing processing touch panel 21 at an arbitrary timing.

  The cutout image of the editing target image obtained in this way is displayed on the editing screen as a freely selectable “cutout stamp”, and is then freely selected as a stamp image on the editing target image. Can be added to. Of course, the image to be edited that is the target of the “Cut out stamp” may be the image that is the source of the cut out when creating the “Cut out stamp”, or after the “Cut out stamp” has been created, It may be an image different from the cut-out source selected as the image.

  If such a “cut-out stamp” is used, not only the type of stamp prepared in advance by the photographic printing apparatus 1 but also a part of one's own photographed image is used as a stamp image in the editing process. Will be able to.

  The editing process in S3 is provided with a predetermined time limit so that multiple customers can be smoothly executed. After the time limit has elapsed, the editing process by the user is completed.

  The photographic printing apparatus 1 prints out the photographed image edited in S2 from the print discharge port 31 (S4) and starts a mini game process (editing process 2) (S5).

  When the editing process of S3 is completed, a seal division screen as shown in FIGS. 12 to 13 is displayed (S4). A division number setting process is performed on this seal division screen. The division number setting process is a process for setting in what division each image is printed on the print paper at the time of printing. A normal division number setting screen is as shown in FIG. 12, for example. In this division number setting screen, divided images of 4 divisions, 8 divisions, 12 divisions, 16 divisions, 20 divisions, 24 divisions, 28 divisions, and 32 divisions are displayed, and the user selects one of them. Become. In addition, if the user selects the upper “divide by 2” button on the sticker split screen of FIG. 12, the screen is switched to the sticker split screen of FIG. 13 and a split split image is displayed. A two-division setting can be selected. As described above, when the division number setting process is completed, the print image is finalized. Therefore, the control device 50 instructs the printer 34 to start print output.

  The photography printing apparatus 1 may be provided with an option mode in which the print output is two sheets by repeating each process from the division number setting to printing in exchange for allowing the user to add an additional fee. The print output process requires a predetermined print time (for example, several minutes) according to the performance of the printer 34 and the number of print outputs.

  Note that the number “10” in the upper left part of the screen in FIGS. 12 to 13 is the remaining time limit for which the user is allowed to input an operation. The photography printing apparatus 1 has a time limit for each process in order to realize smooth multiple customer service, and the time limit counts down on the screen and prompts the user for quick operation input. The same applies to the numbers in the upper right part of the screen in FIGS.

  When the division number setting process is completed, the photographic printing apparatus 1 starts a mini game process (editing process 2) in parallel with the printing process (S5). First, the photography printing apparatus 1 presents a mini game menu selection screen shown in FIG. 14 on the editing processing touch panel 21. In this menu selection screen, “do nothing”, “mobile phone transmission”, “material graffiti”, and “popularity vote” are presented as options. Note that, as described above, since the photography printing apparatus 1 is based on the assumption that the user plays in units of two, FIG. The menu button is arranged. In this embodiment, the two users can select different menus for “do nothing”, “mobile transmission”, and “material graffiti”, while the two users share the same “popular vote”. It is assumed that it can only be selected. When two users select different menus, the editing touch panel 21 is divided into two and a screen corresponding to each menu is displayed.

  When the user selects “Do Nothing” on the menu selection screen of FIG. 14, the photography printing apparatus 1 does not ask the user for further operation input and displays a predetermined demonstration screen on the editing processing touch panel 21. Is displayed. In this case, the user waits for the print output process described above.

  When the user selects “mobile transmission” on the menu selection screen of FIG. 14, the photo print device 1 uses the communication function of the mobile phone communication unit 26 to capture the edited image edited in S3 or the image captured in S2. Send the image to the user's mobile phone. In this case, the photography printing apparatus 1 displays on the editing processing touch panel 21 a transfer image selection screen for selecting an image to be transferred from the edited image edited in S3 or the captured image taken in S2. . When the user selects an image to be transferred on the transfer image selection screen, the edit processing touch panel 21 accepts input of the mail address of the user's mobile phone. Then, the control device 50 of the photographic printing apparatus 1 uses the functions of the communication control unit 51, the data processing unit 52, the communication interface 25, and the mobile phone communication unit 26 to select the data of the selected image via the wireless communication line for the mobile phone. To the above email address. In the above description, the selection of the transfer image and the input of the mail address may be reversed.

