Digital Camera Patent Abstract
When a picture image recorded by a digital camera is reproduced,
a high quality picture image is immediately reproduced without repetitive
test prints for enhancing a picture quality or repetitive minor
adjustments based on a confirmation via a monitor. Recording is
carried out by a digital camera having a function of adding recording
information representing a recording condition (a recording information
adding unit) to digital image data obtained by the recording. A
set-up processing unit in an image reproducing apparatus carries
out image processing on the image data obtained by the recording
for enhancing a picture quality using the recording information
added to the image data, and the image reproducing apparatus reproduces
the image data in the form of a print or a display on a monitor.
Digital Camera Patent Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An image reproducing method comprising:
obtaining digital image data recorded by a digital image recording
device
obtaining recording information representing a recording condition
specific to the digital image recording device;
storing the digital image data and the recording information together
as an image file together in an image server;
carrying out image processing of the image file for enhancing a
picture quality of the digital image data having been stored in
the storage medium by using the stored recording information to
determine an optimal image processing condition; and
reproducing the digital image data on which the image processing
has been carried out based on the optimal image processing condition.
2. The image reproducing method as defined in claim 1, before the
carrying out image processing step, further comprising:
adding the optimal image processing condition to the digital image
data and the recording information for storage as the image file,
wherein
the carrying out step carries out the image processing of the image
file stored in the storage medium for enhancing the picture quality
of the digital image data based on the stored optimal image processing
condition added to the image file.
3. An image reproducing apparatus comprising:
image serving means for storing digital image data and recording
information together as an image file in an image server;
image processing means for carrying out an image processing of
the image file for enhancing a picture quality of the digital image
data using the stored recording information to determine an optimal
image processing condition; and
reproducing means for reproducing the digital image data processed
by the image processing means based on the optimal image processing
condition.
4. The image reproducing apparatus as defined in claim 2 or 5,
comprising recording information adding means for adding the recording
information to the digital image data.
5. The image reproducing apparatus as defined in claim 3, further
comprising:
means for adding the optimal image processing condition to the
digital image data and the recording information for storage as
the image file, wherein
the image processing means carries out the image processing of
the image file stored in the storage medium for enhancing the picture
quality of the digital image data based on the stored optimal image
processing condition added to the image file.
6. The image reproducing method as defined in claim 1, further
comprising:
adding a content of AE processing the recording information.
7. The image reproducing method as defined in claim 1, further
comprising:
adding a designation indicating a direction to halt additional
correction to the recording information.
8. The image reproducing method as defined in claim 1, further
comprising:
adding a trimming designation function indicator to the recording
information for designating an area of the digital image data to
be trimmed.
9. The image reproducing method as defined in claim 1, further
comprising:
adding at least one of a focusing length and a focusing position
to the recording information.
10. The image reproducing method as defined in claim 1, further
comprising:
adding at lease one of a lighting condition obtained from a color
sensor or exposure meter, a flash occurrence condition, and an outdoor
weather indicator to the recording information.
11. The image reproducing method as defined in claim 1, further
comprising:
adding a title of the digital image data to the recording information.
12. The image reproducing apparatus as defined in claim 3, further
comprising:
means for adding a content of AE processing the recording information.
13. The image reproducing apparatus as defined in claim 3, further
comprising:
means for adding a designation indicating a direction to halt additional
correction to the recording information.
14. The image reproducing apparatus as defined in claim 3, further
comprising:
means for adding a trimmings designation function indicator to
the recording information for designating an area of the digital
image data to be trimmed.
15. The image reproducing apparatus as defined in claim 3, further
comprising:
means for adding at least one of a focusing length and a focusing
position to the recording information.
16. The image reproducing apparatus as defined in claim 3, further
comprising:
means for adding at lease one of a lighting condition obtained
from a color sensor or exposure meter, a flash occurrence condition,
and an outdoor weather indicator to the recording information.
17. The image reproducing apparatus as defined in claim 3, further
comprising:
means for adding a title of the digital image data to the recording
information.
18. An image reproducing apparatus system comprising:
an image pick up unit that records digital image data;
a processing unit that provides automatic exposure processing to
the digital image data; and
a recording information adding unit that adds recording information
including a ratio of an input light amount versus an output voltage
of the digital camera to the digital image data and stores the digital
image data and the recording information together as an image file
in an image server.
