JPS6358578A - Picture editing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable anyone to simply produce and edit pictures by providing plural picture elements and their deformed picture elements and then arranging and selecting these picture elements in a simple operation. CONSTITUTION:A picture compiling means 101 can have input of the coordinates indicated by an operator; while a coordinate input means 107 has input of the shift displacement value obtained by the operation of a mouse done by the operator as well as the coordinate fixing information on the ON/OFF state of a key, etc. A coordinate fixing means 102 gives an indication to a picture output means 108 for output of a cursor and also changes sequentially the output position of the cursor based on the shift displacement value obtained by the means 107. Furthermore the cursor output position is reported to the means 101 as the coordinate value and the operator detects the coordinate fixed time point by means of a key set on the mouse via the means 107. In this case, the cursor output position is sent to the means 101 as the indicated coordinates.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an image editing device, and particularly to an image editing device for editing paintings such as illustrations.

[Prior Art] In recent years, with the development of word processors, it has become possible for anyone to copy documents as well as typeface. Additionally, along with this, there has been an increasing demand for including graphic data in documents.

In contrast, conventionally, drawing commands for basic figures such as points, straight lines, circles, and polygons are prepared, and these drawing commands are used to draw or draw drawings.

[The problems that inventions aim to solve, however, are
It takes considerable skill to use the above-mentioned drawing commands to create illustrations, etc. whose purpose is to distinguish the subject of a document at a glance, so only a few people are able to make full use of them. There was a big problem:

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned prior art,
To provide an image editing device that allows any number of people to create and edit paintings with simple operations.

[Means for solving the problem] In order to solve this problem, the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, a storage means for storing image elements of mutually different formats and deformed image elements derived from each of the image elements, an arrangement position specifying means for specifying the arrangement position of each of the image elements on the display screen, and a display screen for the display screen. a position specifying means for specifying a desired position on the image element; and a list display for displaying a list of the transformed image elements corresponding to the image element when one of the arranged image elements is specified by the position specifying means. selecting means for selecting one item in the list; and replacing means for replacing the image element with the modified image element corresponding to the item selected by the selecting means.

[Operation] In the configuration of the present invention, when the image elements stored in the storage means are arranged by the arrangement position specifying means and one of the image elements is selected by the position specifying means, a list of the transformed image elements is displayed. The selected image element is displayed, one of the items is selected by the selection means, and the replaced image element is replaced by a modified image element corresponding to the selected image element.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Note that the image editing device in this embodiment is able to handle not only geometrical figures but also elements that can be considered as illustrations on their own, such as ``mountain'', ``yotsuto'', ``r man'', and ``woman j''. It uses a method that extends to paintings and combines them to compose a picture, and in order to make it easier to modify a picture, once a partial painting that composes a picture is selected, it uses various methods of modifying it. , it is possible to output the retained results as a menu in an imaginable format and make corrections corresponding to the selected items.Hereinafter, the image editing apparatus of this embodiment will be described. explain in detail.

[Description of Image Editing Apparatus (FIGS. 1 and 2) FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the image editing apparatus of this embodiment. An image editing device is generally implemented using a computer such as a microcomputer or a minicomputer, and the present embodiment will also be described in accordance with this.

In the figure, 201 is a CPU typified by an arithmetic processing unit such as a microprocessor, and a memory 2 inside which stores operating procedures (flowchart in Figure 5.9.10) to be described later.
01a. Also, this CPU 201
7 to memory 202 and CRT interface 203
, and a mouse interface 204. Note that the memory 202 stores partial painting data and masking data, which will be described later. The CPU 201 also allows the operator to use the mouse 2 via the mouse interface 204.
You can input coordinates manually as data by operating 06,
Pictures, cursors, etc. can be displayed on the CPU 201 via the CRT interface 203.

Further, FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the image editing processing device of this embodiment.

The image editing means 101 instructs the picture composition means 104 to change the partial picture data composing the picture, change its position, and to redisplay it. On the other hand, the picture composition means 104 sends partial picture data constituting the picture to the image output means 108 and displays the picture.

