JP5695335B2 - Imaging condition control device, camera, image quality control device, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for appropriately changing the quality of a captured image in accordance with a user's request.

In ordinary camera shooting, shooting is often performed in a so-called auto mode in which AE (Auto Exposure), AF (Auto Focus), AWB (Auto White Balance), and the like are automatically set. However, in the auto mode, the shooting conditions are set so that the subject at the center of the screen is appropriate, so that it may not always be set appropriately for a subject that does not exist at the center of the screen.

In view of this, there has been proposed a camera that displays an unsuitable area in the vicinity easily by matching the photographing condition to the center of the screen or a fixed area at the center. For example, in the digital camera disclosed in Patent Document 1, the luminance of each area in the screen is calculated, and the area having a luminance difference is displayed on the live view image by changing the color and the number of blinks.

Also, recently, it is not just an auto mode, but AE / AF / AW depending on the scene of the subject.
In addition to B, for example, according to scenes such as landscape, night view, portrait, etc., more specific conditions regarding the condition of the screen such as shutter speed, contrast, color correction, etc. are set.
An auto scene mode has also been developed.

JP 2006-270706 A

In actual shooting, there are many situations in which it is not desirable to set the optimum conditions for the subject at the center of the screen, but to match the brightness, hue or atmosphere to the subject at the periphery or corner of the screen.

For example, in a scene with sunset at the edge of the screen, if the user wants to emphasize the sunset atmosphere on the entire screen, it can be achieved by shifting the color tone of the screen toward red or yellow. However, it is not easy for an ordinary user to perform an operation for calling a color correction condition and further emphasize a red or yellow color on the screen. This is because a certain level of specialized knowledge is required.

In other words, there are actually many requests to change or improve a specific part by looking at the screen during shooting or playback, but with ordinary cameras and editing software, ordinary users can easily fulfill that request. It's not like that. In actual scenes, the contents of the corresponding processing are often determined according to the type of subject on the screen, so at the time of shooting or playback, the shooting conditions and image processing conditions are presented and adjusted according to the type of subject on the screen. If it can be done easily, users will be able to easily shoot and edit according to their intentions.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a shooting condition control apparatus that can easily set shooting conditions corresponding to an instructed subject, a camera equipped with such a shooting condition control apparatus, and a corresponding program. To do.

In order to achieve the above object, an imaging condition control apparatus according to the present invention provides:
An operation detection unit for detecting operation instructions on the screen;
A subject detection unit that detects the type of the designated subject when the operation detection unit detects that the subject is designated in the live view image displayed on the screen;
A parameter selection unit that selects a shooting parameter according to the type of the detected subject;
A display control unit for displaying parameter change information for changing the selected shooting parameter on the screen;
A shooting condition setting unit that changes the contents of the shooting parameter in response to a change instruction for the shooting parameter;
Furthermore, the display control unit displays the parameter change information in the vicinity of the designated subject .

The program according to the present invention is
In a program for causing a computer mounted on a camera to execute processing for controlling shooting conditions, detecting a type of a subject designated in a live view image displayed on a screen;
Step 2 for selecting shooting parameters according to the type of the detected subject;
Displaying parameter change information for changing the selected shooting parameter on the screen;
In response to an instruction to change the shooting parameter, the method includes a step 4 of changing the content of the shooting parameter.
Further , in step 3, the parameter change information is displayed in the vicinity of the designated subject .
It is characterized by that .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a photographing condition control device that can easily set a photographing condition corresponding to an instructed subject, a camera equipped with such a photographing condition control device, and a corresponding program.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital camera equipped with a photographing condition control device and an image quality control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the first half of the first example of the screen by the shooting / image quality parameter changing operation. It is a figure which shows until a parameter icon is displayed. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the second half of the first example of the screen by the shooting / image quality parameter changing operation. FIG. 3 is a continuation of FIG. 2 and shows the transition of the screen until a parameter is specified on the displayed parameter window. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a screen obtained by a shooting / image quality parameter changing operation. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of another form of parameter window as a parameter window for shooting / image quality parameters. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of another parameter window as a parameter window for shooting / image quality parameters. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the shooting parameter change setting process by the shooting condition control apparatus. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of image quality parameter change setting processing by the image quality condition control apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital camera equipped with a photographing condition control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A digital camera 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 11, a program data storage unit 12, a button operation unit 13, a touch panel operation unit 14, an imaging unit 15, an SDRAM 16, an image processing unit 17, a display control unit 18, and a display unit. 19, a compression / decompression unit 20, a recording / reproducing unit 21, an image storage unit 22, and a bus line 25 are provided as main units.