19. The image reproducing apparatus system of claim 18 further
comprising:
image serving means for storing digital image data and the recording
information together as an image file in an image server;
image processing means for carrying out an image processing of
the image file for enhancing a picture quality of the digital image
data using the stored recording information to determine an optimal
image processing condition; and
reproducing means for reproducing the digital image data processed
by the image processing means based on the optimal image processing
condition.
Digital Camera Patent Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reproducing
images, using a printer or a monitor, from digital image data obtained
by a digital camera, and also to a digital camera used for implementing
the method.
2. Description of the Related Arts
The quality of a picture, especially the finish of a color picture,
generally varies greatly depending on exposure conditions. Therefore,
a camera has an AE mechanism for setting an appropriate exposure
in response to how bright it is when a picture is recorded and luminance
distribution on a target object. However, even an AE mechanism has
a limit, and performance of the mechanism varies from camera to
camera. Therefore, it is not necessarily guaranteed that a picture
having a sufficient quality can always be recorded.
For this reason, at a photo shop or the like, processing for correcting
overexposure or underexposure, and a bias in color is carried out
by adjusting an exposure condition when a picture image is printed
so that a picture print having as high a quality as possible is
provided to a customer. In this case, image processing to be carried
out obviously varies depending on a picture to be processed. Therefore,
an optimal processing condition has been found by repetitive adjustments
of an image processing condition based on a slight difference judged
by experience in images shown on a monitor, or by confirming finish
after a plurality of test prints have been created. Based on the
image processing condition having been found, image processing is
carried out to create a print which will finally be provided to
a customer.
When an electronic camera using an electronic image pickup device
(hereinafter called a digital camera) is used, the camera can often
not carry out highly sophisticated processing due to restrictions
on cost and processing time. In the case of a digital camera, an
image obtained thereby may often be used as it is without a photo
shop's involvement. Therefore, an AE mechanism having high performance
may often not be incorporated with a digital camera, since picture
quality is meant to be sufficient as long as an image displayed
on a monitor having a comparatively generous tolerance in picture
quality, such as an image displayed on a CRT monitor or on a liquid
crystal display monitor attached to the digital camera, is not too
blurry. As a result, when digital image data recorded by a digital
camera are reproduced as a print, it is not easy to obtain optimal
finish of a printed image having a strict picture quality tolerance,
and a time consuming operation such as repeated test prints as described
above is necessary.
However, correction by trial and error as described above is not
only time consuming but also costly due to the test prints. It is
also problematic that finish varies depending on experience or the
skill of an operator who carries out the adjustment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Based on consideration of the above problems, an object of the
present invention is to provide an image reproducing method and
apparatus which finds an optimal image processing condition quickly
and simply without repetitive adjustments of the condition by test
prints or confirmation of an image using a monitor, so that a high
quality print can be promptly provided to a customer, when digital
image data obtained by a digital camera are reproduced. Another
object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera used
for implementing the method.
An image reproducing method of the present invention comprises
the steps of obtaining digital image data to which recording information
representing a recording condition is added by a digital camera
having a function of adding the recording information to the digital
image data recorded thereby, storing in a predetermined storage
medium the digital image data to which the recording information
has been added, carrying out image processing for enhancing picture
quality of the digital image data stored in the storing medium by
using the recording information added to the digital image data,
and reproducing the digital image data on which the image processing
has been carried out.
The "recording information representing a recording condition"
herein means, for example, to include both information specific
to a camera such as the .gamma. property of the camera (a ratio
of input light amount versus output voltage) and the focal length
of the lens, and information which varies at each recording depending
on a photo taking environment or on an operation by a photographer,
such as a focusing length, an EV value, a kind of lighting (color
temperature), and whether or not a flash is used. The former information
(the information specific to a camera) is unconditionally added
as a portion of the recording information, and a photographer can
not change this information. On the other hand, a photographer can
intentionally determine the latter information by carrying out some
operation.
"Adding recording information representing a recording condition
to digital image data recorded" means that a file format comprising
image data and recording information is determined, and the image
data as well as recording information thereof are stored as a file
having such a format in a built-in memory of a camera or a card
memory, for example.
The "predetermined storage medium" herein means a built-in
memory or the like attached to a camera, or a hard disc connected
to an image server in a photo laboratory system or to a personal
computer. In this case, image file copy from a memory attached to
a camera to such a large capacity storage medium can be carried
out using a card reader and a cable connection or the like.