  When the user selects “popular vote” on the menu selection screen of FIG. 14, the photo print device 1 accesses the past edited image database stored in the management server 100 via the communication network N, and edits them. The edited images in the image database are displayed on the editing processing touch panel 21 in a predetermined list format. When the user selects a favorite image from the displayed edited images and inputs a vote, the popular vote count result in the edited image database of the management server 100 is obtained in real time or periodically based on this vote information. Updated. The user can not only vote for a favorite image but also check and enjoy the results of the popular vote so far on the editing processing touch panel 21.

  Next, the processing when the user selects “material graffiti” on the menu selection screen in FIG. 14 will be described in detail. In this case, in order to effectively use the print output waiting time of the printer 34, the photography printing apparatus 1 prompts the user to input an operation using the editing process touch panel 21 and performs an image creation process (editing process 2). .

  The edited image obtained by the editing process 2 is transmitted to the user's mobile phone. The user can use the edited image as a material image such as a standby screen, an e-mail background screen, a banner image, a header image, a footer image, or a stamp image on a mobile phone.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of an e-mail address input screen displayed on the editing processing touch panel 30 when the user selects “material graffiti”. In the figure, the buttons “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, “E”, and “F” displayed below the upper mail address display window indicate the carrier company type of the mobile phone. . This selection input of the carrier company type is not only used for defining the data communication standard when the mobile phone communication unit 26 communicates with the user's mobile phone, but also a part of the mail address ( For example, it is used to assist the input of a subdomain name.

  Some mobile phone communication standards operated by specific carrier companies have a special function for mail transmission. For example, NTT DOCOMO's third-generation mobile phone (registered trademark FOMA) uses mail with a decoration function called “Deco-mail” or “Deco-mail” (both registered trademarks). be able to. This email is in HTML format, and you can select and change the background color of the email text, decorate characters, change the size, etc., and use advanced decoration functions such as pasting images, inserting melodies and animations, etc. can do. Hereinafter, mail having such a special decoration function will be collectively referred to as “decoration mail”.

  The photography printing apparatus 1 should create an edited image edited in the “material graffiti” in a format suitable for a decoration mail according to the selection of the carrier company type described above, or a normal mail without a special decoration function. Automatically determine whether to create a suitable format. Note that the image creation in the “material graffiti” may be to edit an image taken in the shooting space, or to create a new image completely unrelated to the shot image.

  16 to 17 are diagrams showing examples of screens when the photography printing apparatus 1 executes graffiti processing (decome graffiti) in a format suitable for decoration mail as “material graffiti”.

  In FIG. 16, an edit area with a mobile phone screen as a motif is provided in the center of the screen, and on the left and right sides are buttons for selecting a pen input color and a background color switching selection button (see FIG. 2 buttons on the right side of the middle), eraser button (right side in the figure), processing button for instructing to undo and cancel the input step (right side of the eraser button), for specifying the background color of the edited image and the pen input color A color palette (lower side in the figure) is provided.

  In addition, three “doodle sample” images serving as reference samples when the user performs the doodle process are displayed in the upper part of FIG. The photographic printing apparatus 1 holds a large number (for example, about several hundreds) of “graffiti samples” images, and the user performs a predetermined switching operation (for example, an operation of clicking one of the three “graffiti samples”). By doing so, it is possible to sequentially switch the “graffiti samples” displayed on the screen. A configuration in which the “graffiti sample” image is directly copied to the editing area by a predetermined operation by the user may be employed.

  In the screen example of FIG. 17, a line type palette for selecting an input line type by pen input is displayed instead of the color palette in FIG. In this line type palette, the input line thickness can be selected from three types, and the input line shape can be selected from multiple images consisting of “Normal”, “Fuchidori”, “Kakupunyo”, “Kakukaku”, “Crayon” and “Solid” images. The line shape group can be switched and selected. Further, although not shown in the figure, a “stamp” image (for example, a heart shape, a star shape, etc.) commonly used in a photographic printing apparatus may be selected and used when creating an image.

  In graffiti processing (decome graffiti) realized by such operation input on the screen, the edited image that makes the most of the decoration function of decoration mail (HTML format or the like) by the user performing a predetermined operation input For example, it is possible to create an edited image including an animation. The user can easily obtain a desired image (material image) that is highly decorated and edited by himself / herself, even if he / she does not have advanced computer knowledge such as HTML, by transmitting the edited image to his / her own mobile phone. It becomes possible.