The control unit 11 is a CPU that reads a program stored in the program data storage unit 12 and controls the entire digital camera 1 in an integrated manner. And the control part 11 performs parameter change mode as a specific operation mode in this embodiment. The parameter change mode is a mode selected from the shooting mode and the edit mode. In the parameter change mode, appropriate shooting parameters or image quality parameters are automatically selected and displayed according to the subject specified on the screen, so that it is possible to easily change the shooting or image quality parameters according to the subject. Mode. Hereinafter, the shooting parameters and / or image quality parameters are collectively referred to as shooting / image quality parameters.

The control unit 11 executes each process in accordance with the program stored in the program data storage unit 12, but the shooting condition setting unit 11 a, the image quality condition setting unit 11 b, and the parameter selection unit are executed for the part that executes the parameter change mode process. 11c, a subject detection unit 11d, and an operation detection unit 11e.

The shooting condition setting unit 11a sets shutter speed, the number of pixels, strobe conditions, focus conditions, or various shooting conditions such as contrast and color correction. The shooting condition setting unit 11a sets shooting conditions according to a predetermined condition when the shooting mode is automatic, and according to a photographer's designation in other modes. The imaging unit 15 or the image processing unit 17 is controlled according to the set conditions and values. Conditional values for setting various conditions at the time of photographing are called photographing parameters. In the parameter change mode, the shooting condition setting unit 11a changes the shooting parameters in accordance with a change instruction from the operator with respect to the shooting parameters selected according to the subject.

The image quality condition setting unit 11b controls the image processing unit 17 to change the image quality according to the operator's change instruction for the image quality parameter selected according to the subject in the image quality editing mode and the parameter change mode during image quality editing. Control to re-record the changed image. The image quality parameter is a numerical value such as a hue, luminance, or sharpness of a displayed image.

The parameter selection unit 11c selects shooting / image quality parameters suitable for the subject according to the type of the subject.

The subject detection unit 11d extracts the image data present at the position instructed by the operator on the screen from the entire image data, and determines the type of the subject. As a determination method, the characteristics of the subject, such as the shape, color, presence / absence of a face, and shooting date / time are extracted. These features are compared with the subject database stored in the program data storage unit 12 to identify the type of subject. Further, when a face is present in a part of the subject, it is determined that the subject is a person.

The operation detection unit 11 e detects the operation content based on the signals output from the button operation unit 13 and the touch panel 14.

The program data storage unit 12 is composed of a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, and stores a program for executing processing of the control unit 11 and data of a subject database for specifying the type of the instructed subject. As shooting / image quality parameter change information, icons displayed on the screen and window image data are also stored.

The button operation unit 13 is an operation unit provided on the back or top surface of the digital camera 1, and includes a release button for instructing execution of shooting and a menu button for switching between a shooting mode, a playback mode, an editing mode, and the like. included.

The touch panel operation unit 14 is provided so as to overlap the display unit 19 disposed on the back surface of the digital camera 1 and detects the touch input of the operator or the locus of the finger that is moved while being touched.

The imaging unit 15 includes an optical unit including a lens to an imaging element, and a signal processing unit that processes a photoelectric conversion signal output from the driving circuit that drives the imaging element and the imaging element and outputs the result as digital image data. The optical unit includes a lens that forms a subject image, an AF mechanism unit and a zoom mechanism unit that move the position of the lens, a diaphragm unit that narrows the subject light beam, and the like.

The signal processing unit includes a CDS (Correllated Double Sampling) circuit for reducing noise, and an AGC (Automatic Gain Control) circuit for amplifying the signal level to an appropriate level. It comprises an AD circuit or the like that converts the processed analog image signal into digital image data.

An SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) 16 is a temporary memory and is a working area used for digital image processing. The SDRAM 16 temporarily stores a digital image signal output from the imaging unit 15 and performs image processing by the image processing unit 17. Similarly, the SDRAM 16 is also used when the display control unit 18 or the compression / decompression unit 20 executes each process.

The image processing unit 17 performs predetermined gamma processing, pixel interpolation processing, color correction processing, YC conversion, and the like on the image data output from the imaging unit 15 and converted as a live view image or a recorded image. In the parameter correction mode, the image processing unit 17 performs color correction, contrast correction, or face processing according to a change in parameter content or a change in adjustment value according to an instruction from the shooting condition setting unit 11a or the image quality condition setting unit 11b. For example, the strength of the smoothing process is changed.

The display control unit 18 executes processing for converting the number of pixels of the captured image data into the number of display pixels for display on the display unit 19. At that time, the display control unit 18 executes processing for superimposing menu characters, various icons, information on a parameter window, which will be described later, and the like on a live view image or a recorded image obtained by converting the number of pixels for display.