The "image processing for enhancing a picture quality of the
digital image data" means to carry out processing according
to a predetermined algorithm based on a given condition. For example,
the processing device to select a look-up table for correcting tone
or a color. In this case, "carrying out image processing for
enhancing a picture quality of the digital image data by using the
recording information added to the digital image data" means
to use the recording information in the processing for selecting
an optimal look-up table.
Furthermore, according to the image reproducing method of the present
invention, a variety of processing conditions of the image processing
may be added to the digital image data after the image processing
has been carried out thereon, and stored in the storage medium.
The image processing for enhancing the picture quality of the digital
image data may then be carried out using the processing conditions
added to the digital image data which has been stored in the storage
medium so that the digital image data which has been image processed
can be reproduced.
"A variety of processing conditions of the image processing
may be added to the digital image data" herein means, in the
case of tone or color correction described above for example, to
add the look-up table (LUT) found through the processing to the
digital image data. In this manner, when the "image processing
for enhancing a picture quality of digital image data" is carried
out, the processing load can be reduced, since the digital image
data may only be converted using the look-up table without carrying
out the processing for finding out the processing conditions.
The image reproducing apparatus of the present invention is used
for implementing the above image reproducing method, comprising
an image processing device for carrying out the image processing
for enhancing a picture quality of the digital image data using
the recording information added to the digital image data, and a
reproducing device for reproducing the digital image data which
have been processed by the image processing device. "The image
processing device" may carry out the image processing for enhancing
a picture quality of the digital image data by using, instead of
the recording information, the conditions of the image processing
added to the digital image data.
A digital camera used for obtaining digital image data to be reproduced
by the image reproducing method of the present invention comprises
recording information adding device for adding the recording information
to digital image data obtained by recording by the digital camera.
The image reproducing method and apparatus of the present invention
has been created so that the method and apparatus adds, upon picture
image recording, the recording information representing a recording
condition to the digital image data obtained by a digital camera,
and carries out the image processing for enhancing a picture quality
using the recording information upon reproduction of the digital
image data. Therefore, image processing for reproduction based on
a recording condition can be carried out, and print having optimal
finish can easily be obtained without repetitive test prints.
Moreover, not only the digital camera but also the image reproducing
apparatus can add an optimal image processing condition obtained
through a processing or the like to the image data. Therefore, for
image data whose image processing condition has been found once,
image processing thereafter is carried out by simply referring to
the image processing condition, and the time needed for finding
the image processing condition will no longer be necessary.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will
be explained referring to the accompanying drawing. FIG. 1 shows
an embodiment of the present invention, and depicts a schematic
laboratory system for reproducing image data obtained by a digital
camera in the form of a print or the like.
A digital camera 1 comprises, as does a conventional digital camera,
an image pickup unit 4 such as an optical system for carrying out
recording, and an AE processing unit 5 for carrying out automatic
exposure processing. A function such as automatic focusing is meant
to be included in the image pickup unit 4. However, the presence
or absence of such a function or a level thereof varies depending
on the type of digital camera.
The digital camera 1 of the present invention further comprises
a recording information adding unit 6. The recording information
adding unit 6 is used to add a variety of recording information
to digital image data obtained by recording. The information to
be added is as listed below, for example.
First, the .gamma. property representing a ratio of output voltage
to an input light amount is listed as information specific to a
camera. The .gamma. property affects contrast of a picture, and
often varies between cameras with a high price and a low price.
As information specific to a camera other than the .gamma. property,
a focal length and F value of a lens can be listed.
It is also preferable to add the content of AE processing carried
out by a camera as the recording information. As AE processing which
is generally carried out, average processing, peak value processing,
multipattern processing and the like are known. In this case, information
regarding which of these processings have been carried out, or a
parameter used in the processings should be added as the recording
information. Likewise, it is also preferable to add an EV value
showing how bright a target object is as the recording information.
However, if an exposure has been carried out by a manual operation
rather than an automatic operation, it is preferable to add a variety
of values set manually as the recording information. In this manner,
the intentions of a photographer can be reflected in recording information,
such as whether the atmosphere of a picture is merry or gloomy,
and whether the picture has a sharp impression or a soft impression.
As a result, image processing which reflects a photographer's intention
can be carried out.