  In deco graffiti, the image data that is the subject of “material graffiti” has a configuration in which, for example, the decoration part data in the transparent GIF data format and the background image part data (GIF or JPEG) are layered. Is also preferable. In this way, the decoration part data and the background image part data can be handled independently to perform color specification processing, etc., so you can change the background color of the email or make only the email background color colorless. Thus, it is possible to make only the decorative part appear as an emoji. Further, the punched stamp created at the time of image editing in S3 (a part of the photographed image combined with the drawing for stamping) can be used as a material creation tool for “material graffiti”.

  On the other hand, FIG. 18 to FIG. 19 show almost the same screen examples as FIG. 16 to FIG. 17, but these are special image decoration functions for the photography printing apparatus 1 as “material graffiti”. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen when performing graffiti processing (standby graffiti) with the normal mail format which does not have. Note that this graffiti process is referred to as “standby graffiti” because the edited image obtained by this graffiti process is often used as an image for the standby screen on the destination mobile phone. Because.

  In addition to “Deco-mail” and “Deco-mail”, the above-mentioned third-generation mobile phone (FOMA) manufactured by NTT DoCoMo, Inc. can also send and receive text-based mail without a special image decoration function. Therefore, when such a cellular phone is designated as the transmission destination of the edited image, the edit screen of FIGS. 16 to 17 and the edit screen of FIGS. 18 to 19 can be switched at any time, and an appropriate switching button or the like is provided. It is good to have it. Thus, the user can freely select and change which of the image suitable for the decoration mail and the image suitable for the normal mail having no special decoration function are to be edited. The parallel printing process of S4 and the editing process of S5 are provided with a predetermined time limit so that multiple customers can be smoothly executed.

  FIG. 20 shows a processing flow when the photographic printing apparatus 1 sends an e-mail to the user's mobile phone 200 by using the functions of the control device 50, the communication control unit 51, and the mobile phone communication unit 26 after the above processing is completed. It is a flowchart which shows.

  First, the control device 50 or the communication control unit 51 uses the user's operation input result or the like on the menu selection screen of FIG. 14 to indicate that the user has taken a photographed image of S2 or an edited image of S3 (these are collectively referred to as “photograph images”). ) Is determined (S21). If the determination result in S <b> 21 is Yes, the control device 50 or the communication control unit 51 transmits a mail attached with a photographic image to the user's mobile phone 200 via the mobile phone communication unit 26.

  If the determination result in S21 is No, the control device 50 or the communication control unit 51 attaches the creation image of “material graffiti” to the mail based on the user operation input result on the menu selection screen of FIG. It is determined whether or not (S22). If the determination result in S <b> 22 is No, the communication control unit 51 transmits an email consisting only of text information to the user's mobile phone 200 via the mobile phone communication unit 26.

  If the determination result in S22 is Yes, the control device 50 or communication control unit 51 determines that the destination mobile phone 200 is based on a part of the mail sub-address (type of carrier company). It is determined whether or not it is a DOCOMO third-generation mobile phone (FOMA) (S23).

  If the determination result in S23 is Yes, the control device 50 or the communication control unit 51 can specify that the mobile phone 200 as the mail transmission destination is FOMA and can receive deco-mail (HTML mail). The decoy (HTML mail) created as an image is transmitted to the user's mobile phone 200. At this time, the decoration image data is transmitted as a part of the mail with its range cut out in a rectangle.

  If the determination result in S24 is Yes, the control device 50 or the communication control unit 51 can specify that the mobile phone 200 as the mail transmission destination is not FOMA and cannot receive deco-mail (HTML mail), so that the material image Then, an e-mail with link information for accessing the created standby image is transmitted to the mobile phone 200 of the user.

  That is, the photography printing apparatus 1 determines the type of the mobile phone to which the image created by the image creation unit is to be transmitted, and based on the determination result, whether the image should be created in a format suitable for the decoration mail, Automatically determines whether it should be created in a format suitable for ordinary mail that does not have a decorative function, and further converts the image created by the image creation means into a data format suitable for the type of mobile phone and sends it to the mobile phone It is supposed to be.

