JP5367101B2 - Album creating method, program, and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to color adjustment of a mount on which an image is arranged.

  As conventional techniques for adjusting the color scheme of the mount in accordance with the images arranged in the album, there are Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. In Patent Document 1, the color scheme of an album template (background mount) is determined based on the color scheme of an image.

  In Patent Document 2, a color to be used for a portion other than a photographed image in an album is selected based on the photographing position.

JP 2006-279929 A JP 2006-352841 A

  Since the mount becomes the background of the image, it greatly affects the overall image of the album as a product. If the design layout of the mount according to the image is applied, and the color of the mount is balanced against the content and position of each image on one page, the product is better for the image. In this way, there is a need to increase the product value of the album by changing the color of the mount for each color of the image.

  In Patent Document 1, there is no change in color according to an image in one mount, and it is not sharp. In Patent Document 2, the image shooting location and the color are merely linked, and the color of the image itself is not reflected on the mount.

  The object of the present invention is to change the color of the mount according to the color of the image arranged on one mount and the location of the image, and to create an album with a higher originality and a sense of unity of color. It is to make it possible to create.

  The color adjustment method according to the present invention includes an image acquisition step, a step of analyzing the color of the acquired image, a step of determining an arrangement position of the image according to the color of the image, Adjusting the color of the mount on which the image is arranged according to the color of the image and the arrangement position.

  According to the present invention, the color of the mount is changed in accordance with the color and arrangement of the image, the album has a uniform color, and a good-looking album is completed, increasing the commercial value.

  In addition, since the images are arranged according to the color of the images, the colors of the adjacent images are harmonized, so that a good-looking album is completed and the commercial value is increased.

  Preferably, when there are a plurality of acquired images, the arrangement positions of the plurality of images are determined so that regions having a common color included in the plurality of images are continuous.

  Preferably, the method includes a step of analyzing a subject of the image and a step of determining an arrangement position of the image according to the subject of the analyzed image.

  Preferably, the method includes a step of determining the type and arrangement position of the decoration image according to the color of the image and the arrangement position of the image.

  Preferably, the method includes a step of obtaining metadata corresponding to the image, and a step of adjusting a color of a mount on which the image is arranged based on the content of the metadata.

  A program for causing a computer to execute the above-described color adjustment method is also included in the present invention.

  The color adjustment device according to the present invention includes an image acquiring unit, a unit for analyzing the color of the acquired image, a unit for determining an arrangement position of the image according to the color of the image, Means for adjusting the color of the mount on which the image is arranged according to the color of the image and the arrangement position.

  According to the present invention, the color of the mount is changed in accordance with the color and arrangement of the image, the album has a uniform color, and a good-looking album is completed, increasing the commercial value.

  In addition, since the images are arranged according to the color of the images, the colors of the adjacent images are harmonized, so that a good-looking album is completed and the commercial value is increased.

Configuration diagram of photo album creation device Photo album creation process flowchart The figure which shows an example of the division area set to the image and the image The figure which shows an example of the analysis result of the color for every division area of an image The figure which shows an example which has arrange | positioned the color common among several images continuously The figure which shows an example which determined the upper and lower arrangement | positioning of the image according to the color of the image The figure which shows an example (arranged common color) in which the color of the mount was adjusted according to the color of the image The figure which shows an example (color scheme which emphasizes the common color of an image) by which the color of the mount was adjusted according to the color of the image The figure which shows the other example (the color scheme and decoration which emphasizes the image without a color common with other images) by which the color of the mount was adjusted according to the color of the image The figure which shows another example which determined the arrangement | positioning of an image according to the color of an image

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a photo album creating apparatus 10 to which the present invention is applied. The photo album creating apparatus 10 reads, for example, moving image data and still image data (including still images obtained by capturing moving images) stored in various recording media 40 such as a CD and a DVD, a memory card 42, and the like. A photo album (data for displaying an image on a display device with a predetermined layout and design or a print medium such as paper on which an image is printed with a predetermined layout and design) is created. The photo album creating apparatus 10 is operated by an operation unit 26 including a pointing device capable of instructing movement of a pointer (cursor) such as a mouse, a touch pad, and a drag ball, and various operation devices such as a keyboard and a touch panel.