The display unit 19 is composed of an LCD or EL (Electro-Luminescence) panel and is disposed on the back surface of the digital camera 1. The display unit 19 displays a live view image output from the display control unit 18, a recorded image that has been shot, or a menu screen on which menu information is displayed.

The compression / decompression unit 20 records image data based on a well-known JPEG method or the like when recording image data of a captured image in the image storage unit 22 or displaying image data recorded in the image storage unit 22. Perform compression processing and decompression processing.

The recording / reproducing unit 21 writes image data to the image storage unit 22 and reads image data from the image storage unit 22. The image storage unit 22 is a recording medium that can be attached to and detached from the camera body such as an xD picture card (registered trademark) or a compact flash (registered trademark), or an HDD. The bus line 25 connects the above constituent elements with a data line and an address line.

Here, the relationship between each process in the parameter change mode and each element of the block diagram (FIG. 1) for executing the process will be briefly described. The image obtained by the imaging unit 15 is subjected to display image processing corresponding to the shooting conditions by the image processing unit 17, and further converted to display by the display control unit 18 to be displayed as a live view image. Is displayed. As for the reproduced image at the time of editing the image quality, the image data read from the image storage unit 22 by the recording / reproducing unit 21 is decompressed by the compression / decompression unit 20, and the image processing unit 17 performs image processing according to the image quality changing condition. Then, it is converted for display by the display control unit 18 and displayed on the display unit 19.

When the operator's finger is touched to a specific subject of the image displayed on the screen, the operation detection unit 11e detects the input as an input to the touch panel operation unit 14. The subject detection unit 11d extracts the subject specified on the screen and specifies the type of the specified subject. Then, the selection of shooting / image quality parameters suitable for the subject is performed by the parameter selection unit 11c. The parameter change information for the selected shooting / image quality parameter is read from the program data storage unit 12, and the shooting / image quality parameter change information is displayed by the display control unit 18. When an instruction to change the content of the shooting parameter is given on the screen, the content of the shooting parameter is changed and set by the shooting condition setting unit 11a. Alternatively, when an instruction to change the content of the image quality parameter is given on the screen, the content of the image quality parameter is changed and set by the image quality condition setting unit 11b.

The screen corresponding to the operation in the parameter change mode described above will be described.

2 to 6 are diagrams of a series of GUI (graphical user interface) screens obtained by the imaging parameter changing process by the imaging condition control apparatus or the image quality parameter changing process by the image quality control apparatus.

2 to 6,
・ When the subject is instructed, shooting and image quality parameters are selected internally according to the subject,
・ Shooting / image quality parameter change information for changing the content of the selected shooting / image quality parameter is displayed on the screen.
-A series of operations in which the shooting / image quality parameter is changed on the displayed shooting / image quality parameter change information screen and the flow of display will be described.

First, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are a first example of a screen by a shooting parameter changing operation. Note that, from the viewpoint of the GUI, the operation and display by the imaging condition control device and the image quality control device are substantially the same, and therefore in the specific description of FIGS. This will be described as processing by the imaging condition control device. In the following description, image quality control is described by replacing the live view image with a reproduced image.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the first half of the photographing parameter changing operation screen. In FIG. 2 (1),
As an initial screen at the time of shooting, a live view image 40 is displayed on the entire screen, and a shooting mode icon 50 indicating the current shooting mode is shown in the upper left corner of the screen. The shooting mode is currently set to auto mode, and an auto mode icon is displayed as the shooting mode icon. Here, as a live view image, we take a scene where “the sunset over the sea is the background, two men and women on the left and right are toasting with glasses in the center, and apples are placed under the glasses” . In the case of image quality control, the first auto mode is not displayed.

FIG. 2 (2) shows a scene in which a specific subject is designated during the display of the live view image in FIG. 2 (1). It is assumed that “sunset” sinking into the sea in the live view image is touched with the photographer's finger 42 as the selected subject 52.

FIG. 2 (3) is a diagram in which the shooting parameter icon 54 of “sunset” is displayed in the vicinity of “sunset” as the designated subject after “sunset” is designated in FIG. 2 (2). is there. When the screen is touched, image data is extracted from the touched position by the subject detection unit 11d. Further, the subject detection unit 11d compares the extracted image data with the subject database stored in the program data storage unit 12, and selects the most suitable subject type. Here, the image “sunset 52” is red in color, round in size, and the shooting date and time is evening, so the subject detection unit 11d determines that the designated subject is “sunset”.