  FIG. 21 is a screen display example showing a state when the mail transmitted by the mail transmission flow of FIG. 20 is confirmed on the display of the mobile phone 200. FIG. 21A shows an example of a screen display when the mobile phone 200 as the mail transmission destination is FOMA and the decoy is received and displayed. FIG. 21B is an example of a screen display when the mail transmission destination mobile phone 200 is a mobile phone other than FOMA and receives and displays an image-attached mail without a decoration function. An image created by “material graffiti” is displayed in the “handwritten img” area in FIGS. In FIGS. 21A and 21B, the almost maximum allowable area is the area of “handwritten img”, but the area size of “handwritten img” is not the size or pixel of the image created by “material graffiti” It depends on the number. The “handwritten img” area is different from the background color of the other areas, and is specified as an image in which the decoration-specific decoration part data (transparent GIF) and the background image part data (GIF or JPEG) overlap each other. And so on.

  On the other hand, a configuration in which the “material graffiti” is performed at the same time as the graffiti processing in the first editing space is also conceivable. However, normally, the graffiti processing in the first editing space is desired to secure a longer time than the shooting processing in the shooting space R1 and the printing processing in the second editing space according to the user's request. Therefore, in the triple customer service of the photographic printing apparatus 1, the graffiti processing in the first editing space is the overall rate-limiting process, and if graffiti processing is performed twice in the first editing space, each graffiti processing is performed. There is a problem of setting the processing time short or reducing the rotation rate of the entire apparatus.

  Therefore, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 21, in the photography printing apparatus 1, after the graffiti processing (editing time 1) in the first editing space, in parallel with the printing time in which printing output by the printer 34 is performed. In addition to “material graffiti”, each process of “mobile transmission” and “popularity vote” is executed. As described above, the number of printouts by the photographic printing apparatus 1 may be one or two.

  In FIG. 21, the completion of the editing time 2 of “material graffiti” is later than the completion of the printing time (including the case of printing the second sheet), but the completion timing of the editing time 2 is triple in the entire apparatus. It is preferable to set the service efficiency (rotation rate) so as not to deteriorate so much. On the contrary, if the completion timing of the editing time 2 is set late, for example, even if the shooting time in the shooting space R1 is set long, the rotation rate of the entire apparatus is not affected.

  Further, when the user selects and executes “material graffiti”, the user may be charged in addition to the normal play fee. By doing so, the profit of the store side which installs the photography printing apparatus 1 can be increased.

   Note that, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 21, the processing time of “material graffiti” is often set longer than the processing times of “mobile phone transmission” and “popular vote”. In this way, a part of the “material graffiti” processing (in FIG. 22, part of the mail address input time and the editing time 2) may be designed to be faster than usual. With such a design, although the editing time 1 is shortened, the editing time 2 can be set long without sacrificing the rotation rate of the entire apparatus, so that a mobile phone (a portable terminal including other PDAs) can be set. It is possible to secure a relatively long time for “material graffiti” for editing an image to be transmitted to the network.

  In the “material graffiti” in FIG. 22, when the mail address input process is completed in a time shorter than the specified time, the start of the editing time 2 (the graffiti process) may be advanced by that time. If it does so, it will become easy to secure edit time 2 long further. More specifically, when the input of both mail addresses of two users is completed in a time shorter than the specified time, the user can perform the letter-writing process for a longer time. At this time, on the left and right sides of the screen, one is the display of FIG. 15 and the other is the display of FIGS.

  In order to realize the time design of FIG. 22, it is determined that “material graffiti” processing is selected instead of “mobile transmission” and “popular vote” before graffiti processing in the first editing space is performed. Therefore, it is necessary to present the menu selection screen shown in FIG. 14 to the user before the graffiti process in the first editing space and select the menu.

  In this embodiment, the input process of the e-mail address of the mobile phone 200 is indispensable. However, in order to secure a longer graffiti process, the e-mail address of the mobile phone is obtained by a method other than the input of the e-mail address. Also good. For example, when the user transmits a blank e-mail to an e-mail address presented by the photographic printing apparatus 1, the photographic printing apparatus 1 can acquire e-mail address information of the mobile phone 200. In such a case, the user is informed of the predetermined URL as a reply to the blank e-mail, and further, the user inputs a predetermined identification (ID) number provided by the photography printing apparatus 1 on the website of the URL. Further, a configuration may be adopted in which a photographic image, a decoy image, and a standby image are acquired. According to this configuration, the photography printing apparatus 1 acquires not only the mail address information based on the reception of the empty mail but also the model information of the mobile phone 200 when the mobile phone 200 accesses the URL, Based on the model information, it is possible to determine the type of the mobile phone 200 to which a created image of “material graffiti” should be transmitted.