  The photo album creating apparatus 10 includes a CPU 12 that controls the entire photo album creating apparatus 10, a drive 11 that reads and writes data from and to a recording medium 40, a card slot 16 that reads and writes data from and to a memory card 42, and a photo album creating apparatus 10. A hard disk drive (storage medium) 18 (hereinafter referred to as HDD 18) in which programs to be controlled, moving images and still images are stored, a RAM 20 that functions as a working memory when the CPU 12 performs various processes, a RAM 20 and the like A list of stored images and other graphical user interfaces related to image editing, and a video signal of a pointer moving on the window in accordance with an input operation including an instruction of a moving direction and a moving speed from the operation unit 26 are output to the display 50. To display And Oh encoder 22, a communication I / F 28 for connecting to the Internet or other network, the data recording unit responsible for specialized treatment, respectively (operation history recording means) 30, and a city. These units are connected to each other via a bus 36, and the CPU 12 controls the respective units of the apparatus according to an operation program stored in the HDD 18.

  The photo album creating apparatus 10 is connected with a printer 44 for printing the designated still image on a mount made of a paper medium such as plain paper or photographic paper in a predetermined arrangement via the printer driver 38. Yes. Alternatively, still images arranged in a predetermined arrangement can be output to the display 50, the recording medium 40, a personal computer connected via the Internet, or the like as an electronic medium such as “PDF” of Adobe Systems, Inc. In the document, an electronic medium creation form on which a desired image can be arranged at a desired position is also called a mount.

  The card slot 16 detachably holds, for example, a memory card 42 such as a compact flash (registered trademark), an SD card, and smart media, and reads or writes still image data recorded on the memory card 42. Thereby, still image data captured by a digital still camera or the like can be read. In addition to the multi-drive 11 and the card slot 16, for example, a communication port such as USB or IEEE1394 may be provided so that direct communication with an electronic device such as a digital still camera or a PDA can be performed.

  The HDD 18 stores, in addition to one or a plurality of still image data serving as material for the photo album, decoration image data combined with these still image data when the photo album is generated. The decorative image is a mask image or an illustration that covers an unnecessary portion of the target image. These decoration images add color to the photo album, such as decorating the background of still images as materials and adding one-point decorations.

  Each still image data is stored in the HDD 18 in the form of an image file such as JPEG, TIFF, or EXIF standardized for a digital still camera. These image files are provided with a data area for storing still image data and a tag area for storing metadata (typically EXIF tag information) indicating the contents of the data. Hereinafter, still image data is simply referred to as “image”.

  The moving image data corresponds to a compression recording standard such as motion JPEG or MPEG4.

  The communication I / F 28 connects the photo album creating apparatus 10 to the Internet, displays a home page on the Internet on the display 50, and transmits and receives image data via an electronic mail (hereinafter referred to as mail). The communication I / F 28 is a broadband compatible modem or the like. The communication I / F 28 may be connected to the Internet via an optical communication network or a cable network. The photo album generated by the photo album generation unit 34 can be distributed to a specific terminal via the Internet. The distribution-side terminal can output the photo album to a monitor or printer and use it freely.

  The data recording unit 30 and the photo album generation unit 34 are so-called coprocessors, and each assists the processing operation of the CPU 12 by taking charge of specialized processing.

  When the photo album creation apparatus 10 is a storefront print terminal, the photo album created by the photo album generation unit 34 is output to the display 50 and displayed as a preview. If the content is confirmed, the printer 44 is set according to a user instruction. Can be output to a print medium, or the photo album such as a DVD can be transferred to a recording medium 40 that can be recorded as video data. Further, when the photo album creating apparatus 10 accepts a photo album order from a terminal connected from the outside via the Internet, the photo album preview is converted into a Web page that can be displayed on the terminal instead of the display 50 and the like. You may transmit to a terminal. Alternatively, the completed photo album may be displayed as one of the photo album display functions of various electronic devices such as a mobile phone and a digital camera without being premised on outputting to a recording medium or a print medium.