Subsequently, the parameter selection unit 11c searches for shooting parameters corresponding to the subject “sunset” from the prepared shooting parameters. The parameter selection unit 11c selects, for example, the “sunset” shooting parameter as the corresponding shooting parameter. The display control unit 18 displays a sunset shooting parameter icon 54 superimposed on the live view image 40 in the vicinity of “sunset”. If there are a plurality of imaging parameter candidates, a plurality of imaging parameter candidates may be selected and displayed.

FIG. 2 (4) shows a state where the shooting parameter icon 54 of “sunset” moves toward the mode icon 50 on the screen. After the “sunset” shooting parameter is selected, the display control unit 18 displays the “sunset” shooting parameter icon 54 in an animated form so that it moves from the vicinity of the sunset to the position of the shooting mode icon. Is done.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the latter half of the photographing parameter changing operation. In FIG. 3 (1),
In FIG. 2 (4), the “sunset” shooting parameter icon 54 moved toward the mode icon 50 reaches the mode icon 50, and the content of the mode icon 50 is changed to the sunset shooting parameter icon 54. It is displayed by the display control unit 18 so as to be switched.

Then, a ring-shaped parameter guide 58 is displayed as shooting parameter change information in the lower right corner of the screen. In the central portion of the parameter guide 58, the current name of the shooting parameter of the sunset (“color adjustment” on the screen) and the adjustment value (“7” on the screen) are displayed. The adjustment value of the shooting parameter is a numerical value indicating the degree of emphasis on the image quality by the shooting parameter. The larger the value, the higher the image quality by the shooting parameter.

For example, in the “sunset” shooting parameter, when the adjustment value increases, the image processing unit 17 increases the red and yellow intensities of the image according to an instruction from the shooting condition setting unit 11a.
The live view image is color-corrected so that the evening atmosphere is more emphasized. The broken line b indicates the operation direction of the operated finger 42 and is not displayed on the screen. When operated in the clockwise direction, the adjustment value is increased, and the red and yellow corrections in the image processing unit 17 are controlled to be stronger, and the sunset atmosphere is emphasized. When operated counterclockwise, the red and yellow corrections are weakened. This correction is also reflected in the image processing conditions of the image data that is shot and recorded. A square frame cursor 56 is displayed on the designated subject (here, sunset). This is so that the designated subject can be easily seen on the screen.

FIG. 3B is another display example of the parameter guide 58. In FIG. 3A, the parameter guide 58 is displayed at the lower right corner of the screen, but the parameter guide 58 may be displayed so as to surround the designated subject. b shows the locus | trajectory of the finger | toe 42 operated similarly. Although the cursor 56 is displayed on the designated subject, the display of the cursor 56 may be omitted because the content of the subject designated by the parameter guide 58 is known.

FIG. 3 (3) shows a screen after the parameter changing operation is completed. When an operation for confirming the parameter change is performed by the photographer, the screen returns to the original screen even if the displayed parameter guide 58 and cursor 56 are deleted, and the parameter change operation is terminated. The operation for confirming the change is, for example, an operation such as double-clicking on the screen.

FIG. 4 shows a second example of the screen by the photographing / image quality parameter changing operation. Similar to the above description, in the following description, an example regarding the image quality parameter will be omitted, and an example regarding the shooting parameter will be described. FIG. 4A shows a scene in which the same live view image as in FIG. 3 is displayed on the screen 40 of the display unit, and the finger 42 is touched to the female face portion on the left side of the screen. A female face is the selected subject 52. In the case of image quality control, the first auto mode is not displayed.

FIG. 4B shows a scene in which the “female” shooting parameter icon 54 is displayed in the vicinity of the designated subject. The subject detection unit 11d extracts the designated subject portion from the entire image data, and determines that the type of the extracted subject is a female face. Then, the parameter selection unit 11c selects the shooting parameter “female”.

FIG. 4 (3) is the same as FIG. 4 (2), but after the shooting parameter icon 54 of the person is displayed for about 1 second, for example, the display of the mode icon 50 is switched to “female face”. A parameter window 70 is displayed at the lower right of the screen as change information. In the parameter window 70, shooting parameter change information is displayed together.

A cursor 56 is displayed at the position of the designated subject (female face). In the first example, the display example in which the icon 54 moves to the mode icon by animation is shown, but here, an example in which the animation of movement is omitted is shown, but any of them may be used.

Here, it is assumed that the shooting parameters of “female” include two adjustment parameters of face smoothing and brightness adjustment. Facial smoothing refers to image processing so that facial skin is smooth. Specifically, the image processing unit 17 detects a spot or a rough portion of the face and performs interpolation with surrounding data so that the portion becomes inconspicuous. Brightness adjustment is a process of adjusting the brightness of the face part, and is adjusted by the image processing unit 17 by increasing or decreasing the brightness component of the face, particularly the skin part.