Specifically, the image output means 108 includes a CRT 205 and a CRT.
This is realized by the interface 203.

Of course, the picture composition means 104 may start a predetermined driver program without directly accessing the CRT interface 203, and this driver program may control the display via the CFLT interface 203. Rather, the latter is more common.

In this case, the driver program, the CRT interface 203, and the CRT 205 perform live monitoring of the image output means 108.

Further, the image editing means 101 manually inputs the coordinates specified by the operator via the coordinate determining means 102. This makes it possible for the operator to transmit a desired partial painting to the image editing means from among the partial painting data constituting the painting. The coordinate human power means 107 is, for example, a mouse 206.
It consists of a mouse interface 204 and its driver program, and the movement and displacement obtained by the operator's operation of the mouse 206 and the key ON10F
Manually input coordinate confirmation information such as F. Coordinate determination means 10
2 instructs the image output means 108 to output a cursor, and sequentially changes the output position of the cursor by a corresponding amount according to the displacement amount obtained by the coordinate manual means 107. Furthermore, this cursor output position can be reported to the image editing means 101 as a coordinate value, and the point in time when the operator has determined the coordinates can be reported to the coordinate manual means 107 using keys provided on the mouse (hereinafter simply referred to as mouse keys). When detected, the cursor output position at that time can be transmitted to the image editing means 101 by using the pressure gauge indicated by the operator.

Further, the menu creation means 103 receives menu display items from the image editing means 101, arranges them as a menu list, and displays them by the image output means 108.

In this case, when the menu list is deleted, it is necessary to return to the original display.

For this reason, either fix the area where the menu list is displayed, or
Alternatively, this can be achieved by displaying the menu list after saving the display area of the menu list, and restoring the saved data when the menu list is deleted. The latter is better known as a pop-up menu.

[Explanation of painting composition (Figures 3 to 7)] Painting composition means 1
The picture display of 04 can be realized, for example, as follows. A picture composition table 301 shown in FIG. 3 is provided. This is actually stored as data in memory 202. The painting configuration table 301 includes el, 2. ...En has multiple lines, each of which corresponds to one element that makes up the painting. The table is divided horizontally into two columns: 302 is a column for recording the identifier of the partial painting data corresponding to the painting component, and 303 is a column for recording the display mode constants of the partial painting data in the same row. It is. These display mode constants refer to data (parameters) necessary for processing and arranging partial painting data.In a simple system, it is sufficient to include coordinate transformation constants, rotation,
If neither enlargement nor reduction is performed, it is sufficient to record the X displacement and y displacement for parallel movement. In the picture composition table 301 of FIG. 3, "mountain;" is recorded in the column 302 of line 03. Note that this "," is a delimiter character that is not included in the identifier, and represents the partial picture data identified by the identifier "mountain". Mote e, row of 303
Since X+ and yI are recorded in , the coordinates (xl
.

This indicates that a “mountain” is placed in yI). Similarly, in line 02, the coordinates (x2.yz) of the same partial painting data “mountain” are
The line e3 indicates that the partial painting data identified by the identifier “person” is placed in the coordinates (X3, :J3
). And from line 04 e
The rest of the n lines have only the delimiter character ";" and no identifier, indicating that the painting is created from these three components. Note that the configuration of the identifier and delimiter characters mentioned here is for convenience and is not limited to this, and the manual input to the picture configuration table 301 is not limited to this either. In short, it is sufficient to distinguish between the types of partial painting data and the number of display mode settings.

Furthermore, the partial picture data referred to here is stored in the memory 2.2 together with its attributes. - In general, partial painting data is diverse and requires a large amount of storage capacity, so it is stored in an external storage device such as a magnetic disk device. In this case, if the memory 202 includes both the external storage device and the main memory, the hardware configuration can remain as shown in Figure 2, or if the external storage device is separate, it can be connected via the bus 2.7. Therefore, there is no difference in terms of wood quality in this system. Especially when using an external storage device,
The data stored in this is distinguished as a file, and the data is identified by the file name. In this case,
If the above-mentioned identifier matches the file name, there is an advantage that each partial picture data can be handled as one file. Further, for simplicity, each partial painting data is stored as a file as a rask scan image, and information such as the size of this data is added to the beginning of each file.