  The system configuration in FIG. 1 is an example, and the present invention can be implemented with other electronic devices (for example, mobile phones and PDAs) having the same configuration. Further, the individual blocks shown in the figure are not necessarily configured integrally with one electronic device, and each block is a part of the configuration of another electronic device, and they are connected by some communication means such as a network. If information transmission / reception between the electronic devices is ensured, the present invention can be implemented.

  The flow of the photo album creation process will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is executed by the photo album generation unit 34 (or CPU 12). A program for causing the photo album generation unit 34 to execute this processing is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as the HDD 18 or the RAM 20. Such a program may be imported from the outside via the Internet.

  In S <b> 1, images to be arranged in the photo album are read from the recording medium 40, the memory card 42, or a terminal connected to the communication I / F 28 from the outside via the Internet and stored in the HDD 18. The image includes a captured image of a moving image file in addition to a still image file such as JPEG.

  In S2, the color of the acquired image is analyzed. Specifically, for example, in the case of an image I1 as shown in FIG. 3, regions R1-1 to R1-4 obtained by equally dividing the image vertically and horizontally 2 × 2 are created, and each region R1 to R4 is dominant. The color is discriminated and the color is set as the color of the section. Here, it is assumed that the color of the region R1-1 is white, the color of the region R1-2 is pink, the color of the region R1-3 is white, and the color of the region R1-4 is orange. The image segmentation is not limited to that shown in the figure, and the image may be further divided and the color of each generated region may be determined. In this way, it is possible to grasp the color of a fine image.

  In addition to the analysis of the color of the image, the color of the image may be analyzed from the metadata of the image. For example, the rough color of the image is estimated according to the shooting scene selected by the digital camera. For example, if the shooting mode indicated by the metadata is the sunset mode, it is estimated that the color is orange, and if the shooting mode is the ski mode, the color is white. Alternatively, if the metadata indicates that the flash emission is on or the shooting date / time of the metadata is a nighttime zone, it is estimated that the periphery of the image has a dark color.

  Similarly, the images I2 and I3 are divided into sections and the color of each region is determined. Assume that the colors of the regions R2-1 to R2-4 provided in the image I2 are orange, pink, orange, and orange in order. In addition, the colors of the regions R3-1 to R3-4 provided in the image I3 are orange, orange, pink, and orange in order.

  In S3, the arrangement position of the image on the mount is determined according to the analysis result of the color of the image in S2.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the regions R1-4 and R2-1 having the same color (in this case, orange) or the regions R2-4 and R3-1 are continuous along the diagonal of the mount. The arrangement positions of the images I1 to I3 on the mount are determined. In FIG. 5, not only the orange areas of the images are close to each other but also the images are arranged in a row along a diagonal line. However, the arrangement of the individual images can be changed later by an input operation via the operation unit 26.

  Alternatively, the shooting scene and subject of each image can be analyzed, and the arrangement of each image can be determined according to the result. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, it is determined according to the color whether the range within the angle of view of the image is the ground surface or the sky. An image I4 mainly having a color (light blue, green) close to the ground is arranged below the mount, and an image I5 having a color close to the sky (dark blue, white) is arranged above the mount. At this time, if an intermediate dark blue color is placed between the upper image and the lower image, a gradation-like visual effect is produced in which the sky blue gradually changes lightly from the upper side to the lower side. Nice looking. If altitude information (for example, GPS altitude) is included in the metadata, the higher altitude may be arranged on the upper side and the lower altitude may be arranged on the lower side. Alternatively, person detection may be performed from an image, and an image in which a person is detected may be arranged on the upper side, and an image in which no person is detected may be arranged on the lower side.

  In S4, the color of the mount is adjusted according to the arrangement position of the image on the mount and the color of the image.