  When the above processes are completed, the control device 50 of the photographic printing apparatus 1 returns the display of the editing processing touch panel 30 to the “demo screen” and completes the customer service of the photographic printing apparatus 1 in the second editing space. The user receives the photographic print output from the printer 34 and discharged from the print discharge port 31, and ends the series of play operations.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately changed within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  Note that each unit and each processing step of the photographic printing apparatus according to the present embodiment is such that a calculation unit such as a CPU executes a program stored in a storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM, and an input such as a keyboard is performed. It can be realized by controlling the means, output means such as a display, or communication means such as an interface circuit. Therefore, various functions and various processes of the photographic printing apparatus of the present embodiment can be realized simply by a computer having these means reading a recording medium storing the program and executing the program. Further, by recording the program on a removable recording medium, the various functions and various processes described above can be realized on an arbitrary computer.

  As this recording medium, a program medium such as a memory (not shown) such as a ROM may be used for processing by the microcomputer, or a program reader is provided as an external storage device (not shown). It may be a program medium that can be read by inserting a recording medium therein.

  In any case, the stored program is preferably configured to be accessed and executed by the microprocessor. Furthermore, it is preferable that the program is read out, and the read program is downloaded to a program storage area of the microcomputer and the program is executed. It is assumed that this download program is stored in advance in the main unit.

  The program medium is a recording medium configured to be separable from the main body, a tape system such as a magnetic tape or a cassette tape, a magnetic disk such as a flexible disk or a hard disk, or a disk such as a CD / MO / MD / DVD. Fixed disk, IC card (including memory card), etc., or semiconductor ROM such as mask ROM, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), flash ROM, etc. In particular, there are recording media that carry programs.

  In addition, if the system configuration is capable of connecting to a communication network including the Internet, the recording medium is preferably a recording medium that fluidly carries the program so as to download the program from the communication network.

  Further, when the program is downloaded from the communication network as described above, it is preferable that the download program is stored in the main device in advance or installed from another recording medium.

  The present invention can be applied to a general photographic printing apparatus that shoots a photograph and performs an editing process on the photographed image and prints it out.

It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the photography printing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the communication connection structure of the said photography printing apparatus. It is the perspective view which showed the external appearance of the said photography photography printing apparatus. It is the other perspective view which showed the external appearance of the said photography photography printing apparatus. It is the figure which showed the external appearance of the operation surface of a 3rd unit. It is a schematic diagram which shows the flow of the user in the said photography photography printing apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement flow in the said photography photography printing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of an imaging | photography screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of an imaging | photography confirmation screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an image selection screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the edit screen for graffiti. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a seal | sticker division | segmentation screen. It is a figure which shows the further example of a display of a seal | sticker division | segmentation screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a menu selection screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of an e-mail address input screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen when performing a graffiti process (decome doodle). It is a figure which shows the further example of a screen when performing a graffiti process (decome doodle). It is a figure which shows the example of a screen when performing graffiti processing (standby graffiti). It is a figure which shows the further example of a screen when performing a graffiti process (standby graffiti). It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a mail transmission process. (A) is a screen display example when the mobile phone receives and displays decoy, and (b) is a screen display example when an image-attached mail not having a decoration function is received and displayed. It is a time chart which shows the example of the time allocation of each process in a photography printing apparatus. It is a time chart which shows the further example of the time allocation of each process in a photography printing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

N Communication network 12 Camera (photographing means)
21 Editing processing touch panel 26 Mobile phone communication unit (communication control means)
30 Touch panel for editing process 34 Printer (output means)
51 Communication control unit (communication control means)

Claims (8)