For example, the partial painting data with the identifier “mountain” is shown in Figure 4(a).
However, when storing this in the memory 202 (black in the figure corresponds to "1" and white corresponds to ON), it is stored in the memory 202 as shown in FIG.
), masking data is also stored in which only the mountain part is '0' and the rest is '1'. In other words, Fig. 4 (
The partial painting shown in a) and the mask partial painting shown in FIG. 4(b) are stored together. By doing this, when writing partial painting data one after another, if you cut out the mountain part and then change the mountain to calligraphy again,
In particular, superimposition can be achieved correctly by writing in order from the painting constituent elements to be arranged. Further, although a partial painting with the identifier "person;" is shown in FIG. 6, it is assumed that masking data corresponding to this "person" is also stored in the memory 202.

Therefore, in this example, one picture data is stored together in one file, and these files correspond to the picture data storage means 109.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the painting creation procedure. still,
At this time, it is assumed that various identifiers and their display mode constants have already been manually entered in the picture configuration table 301. I'm sorry to say this too late, but it is assumed that this painting composition table 301 is displayed on the display screen, and its various parameters are entered from a keyboard (not shown), but this manual method is not limited to this. For example, the settings may be made by selecting various identifiers written on a human-powered device such as a touch panel, or the coordinates may be input manually from a human-powered coordinate device such as a mouse.

Now, in step 5501, 1 of the painting composition table 301
Starting from the row, assign 1 to i as the initial value. In step 5502, the display screen is first cleared.

Next, in step 5503, masking is performed from screen coordinates (x+, y+) using masking data corresponding to the partial painting indicated by the identifier in the row el indicated by i. In other words, the masking data is logically ANDed with screen data, and the result is displayed as screen data.

For example, if we take the logical product using the masking data shown in Figure 4(b) (the black part is 1 and the white part is O), we get "mountain".
Only that part will be cleared, and the other image data will be retained. Next, in step 5504, partial painting data is extracted instead of the masking data, and the coordinates (
x+, y+) to overwrite the screen. This can be achieved by using logical sum instead of logical product.

One partial painting will now be developed. next,
In step 5505, i is incremented by one and the process goes to step 5506. In step 3506, this i is compared with the total number n of data of partial paintings manually created, and it is determined whether development (superimposition) of all partial paintings has been completed. That is, the same process is repeated until the superposition of the total number of data of 0 is completed.

FIG. 7 shows an image after superposition processing of the partial painting data obtained through the above processing. Note that the dotted lines in the figure are not actually displayed as paintings, but are shown auxiliary in order to clarify the correspondence with partial painting data. Furthermore, regarding the development position of each partial painting data, the upper left corner of the screen was used as the origin of the coordinates, and the reference for parallel movement of each painting component was also set to the upper left corner. Therefore, since the painting component "mountain" in line 04 has its placement specified at (x+, yI),
The partial painting data of "Identifier mountain" is displayed based on this position.The painting component of line 02 is (X2 + y2
) has a placement specification. Therefore, as explained in step 5503, masking processing is performed first, so the lower left of the "mountain" just output is cleared, and a new "mountain" is overwritten, so the mountain is displayed as a melon. . Similarly, by specifying the painting component in line 83, C
x3. ys), a person is displayed, and as a result, the picture area on the screen becomes as shown in Figure 7.

[Explanation of searching for pictorial elements (Fig. 8(a), (b), Fig. 9) Next, we will describe an example of how an operator searches for a desired partial painting element. This is necessary when modifying partial painting data. In other words, when partial painting data are superimposed as described above, a part of the partial painting data at the back may appear to disappear. This is because when correcting or editing only the partial painting data, it is necessary to search for the target partial painting data.