The parameter window 70 includes a parameter name 72 indicating that the adjustment content is “face smoothing” as information relating to face smoothing, a parameter guide 73 simulating a dial (circular) as an operation relating to face smoothing, a face An arc-shaped adjustment value 74 indicating the current adjustment amount relating to the smoothing is displayed. Further, in the parameter window 70, as information relating to the brightness adjustment, a parameter name 76 indicating that the adjustment content is “brightness adjustment”, a parameter guide 77 imitating a straight bar as an operation relating to the brightness adjustment, and current information relating to the brightness adjustment. An adjustment value 78 (wedge shape) indicating the adjustment amount is displayed. “Face smoothing” is adjusted by a rotation operation as indicated by the operation direction d around the parameter guide 73. The amount of smoothing is increased by the clockwise operation. “Brightness adjustment” is adjusted by a straight forward operation to the left and right as indicated by the operation direction e along the parameter guide 77. Brighten the face more by operating in the right direction.

FIG. 4 (4) shows a screen on which the above parameter changing operation has been completed. For example, the displayed parameter window 70 is erased by the operation for confirming the change of the photographer, such as a double click on the screen, and the parameter changing operation is terminated. The icon display of the shooting mode indicates that the shooting mode has been changed to the shooting parameter of “female”.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which another type of parameter window is used as the parameter window. When the apple at the bottom center of the screen is designated as the subject, the subject is determined to be “apple” by the subject detection unit 11d, and the shooting parameter “dishes” is selected as the shooting parameter from “apple” by the parameter selection unit 11c. is there. Then, the display control unit 18
Thus, the parameter window 80 relating to the corresponding dish is displayed on the screen.

It is assumed that there are three adjustment parameters for hue, saturation, and lightness in the shooting parameters for “cooking”. In the parameter window 80 relating to cooking, these three parameters are displayed together. In the parameter window 80, each parameter name 82 relating to hue, saturation, and brightness and a parameter guide 84 that is a horizontal bar are arranged in order from the top. Each black circle-shaped cursor 86 on the parameter guide 84 indicates the current adjustment value. Here, since three parameter guides 84 are arranged at an appropriate interval on the parameter window 80, the operator operates by sliding his / her finger on the screen as in the operation direction f. One parameter can be set by one operation. Of course, the operator may change the adjustment values one by one by operating the cursor 86 to slide sideways along the parameter guide 84.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which another type of parameter window is used as the parameter window. It is assumed that the designated subject is the same “sunset” as in the first example. In this example, it is assumed that the shooting parameter of “sunset” is composed of two parameters of color adjustment and saturation adjustment unlike the first example.

FIG. 6A is a scene in which “sunset” is designated and the shooting mode is changed from the auto mode to the shooting parameter “sunset”. In the first example, the parameter guide is automatically displayed on the screen (FIG. 3 (1)), but in this example, most of the parameter window 90 is hidden and only a part is displayed on the right edge of the screen. When the operator performs an operation, the entire parameter window 90 appears on the screen. This is because priority is given to the visual recognition of the live view image.

FIG. 6B shows that the parameter window 90 is moved leftward on the screen by the display control unit 18 in accordance with the operation of the operator sliding the end of the parameter window 90 leftward. A simple animation is displayed, and the entire sunset parameter window 90 is displayed on the screen.

The parameter window 90 has color adjustment items on the left side and saturation adjustment items on the right side. Regarding color adjustment, a ring-shaped parameter guide 93 for color adjustment, a parameter name 92 indicating color adjustment, and an adjustment value (current value 7) 94 are displayed therein. Regarding saturation adjustment, a ring-shaped parameter guide 97 for saturation adjustment, and a parameter name 96 and an adjustment value (current value 60) 98 indicating saturation adjustment are displayed therein.

When a rotation operation as indicated by b is performed by the operator along each parameter guide, the photographing condition setting unit 11a changes the adjustment values for color adjustment and saturation adjustment according to the operation amount. In either case, the value is adjusted to increase by a clockwise rotation operation. FIG. 6 (3) shows a state where the parameter window 90 is displayed only half on the screen. If only the color adjustment is required, the operator can slide the finger in the horizontal direction so that the parameter window 90 is exposed on the screen as much as the parameter guide 93 for color adjustment is displayed. Can be adjusted.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts illustrating the flow of processing relating to the shooting / image quality parameter changing operation described above.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating processing of changing the shooting parameter. The processing for changing the shooting parameter is executed by the control unit 11, the shooting condition setting unit 11a, the parameter selection unit 11c, the subject detection unit 11d, the operation detection unit 11e, the display control unit 18, and the like. A part of the control unit 11, the shooting condition setting unit 11a, the parameter selection unit 11c, the subject detection unit 11d, the operation detection unit 11e, the display control unit 18 or the like is also collectively referred to as a shooting condition control device.