Photographing means for photographing the subject;
Editing means for editing the captured image captured by the imaging means in response to a user operation input;
And output means for printing out the image editing has been performed in the editing means,
In parallel with the print output process by the output means, an image creation means for creating an image according to a user operation input;
A terminal determination means determines the type of the portable terminal to transmit an image created by the image creating means,
Based on the determination result of the terminal determining unit, and a communication control unit for transmitting and converting the image created by the image creating means into a data format suitable for the type of the portable terminal to the portable terminal,
Said image forming means, said terminal based on the determined data format suitable to the type of the portable terminal in the determination means, photographic characterized that you set the user interface when performing editing of the captured image captured Printing device.   Photographing means for photographing the subject;
  Editing means for editing the captured image captured by the imaging means in response to a user operation input;
  An output means for printing out the image edited by the editing means;
  In parallel with the print output process by the output means, an image creation means for creating an image according to a user operation input;
  Terminal determination means for determining the type of portable terminal to which the image created by the image creation means should be transmitted;
  Communication control means for converting the image created by the image creation means into a data format suitable for the type of the portable terminal and transmitting it to the portable terminal based on the determination result of the terminal determination means;
  When the type of portable terminal determined by the terminal determination unit allows reception of image data in a plurality of formats, the image creation unit targets image data of each format in response to a user operation input. A photographic printing apparatus characterized in that a plurality of user interfaces can be switched.   3. The user interface for editing the captured image based on a data format suitable for the type of portable terminal determined by the terminal determination unit. Photographic printing device described in 1.   The terminal determination means determines the type of the mobile phone based on the mail address of the mobile phone input by the user,
  The communication control means converts the image edited by the editing means into mail data of a format supported by the mobile phone according to the type of the mobile phone determined by the terminal determination means. 4. The photographic printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photographic printing apparatus transmits to the mobile phone.   Photographing means for photographing the subject;
  Editing means for editing the captured image captured by the imaging means in response to a user operation input;
  An output means for printing out the image edited by the editing means;
  In parallel with the print output process by the output means, an image creation means for creating an image according to a user operation input;
  Terminal determination means for determining the type of portable terminal to which the image created by the image creation means should be transmitted;
  Communication control means for converting the image created by the image creation means into a data format suitable for the type of the portable terminal and transmitting it to the portable terminal based on the determination result of the terminal determination means;
  The image creating means sets a user interface for editing the photographed image based on a data format suitable for the type of portable terminal determined by the terminal determining means. system.   Photographing means for photographing the subject;
  Editing means for editing the captured image captured by the imaging means in response to a user operation input;
  An output means for printing out the image edited by the editing means;
  In parallel with the print output process by the output means, an image creation means for creating an image according to a user operation input;
  Terminal determination means for determining the type of portable terminal to which the image created by the image creation means should be transmitted;
  Communication control means for converting the image created by the image creation means into a data format suitable for the type of the portable terminal and transmitting it to the portable terminal based on the determination result of the terminal determination means;
  When the type of portable terminal determined by the terminal determination unit allows reception of image data in a plurality of formats, the image creation unit targets image data of each format in response to a user operation input. A photographic print system characterized in that a plurality of user interfaces can be switched.   A shooting step for shooting the subject;
  A first editing step of editing the captured image captured in the imaging step in response to a user operation input;
  An output step of printing out the image edited in the first editing step;
  A terminal determination step of determining a type of a mobile terminal to which an image that is different from the image in the first editing step and is to be created or edited by editing a captured image;
  In parallel with the output step, based on a data format suitable for the type of mobile terminal determined in the terminal determination step, a user interface for performing editing on the captured image is set, and in the user interface A second editing step for creating or editing an image different from the first editing step in response to a user operation input;
  A communication control step of converting the image created or edited in the second editing step into a data format suitable for the type of the mobile terminal and transmitting the data to the mobile terminal based on the determination result of the terminal determination step; A photo printing method characterized by the above.   A shooting step for shooting the subject;
  A first editing step of editing the captured image captured in the imaging step in response to a user operation input;
  An output step of printing out the image edited in the first editing step;
  A terminal determination step of determining a type of a mobile terminal to which an image that is different from the image in the first editing step and is to be created or edited by editing a captured image;
  In parallel with the output step, when the type of the mobile terminal determined in the terminal determination step allows reception of image data in a plurality of formats, the image data in each format is converted according to a user operation input. A plurality of user interfaces that can be switched, and a second editing step for creating or editing an image different from the first editing step in response to a user operation input on the user interface;
  A communication control step of converting the image created or edited in the second editing step into a data format suitable for the type of the mobile terminal and transmitting the data to the mobile terminal based on the determination result of the terminal determination step; A photo printing method characterized by the above.