Now, according to the processing procedure described above, the image output means 1 is displayed on the display screen.
08, the screen shown in FIG. 8(a) is output. Here, the graphic cursor 801 is output by the coordinate determining means 102 as described above, and when the operator moves the mouse 206, the graphic cursor 801 also moves eight times in response. FIG. 8(b) shows a state in which the operator moves the mouse 206 and the graphic cursor 801 points to "person". but,
When seen from human eyes. Even if you think that the graphic cursor 801 is pointing to a "person", this is not necessarily the case when viewed from the device side. Therefore, how can the device determine whether the graphic cursor 801 is pointing to a "person"? The question is whether to do so.

As described above, the operator presses a key on the mouse 206 to search for desired picture data.

The IA filling procedure for retrieving partial painting data at this time is shown in the flowchart of FIG. In addition, the coordinates at this time are (xe
, yc). Therefore, this coordinate (xc,
yc) is, for example, the coordinates of the arrow tip of the graphic cursor 801 in FIG. 8(b).

Now, in step 5901, i is initialized with n, and in step 905, i is decreased by 1. Then, in step 5906, if i becomes O, the process ends; otherwise, step 5
Step 39 from en line to 01 line to return to 902
02 to 5904 will be repeated. This is confirmed line by line from the bottom row upwards of the painting composition table 301, so the coordinates (xe, y
We will check whether c) is included. As a result, even if you point to the overlapping portion of two mountains shown in FIG. 8(b), for example, the mountain in front will be selected. This process will be explained in detail using the flowchart shown here as follows. In step 5902, it is checked whether the picture component in line 01 is actually included in the picture. In this embodiment, it is sufficient to check whether there is an identifier. In other words, it is only necessary to determine whether the contents of column 302 in line 81 are only delimiters or whether an identifier and delimiter are registered. If there is only a delimiter, it can be considered that it is not part of the painting, so step 5905
Proceed to check the line above. If the identifier exists, the process proceeds to step 5903, where the file corresponding to the identifier in column 302 of line 01 is extracted, and the effective size of the partial painting data is calculated from that file.

Note that the format of the file header is not limited in this embodiment, and any conventional format may be used. In any case, the size can be calculated from each format, and even if the size information is not directly included in the file, it may be a fixed length, or it may be expressed in another part of memory and corresponded to by an identifier, or indirectly. (otherwise displaying the image would be impossible). In this embodiment, a raster image is used for simplicity, so that the X-axis length ΔXl and the y-axis length ΔyI of the rectangular area can be calculated. By converting this using the display mode in the e1 row field 303, the area occupied on the display screen can be calculated. In this embodiment, since the translation is simple, the rectangular area of ΔXl+Δ'j+ from (xI, 37+) is the area occupied by the picture component in row 01. That is, it can be calculated as an area where the X coordinate is greater than or equal to X and is less than X to +Xi, and the X coordinate is greater than or equal to 71 and less than yI+Δy1. In step 5904, given coordinates (xc,
yc) to see if there are people in the above-mentioned area range. If it is within the range, it can be determined that the target painting component is defined in line 81 at that point, and the procedure ends; if it is outside the range, proceed to step 5905 and proceed with checking the elements in the upper line. . Therefore, i at the end of the procedure
When is any one from 1 to n, the target is the element shown in line 81, and when i is 0, it can be determined that it is not applicable.

[Explanation of image editing (Fig. 8(b) to (f), Fig. 10 to
Figure 15) The above process completes the search for the partial painting component desired by the operator. Below, the image editing process for the retrieved partial painting component will be explained according to the flowchart in Figure 10. explain.

First, in step 5 tool, a painting component to be edited is determined. This determination method follows the procedure already explained in the flowchart of FIG. That is, the operator moves the graphic cursor 801, for example, to
When you move to the partial painting component of "People" and press the mouse key, the coordinates (xc, ye) of the arrow tip of the graphics quick cursor 801 at that time will be changed to the painting component represented by line 83 of the painting composition table 301. It is detected that it is included in the area, and this painting component is determined to be the target.Next, in step 51002, possible editing items for this painting element are determined, and a menu list corresponding to these is created. First, the identification name of the partial painting data assigned to the partial painting component that is the target of the search result in step 5toot is extracted.This is executed by the painting planting means 104.As a specific example, the painting The identification name of the shell 302 in row 05 of the configuration table 301 is extracted.