It is assumed that the digital camera 1 is preset as an operation mode in a parameter change mode in the shooting mode on a menu screen (not shown).

First, the control unit 11 displays the subject image captured by the imaging unit 15 as a live view image on the display unit 19 at a constant display rate (step S11). Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the subject has been designated by the operator on the live view screen (step S12).
Here, it is determined whether an operation on the touch panel operation unit 14 is detected by the operation detection unit 11e. If it is determined that the subject designation operation has been performed by the operator as shown in FIG. 2B (YES in step S12), the subject detection unit 11d is designated by the touch panel operation unit 14 from the live view image at that timing. The image data of the subject, that is, the region corresponding to the position is extracted (step S13).

Further, the subject detection unit 11d determines the type of the designated subject from the extracted image data (step S14). The type of the designated subject is determined by extracting the features of the subject, such as color, shape, face presence / absence, shooting date and time, and combinations thereof, and as described above, the subject database stored in the program data storage unit 12 It is done by comparing with.

The control unit 11 determines whether the subject type can be determined by the subject detection unit 11d (
Step S15). When the subject type can be determined by the subject detection unit 11d (
Next, the parameter selection unit 11c selects an imaging parameter corresponding to the type of subject (step S16). The parameter selection unit 11c selects the one corresponding to the determined type of the subject from the prepared shooting parameters. As an example of selection, as described above, if the type of subject is “sunset”, the shooting parameter of “sunset”, “female face”, “female” shooting parameter, and “apple” It is a selection like the shooting parameter of “Cooking”.

The display control unit 18 reads parameter change information corresponding to the selected shooting parameter from the program data storage unit 12, and displays the read parameter change information superimposed on the live view image (step S17). Depending on the display mode, a parameter guide is displayed alone or in a parameter window, and a cursor or the like is displayed on a corresponding icon or a designated subject. The display as shown in FIG. 3 (1), FIG. 4 (3), FIG. 5 (1) or FIG. 6 (2) is made. Whether the parameter guide is displayed alone as shown in FIG. 3 or in the parameter window as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is automatically set according to the type of the shooting parameter. Alternatively, the selection may be made in advance on the menu screen.

On the screen on which the parameter change information is displayed, the operation detection unit 11e detects whether a change operation has been performed on the parameter guide. When the operation detection unit 11e detects that a change operation has been performed (YES in step S18), the display control unit 18 displays the change content of the adjustment value of the parameter guide corresponding to the change operation (step S19). Further, the shooting condition setting unit 11a changes the shooting condition according to the changed adjustment value (step S20).

If the changed shooting condition is accompanied by a change in image quality, the image processing unit 17 reflects the change in the image quality of the live view image and displays the changed live view image (step S21). If the changed shooting condition is a change related to the focus, the focus lens of the imaging unit 15 is adjusted, and if the shutter speed is the shutter speed, it is reflected in the exposure control during the release operation.

The control unit 11 determines whether there has been an operation for confirming the parameter changing operation while changing the image quality or the like in response to the above operation (step S25). The confirmation operation is, for example, a double click on the screen as described above. When it is determined that there has been an operation to be confirmed (YES in step S25), the control unit 11 causes the display control unit 18 to finish displaying the parameter guide and parameter window parameter change information (step S26). This is the screen shown in FIG. 3 (3) or FIG. 4 (4). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S27. Here, it has been described that even if there is no confirmation operation in step S25, if there is a change operation in step S18, the change of the shooting condition or the like is permitted (steps S20 and S21). In other words, the process may be such that the change of the photographing condition is permitted.

In step S27 and subsequent steps, it is determined whether the digital camera 1 has been turned off or has been released. When the control unit 11 determines that the power-off operation has been performed (YES in step S27), the control unit 11 performs a power-end process for the digital camera 1, and the flow ends. If it is determined that the power-off operation is not performed, the control unit 11 determines whether or not a release operation has been performed. If it is determined that the release operation has been performed (YES in step S28), a photographing process is performed (
Step S29), the process returns to step S11. If the release operation is not performed (
Step S28 NO), jumps to Step S29 and returns to Step S11.

If the control unit 11 determines that there is no operation to confirm the change operation (NO in step S25), the control unit 11 jumps to step S26 to display parameter change information such as a parameter guide or a parameter window in step S27. move on. Steps S27 and subsequent steps are already described and will be omitted.