  For example, first, as shown in FIG. 7, the entire color of the mount is unified to a color common to each image. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the portion around the diagonal line of the mount on which the image is concentrated is darkened to emphasize the portion. In this way, by utilizing the arrangement of the image and the color of the image for the adjustment of the color of the mount, the image arrangement can have a color uniformity and flow, and the arrangement and color arrangement can be accented. Although not shown, various decorative images such as a floral pattern and a polka dot pattern may be arranged on the diagonal line where the images are concentrated. At this time, the type of decoration image may be selected based on the analysis result of the subject and the content of the metadata. For example, the subject of the flower is detected using a known object detection technique such as pattern matching with the sample subject from the image. Is detected, a decorative image with a floral pattern is selected and placed around the detected image of the floral pattern, or if a child's face is detected, a decorative image with a polka dot pattern is selected and the child is selected. It may be placed around the face.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, when all the colors of the images I4 to I6 do not match, an image I5 that does not match the colors of the other images I4 and I6 is arranged in the center portion. In this case, a frame-shaped decorative image for emphasizing the image I5 is synthesized, or the peripheral background color of the image I5 is gradually darkened as it approaches the image, and the image I5 that does not match the color is intentionally emphasized. The frame may be originally printed on the mount or may be printed together with the image. Further, the frame may overlap with a part of the image.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10, the images may be arranged so that regions having similar colors common to the images are concentrated or close to the central portion of the mount. At this time, if a gradation is applied radially from the similar color region in the central portion, it looks good.

  Note that a decoration image to be synthesized may be selected based on the metadata. For example, when landscape mode is indicated as shooting mode information from metadata, an outdoor pattern (such as clouds) is synthesized around the image, or when indoor mode is indicated, an indoor pattern (carpet Or the like may be synthesized around the image. Alternatively, the type of mount may be selected based on image metadata. For example, if the title “wedding” is acquired from the metadata, paper with the letters “shou” printed on it or white plain high-quality paper may be selected as the mount.

  The color adjustment for the mount is performed when print data is created by the printer driver 38 or when display data is created by the video encoder 22. However, instead of preparing multiple patterns of the mount design and color scheme and adjusting the color tone with the print data, or together with the color adjustment of the print data, select the mount with the desired design and color scheme, and select You may print it out on the mount. For example, if the color of the image is orange, a board that has been pre-stained in orange is selected except for the blank image arrangement area, and the image is printed out in the image arrangement area of the selected board.

  In this way, the color of the mount is changed in accordance with the color and arrangement of the image, and the album has a uniform color tone and a good-looking album is completed, increasing the commercial value.

  In addition, since the images are arranged according to the color of the images, the colors of the adjacent images are harmonized, so that a good-looking album is completed and the commercial value is increased.

  10: Photo album creation device, 18: HDD, 34: Photo album generation unit

Claims (9)

Acquiring an image;
Analyzing the color of the acquired image according to the shooting mode indicated by the metadata corresponding to the image;
Determining an arrangement position of the image on the mount of the album according to the color of the image;
Adjusting the color of the album backing according to the color of the analyzed image;
Album creation method including. The album creating method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of selecting a type of mount of the album according to metadata corresponding to the image. Album creating method according to claim 1 or 2 comprising the step of selecting the type of embellishment image to be synthesized on the image in accordance with the metadata corresponding to the image. The metadata album creating method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 including a shooting scene. The program which makes a computer perform the album creation method in any one of Claims 1-4 . Means for obtaining an image;
Means for analyzing the color of the acquired image according to a shooting mode indicated by metadata corresponding to the image;
Means for determining an arrangement position of the image on the album mount according to the color of the image;
Means for adjusting the color of the mount of the album according to the color of the analyzed image;
Album creation device including The album creating apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising means for selecting a type of mount of the album according to metadata corresponding to the image. The album creating apparatus according to claim 6 or 7 including means for selecting the type of embellishment image to be synthesized on the image in accordance with the metadata corresponding to the image. The metadata album creating apparatus according to any one of claims 6-8 including a shooting scene.

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