Then, the edit item extracting means 105 creates the items of the menu list. Edit item extraction means 105 is realized, for example, as follows. We have collected all partial painting data with words and phrases that simply explain the editing items that are possible for the partial painting, and information that expresses the editing content.
An edit item table 1101 is provided (FIG. 11). Here, the fence 1102 is a word representing an edited item, and the column 1103 is filled with editing content information. In a simple system where editing specific to each painting data is limited to replacement, Jli1
The identification name and delimiter of the partial picture data to be replaced may be stored in 103. Similarly to the picture configuration table 301, if only a delimiter is stored in 4[1102, that row is invalid. Then, this edit item table 1101 is stored in the file that stores each partial painting data mentioned above. Then, in the same way as for painting display, the target partial painting data file is extracted using the identification name as the file name, and from this, the MA collection item table is extracted, and the words and phrases until column 302 becomes only delimiters each represent editing. Words can be picked up as menu list items. In addition, if you add words for editing items common to each partial painting to the menu list,
The menu list creation for the selected painting component is completed. For example, common editing items include a menu list for moving the output position of a painting component, changing the display format, etc. In other words, when "person" is selected, "0 display position change", "play tennis", "play golf", "
Create a list of five menus: "Ski" and "Skate."

Once the items of the menu list are determined, these items are passed to the menu creation means 103 to display the menu. This uses a conventionally known pop-up menu technique. Then, a menu is output on the screen as shown in FIG. 8(C). The operator then selects each menu using the mouse 206 (step 51003). At this time, if "Change display position" is specified in the menu, the display position of "Person" is changed (step 51004), and if another menu is selected, the display corresponding to "Person" is displayed accordingly. The process then proceeds to the replacement process (step 51005) to change the form.
Regarding selections within the menu, for example, it does not matter at all if a number is attached to each item and the number is specified using a keyboard or the like.

Here, for example, a processing procedure will be described in the case where the operator moves the graphical cursor 801 to the position of "play tennis" and presses the mouse key.

Specifically, editing information is extracted by the editing item means. That is, it is sufficient to extract the contents of column 1103 in the first row of edit item table 1101 shown in FIG. This becomes the identification name "person 00". And the painting composition table 301
Change column 302 of line 03 to "Person 00;". This completes the replacement. That is, the picture composition table 301 is rewritten as the picture composition table 301a in FIG. 12. If the partial painting with the identifier "person 00" is shown in FIG. 13, the screen in FIG. 8(C) will become as shown in FIG. 8(d).

Similarly, an edit item table 1401 shown in FIG. 14 is provided corresponding to the identifier "person 00". Then, if similar editing is further carried out according to the procedure shown in FIG. 10, when the operator indicates a person holding a tennis racket, the screen will become as shown in FIG. 8(e). When the partial image of the identifier "person 04" is as shown in FIG. 15, when the operator selects "type" from the menu, the screen becomes as shown in FIG. 8(f).

To summarize the present embodiment explained above, when you decide on the arrangement of the partial painting data that is a symbol, and then select the one you want to edit among the partial painting data, the display form corresponding to the selected partial painting data is displayed. It becomes possible to change it. That is, it is possible to gradually change the display form of the initially displayed partial picture data. In this example, "person" is selected from the partial picture data displayed at the beginning, is dressed as playing tennis,
Furthermore, although active drawing such as "hit" has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, "people" can be distinguished into men and women, as well as adults and children. Therefore, it is possible to display "Person" first, and then newly add this information in the menu displayed when the graphic cursor is moved to "Person" and the mouse key is pressed.

In addition, in this example, the target was mainly “person°°,” but the same applies to the case where “mountain” is selected. In this case, what kind of partial picture data should be prepared for “mountain”? The menu display can change over time, but for example, you can display seasonal "mountains", and if you add a color display function, you can edit even more various illustrations.