If it is determined in step S12 that no subject has been designated (NO in step S12), the process proceeds to step S27, returns to step S11 via the determination of the power-off operation or the release operation, and the subject is designated. Wait for it. Similarly, when the subject is designated but the type of subject cannot be determined (NO in step S15), the process proceeds to step S27. If there is no change operation in step 18 (NO in step S18), the process proceeds to step S25, and it is determined whether there is an operation for confirming the change operation (step S25). Since it has already been described, it is omitted here.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing for changing the image quality parameter. Processing for changing the image quality parameter is executed by the control unit 11, the image quality condition setting unit 11b, the parameter selection unit 11c, the subject detection unit 11d, the operation detection unit 11e, the display control unit 18, and the like. A part of the control unit 11, the parameter selection unit 11c, the image quality condition setting unit 11b, the parameter selection unit 11c, the subject detection unit 11d, the operation detection unit 11e, the display control unit 18, or the like is also referred to as an image quality control device.

Here, it is assumed that the digital camera 1 is set in advance in a parameter change mode in the edit mode as an operation mode on a menu screen (not shown). First, the control unit 11 selects a reproduction image to be subjected to image quality editing on an index display screen, for example, according to an instruction from the operator (step S40).

The control unit 11 reads out the selected image from the image storage unit 22 by the recording / reproducing unit 21, decompresses the selected image by the compression / decompression unit 20, and displays the reproduced image on the display unit 19 (step S41).

Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the subject is designated on the touch panel operation unit 14 by the operator on the reproduction screen and is detected by the operation detection unit 11e (step S42). If it is determined that the subject designation operation by the operator as shown in FIG. 2B has been performed (YES in step S42), the subject detection unit 11d corresponds to the position designated by the touch panel operation unit 14 from the reproduced image. Image data of the area is extracted (step S43).

The subject detection unit 11d determines the type of the designated subject from the extracted image data (step S44). The type of the designated subject is determined by extracting the features of the subject, such as color, shape, face presence / absence, shooting date and time, and combinations thereof, and as described above, the subject database stored in the program data storage unit 12 It is done by comparing with.

The control unit 11 determines whether the subject type can be determined by the subject detection unit 11d (
Step S45). When the subject type can be determined by the subject detection unit 11d (
Next, the parameter selection unit 11c selects an image quality parameter corresponding to the type of subject (step S46). The parameter selection unit 11c selects the image quality parameter that corresponds most to the determined subject type from the prepared image quality parameters. As an example of selection, as described above, if the subject type is “sunset”, the image quality parameter of “sunset”, “female face” is the image quality parameter of female, and “apple” is “cooking”. The image quality parameter is selected.

The display control unit 18 reads parameter change information corresponding to the selected image quality parameter from the program data storage unit 12, and displays the read parameter change information superimposed on the reproduced image (step S47). A parameter guide is displayed alone or in a parameter window, and a cursor or the like is displayed on a corresponding icon or a designated subject. The display as shown in FIG. 3 (1), FIG. 4 (3), or FIG. 5 is made. Whether the parameter guide is displayed alone as shown in FIG. 3 or in the parameter window as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is automatically set according to the type of the shooting parameter. Alternatively, the selection may be made in advance on the menu screen.

On the screen on which the parameter change information is displayed, the operation detection unit 11e detects whether a change operation has been performed on the parameter guide. When the operation detection unit 11e detects that a change operation has been performed (YES in step S48), the display control unit 18 displays the change contents of the adjustment value of the parameter guide corresponding to the change operation (step S49). Furthermore, the image quality condition setting unit 11b changes the image quality condition according to the changed adjustment value (step S50).
.

The image processing unit 17 changes the content of the image processing according to the changed image quality condition, and the reproduced image with the changed image processing is displayed (step S51).

The control unit 11 determines whether there has been an operation for confirming the operation whose parameter has been changed while changing the image quality or the like in response to the operation (step S55). The confirmation operation is, for example, a double click on the screen. If the control unit 11 determines that there is an operation to be confirmed (YES in step S55), the control unit 11 causes the display control unit 18 to finish displaying the parameter change information of the parameter guide and the parameter window (step S56). This is the screen shown in FIG. 3 (3) or FIG. 4 (4). At the same time, the image data corresponding to the reproduced image stored in the storage unit 22 is rewritten with the changed image quality condition (step S57). The image whose image quality has been changed may be recorded in the image storage unit 22 as a new image separately from the stored image.

In step S58, it is determined whether the digital camera 1 has been turned off. When the control unit 11 determines that the power-off operation has been performed (YES in step S58), the control unit 11 performs a power supply end process for the digital camera 1, and the flow ends. If it is determined that the power off operation is not performed (NO in step S58), the process returns to step S40.