Some digital cameras enable designation of a photographer's intention
by using a more vague expression rather than by setting a value
such as an exposure value. For example, in some digital cameras,
a mode setting can be possible such as a sun set mode when the sun
is in the background of a picture being recorded, and a portrait
mode when a figure is being recorded, and automatic exposure setting
can be carried out based on the set mode. In the case where such
a digital camera is used, it is better to provide such mode setting
information to the digital camera as the recording information.
In this manner, for a picture that a photographer wishes to finish
as a sun set picture, sun set finish is carried out in the image
processing and a print of a sun set can be provided in accordance
with the photographer's imagination can be provided. Likewise, a
picture can be reproduced in accordance with the intention of a
photographer by carrying out optimal image processing based on each
recording information such as snow finish for a picture expressing
a sense of snow, scenery finish for a picture emphasizing scenery,
portrait finish for a picture emphasizing good complexion (skin
color), and monochrome finish for a picture to be produced in black
and white.
Contrarily, since some users wish no correction processing at a
photo shop, a designation for no correction to show that no correction
is necessary can sometimes be provided as a camera function. In
this case, the designation for no correction should only be included
in the recording information.
Furthermore, some cameras with a highly sophisticated function
may include a trimming designation function. In this case, only
rough information specified by the camera function (for example,
a designation such that only one person in the picture should be
trimmed, or two persons should be trimmed) may be included in the
recording information, and a detail designation of the area to be
trimmed may be left to a photo shop's discretion.
Moreover, since a focusing length, a focusing position, and the
like become important information when the image processing is carried
out, it is better if they are included in the recording information.
For example, when image processing is carried out upon printing,
processing for extracting a main target object may be carried out
for especially improving a picture quality of the main target object.
If information relevant to focus is added as the recording information,
it is judged that the main target object exists in an area of focus,
and a complex extracting processing does not need to be carried
out.
For reflecting on an image processing a kind and strength of light
in the environment in which a picture image is recorded, it is preferable
that a lighting condition obtained by a color temperature sensor
or an exposure meter, whether or not a flash is used, and the outdoor
weather at the time of recording if the recording is carried out
outdoors, are included in the recording information.
It is also possible to add to image data the date and time of recording,
or a theme title of the picture as a portion of the recording information.
The recording information adding unit 6 obtains the above recording
information relevant to values specific to the camera from a setting
of a camera upon shipment. On the other hand, the recording information
adding unit 6 obtains recording information varying at each recording
from the image pickup unit 4 or the AE processing unit 5 upon necessity
by receiving data therefrom. The recording information adding unit
6 organizes the recording information into a predetermined format
and adds the recording information to image data. More specifically,
when image data are obtained and stored in a built-in memory or
in a card memory, image data 8 together with the recording information
9 are stored in a set in an image file 7.
The digital image data having been stored in a memory in a digital
camera are stored in an image server 2 via a card reader and a cable.
Any ordinarily-used data copying method including the method using
a network can be used as a method to copy the image file onto the
image server 2.
On the other hand, the image reproducing apparatus 3 of the present
invention is used to carry out sequential reproduction processings
on image files 7 stored in the image server 2. The image reproducing
apparatus 3 comprises a set-up processing unit 11 for carrying out
image processing to enhance a picture quality of image data in each
image file 7, a printer 12 or a display interface 13 for respectively
outputting the image data having been set up by the set-up processing
unit 11 in the form of a print 14 or in the form of a display on
a monitor 15. The above recording information 9 is used directly
for the processing in the set-up unit 11 or for judgment as to whether
or not a predetermined processing should be carried out.
The set-up processing unit 11 carries out the processing according
to a predetermined algorithm based on the recording information
9, and carries out the image processing by finding an optimal image
processing condition. An image processing condition 10 may be added
to image data 8 on this occasion. In this manner, it becomes unnecessary
to carry out the same processing again when a print is created as
an extra print for example, which leads to less time and cost. Furthermore,
a print needs a higher picture quality than a display on a monitor.
Therefore, once an image processing condition has been found and
saved for the print, a high picture quality image can thereafter
be displayed in a short time by using the saved information, when
the image data are displayed on a monitor.
In the above explanation, a laboratory system has been used as
an example, since a high quality picture image is especially needed
by a print. However, the present invention can also be applicable
to a case where a user enjoys an image using a personal computer.
In other words, it becomes possible to display a high quality picture
image on a monitor by carrying out the image processing using the
recording information 9 with a personal computer in the same manner
as does the above laboratory system.
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