In any case, the larger the amount of these partial picture data, the more various the expressions of the illustration will be, but these partial picture data need to be registered in the memory 202 in advance. Therefore, as described above, the memory 202 may actually be stored in an external storage device, such as a disk device, and the partial painting data or masking data may be read from that device.

As explained above, image data that is a certain set of partial parts that make up a painting is registered as partial painting data, and only the editing contents that are valid for each of these partial painting data are grouped together. , and individual editing information that is associated with expression form data that accurately represents each edited content is also registered. A painting is formed by arranging these partial painting data by performing one or more combinations, coordinate transformations, and the like. With these settings, when the editing element of the painting to be edited is first selected, the editing item will create an editing menu based on the above editing information, the menu will be displayed, and the operator will be able to make the desired correction. Just by choosing what you want, the painting will be automatically corrected and gradually take on the shape you desire. In other words, in the past, it was difficult to create a picture using an image forming system unless one had a knack for painting, but with this embodiment, the user can easily compose a picture in the same way as cutting and pasting an illustration book. After that, it is possible to approach the desired mobile phone by sequentially selecting each component from the menu, which is very effective.

In the explanation of this embodiment, an example of laying out painting components was not first described, but this can be done by selecting partial painting data using an identification name and positioning it in the same way as for moving. Since it is essentially the same as the conventional geometric figure editing system, it has been omitted. Note that the storage format of the various information is not limited to the above-mentioned table format, but can be realized in a list format and various other formats using existing data storage and inquiry techniques. Furthermore, in the explanation of this example, the partial painting data was a rask scan image, but this can also be achieved using the same method even if it is vectorized data by combining geometric data. do not. Furthermore, if a direct coordinate input device such as a touch panel is used for manual coordinate input, the present embodiment can be applied in the same manner as the coordinates can be determined without a graphic cursor.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, a plurality of image elements and a plurality of deformed image elements obtained by deforming the elements are provided, and the arrangement position and selection of these elements can be easily performed by any person. It becomes possible to create and edit paintings.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a basic conceptual diagram of this embodiment, Figure 2 is a block diagram of the hardware in this embodiment, Figure 3 is a diagram showing a painting configuration table, and Figure 4 (a) is the "mountain" part. FIG. 4(b) is a diagram showing masking data of the partial painting data shown in FIG. 4(a); FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure for developing partial painting data. , Figure 6 is a diagram showing partial painting data of "person", Figure 7 is a diagram showing each partial painting data displayed on the display screen, and Figures 8 (a) to (f) are diagrams showing the transition of the display screen. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the search procedure in this embodiment; FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the image editing procedure in this embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the editing item table; Figure 12 shows the picture composition table, Figure 13 shows the partial picture data of a person playing tennis, Figure 14 shows the editing item table, and Figure 15 shows the first
3 is a diagram showing partial picture data of the person shown in FIG. 3 hitting the ball; FIG. In the figure, 101...image editing means, 102...coordinate determination means, 103...menu creation means, 104...
Picture composition means, 105...Edited item extraction means, 107
. . . Coordinate manual means, 108 . . . Image output means, 10
9...Picture data storage means, 201...CPLI. 201a...Memory, 202...Memory, 203.
. . . CRT interface, 204 . . . Mouse interface, 205 . . . CRT, 206 . . . Mouse. Patent applicant: Canon Co., Ltd. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3. Figure (Q) Figure 4 (b) Figure 5 Day 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 (0) Figure 8 (b) Figure 8 (c) Figure 8 (d) Cause 8 (e) Figure 8 (f) Figure 10 Figure 13 Figure 12 [1

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) storage means for storing image elements of mutually different forms and deformed image elements derived from each of the image elements;
arrangement position specifying means for specifying the arrangement position of each of the image elements on the display screen; position specification means for specifying a desired position on the display screen; and one of the arranged image elements.
a list display means for displaying a list of the transformed image elements corresponding to the image element; a selection means for selecting one item in the list; An image editing device comprising: replacing means for replacing the image element with the modified image element corresponding to the selected item. (2) The image editing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection means performs the selection using a position specifying means.