When the control unit 11 determines that there is no operation for confirming the change operation (NO in step S55).
), Jumps to steps S56 and 57, and proceeds to step S58 with the parameter guide and parameter window parameter change information displayed.

Further, before the subject is designated in step S42 (NO in step S42), step S42 is performed.
If it is determined that the power-off operation is not performed (step S), the process proceeds to 58.
58NO) Return to step S40. Similarly, if the subject is designated but the type of subject cannot be determined (NO in step S45), the process proceeds to step S58. Step S4
If there is no change operation in step 8 (NO in step S48), the process proceeds to step S55, and it is determined whether there is an operation for confirming the change operation (step S55). Subsequent steps are omitted because they have already been described.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, an appropriate type of shooting parameter change screen is displayed during shooting according to the designated subject, and an appropriate type of image quality parameter change screen is displayed during playback. Is displayed, the operator can obtain an image having an atmosphere suitable for the subject with a simple operation without any specialized knowledge.

Since the control unit 11 reads and executes the operation control program stored in the program data storage unit 12, the selection and change of the shooting parameter or the image quality parameter according to the subject is realized. A control program related to software processing is also included in the present invention. A recording medium on which such a control program is recorded is also the present invention. The recording medium for storing the program is not limited to the flash memory, but an optical recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, a magnetic recording medium such as an MD, a tape medium, or a semiconductor memory such as an IC card. It may be.

In the present embodiment, the execution of processing has been described as a combination of software processing and hardware processing. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the combination is a matter of choice.

In the present embodiment, the imaging condition control device and the image quality control device have been described as being applied to the digital camera 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and may be applied to a camera unit of a personal computer or a camera unit of a mobile phone. You may apply. The image quality control device may be applied to a reproduction-only machine such as a photo frame.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Control part, 11a ... Shooting condition setting part, 11b ... Image quality condition setting part, 11c ... Parameter setting part, 11d ... Subject detection part, 11e ... Operation detection part, 12 ... Program data storage part,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Button operation part, 14 ... Touch-panel operation part, 15 ... Imaging part, 16 ... SDRAM, 1
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 7 ... Image processing part, 18 ... Display control part, 19 ... Display part, 20 ... Compression / decompression part, 21 ... Recording / reproducing part, 22 ... Image storage part, 25 ... Bus line, 40 ... Screen, 42 ... Finger, 50 ... Mode icon, 52 ... selected subject, 54 ... icon, 56 ... cursor, 58 ... parameter guide, 60 ... adjustment value, 70 ... parameter window, 72 ... parameter name, 73 ... parameter guide, 74 ... adjustment value, 76 ... parameter name , 77 ... Parameter guide, 78 ... Adjustment value, 80 ... Parameter window, 82 ... Parameter name, 84 ... Parameter guide, 8
6 ... Cursor, 90 ... Parameter window, 92 ... Parameter name, 93 ... Parameter guide, 94 ... Adjustment value, 96 ... Parameter name, 97 ... Parameter guide, 98 ... Adjustment value,
a, b, c, d, e, f ... direction of operation,

Claims (5)

An operation detection unit for detecting operation instructions on the screen;
A subject detection unit that detects the type of the designated subject when the operation detection unit detects that the subject is designated in the live view image displayed on the screen;
A parameter selection unit that selects a shooting parameter according to the type of the detected subject;
A display control unit for displaying parameter change information for changing the selected shooting parameter on the screen;
A shooting condition setting unit that changes the contents of the shooting parameter in response to a change instruction for the shooting parameter;
Further, the display control unit displays the parameter change information in the vicinity of the designated subject. The imaging condition control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays the parameter change information including a parameter icon indicating a type of imaging parameter. The display control unit displays a parameter window in which the plurality of parameters are collectively displayed as the parameter change information when the photographing parameter is configured by a combination of a plurality of parameters. The imaging condition control device according to Item 1. A photographing condition control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising:
The camera further includes a touch panel on which an operator instruction to the operation detection unit is input so as to overlap the display unit that displays the live view image.
In a program for causing a computer mounted on a camera to execute processing for controlling shooting conditions, detecting a type of a subject designated in a live view image displayed on a screen;
Step 2 for selecting shooting parameters according to the type of the detected subject;
Displaying parameter change information for changing the selected shooting parameter on the screen;
In response to an instruction to change the shooting parameter, the method includes a step 4 of changing the content of the shooting parameter.
Further , in step 3, the parameter change information is displayed in the vicinity of the designated subject .
A program characterized by that .