Abstract: Blotches may be identified and processed to reduce or eliminate the blotch. The blotch may be in just one of several separations and multiple separations may be used, for example, to identify the blotch. An implementation (i) compares a first component image of an image with a first component image of a reference image, (ii) compares a second component image of the image with a second component image of the reference image, and (iii) determines based on these comparisons whether the first component image of the image includes a blotch. Multiple image separations also, or alternatively, may be used, for example, to modify the blotch, as well as to evaluate whether a modification is beneficial.

Abstract: In an image enhancement method, computer program product, and system a set of boundary frequencies within a frequency spectrum are defined. The boundary frequencies divide the spectrum into a plurality of different spatial frequency regions. A digital image is then processed with a filter having a plurality of functions. Each function is exclusive to one of the spatial frequency regions. The functions of adjoining regions have equal values at respective boundary frequencies. A set of peak and or valley filter values of the functions at the respective boundary frequencies can be defined.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and an image processing method capable of performing matching processing with a small amount of calculation and highly accurately detecting a motion vector, etc.

Abstract: A method of detecting a feature of a vehicle in an image of a vehicle includes providing a digitized image of a vehicle, providing a first filter mask over a first subdomain of the image, where the filter mask is placed to detect a feature in the image, calculating a function of a gradient of the image inside the first masked subdomain, and detecting the presence or absence of a vehicle feature within the first masked subdomain based on the value of the gradient function.

Abstract: A system and method comprise defining a current rectangular region of the image bitmap, quantifying spectral characteristics of the current rectangular region, dividing the current rectangular region into four rectangular sub-regions in response to the spectral characteristics being greater than a predetermined threshold value, tagging the current rectangular sub-region as a terminal rectangular region in response to the spectral characteristics being less than or equal to the predetermined threshold value, tagging each rectangular sub-region as a terminal rectangular region in response to a size of the rectangular sub-region being less than or equal to a predetermined threshold size, defining one of the non-terminal rectangular sub-regions as the current rectangular region and repeating the above until all rectangular regions are tagged terminal, and determining color characteristics for each of the terminal rectangular regions.

Abstract: A method of enhancing contrast in a digital image comprises isolating pixels of the image having intensities falling within a low intensity range, determining at least one feature of the pixel distribution with the range and adjusting intensities of pixels in the image to make the pixels within the range more visually distinct. An apparatus for enhancing contrast in a digital image is also provided.

Abstract: In an image processor, images are created, stored, manipulated and regenerated using color tinting, where color tinting applies component-to-color mapping from a color card to a plurality of component images, which are then combined to form a final image, tinted according to the content of the color card. In some instances, the color card might code one color for each of N components, in which case the final image might be the merging of each of N monochromatic component images colored by the color coded by the color card. In other instances, the color card codes for intensity levels or a texture.

Abstract: A method of transforming a n-bit data packet to a m-bit data packet with a lookup table. The lookup table includes at least one entry data packet and at least one respective delta value associated with each entry data packet. The method includes the acts of receiving an input data packet having n-bits, indexing the lookup table with at least a portion of the input data packet to obtain one of the at least one entry data packet, and decompressing the obtained entry data packet with the at least one respective delta value associated with the obtained entry data packet, thereby resulting in an output data packet having m-bits. The decompressing act includes using a portion of the input data packet to determine the number of delta values called for decompressing the obtained entry data packet. The method can be used in, for example, an image processor.

Abstract: In a method of filtering an image with bar-shaped structures by means of Gabor filters, which are formed in the spatial domain by a two-dimensional Gaussian bell-shaped curve on which a cosine function is superimposed in a main direction, the image is divided into tiles, a predominant direction of the bar-shaped structures is determined for each tile and the filtration is undertaken in such a way that one tile at a time is rotated until the predominant direction lies at right angles to the main direction of the Gabor filter, one filtration takes place in the main direction and another filtration takes place at right angles to this, and the filtered tile is rotated back again.

Abstract: A CPU 200 compares a luminance distribution characteristic of image data with a reference luminance distribution characteristic, and then confirms that the image data GD is a backlit portrait image data if similarity degree Sv between the luminance distribution characteristic of image data and the reference luminance distribution characteristic is larger than reference similarity degree Svref The CPU 200 determines whether an outer dark portion ratio Do is larger than a reference dark portion ratio Doref. If the CPU 200 determines that the outer dark portion ratio Do is larger than the reference dark portion ratio Doref, then it determines whether an outer bright portion ratio Bo is larger than a reference bright portion ratio Boref. If the CPU 200 determines that the outer bright portion ratio Bo is larger than a reference bright portion ratio Boref, then it determines that the image data GD is image data of backlit portrait image.

Abstract: In an image resolution conversion apparatus, a region-determining section establishes an initial value used for determining a region where a new pixel is to be generated based on the number of pixels in a non-line direction included in a pixel group used for converting the resolution attribute of fields, and a resolution conversion magnification ratio. The region-determining section accumulates an integration parameter corresponding to the resolution conversion magnification ratio onto the obtained initial values under the predetermined condition. The region-determining section outputs: a region-control signal; and the newly-established-pixel-position signal, successively based on the accumulation result.

Abstract: In a method of aligning images, a first image and a second image are sampled to a plurality of joint feature pairs. A minimum entropic graph is computed using the joint feature pairs. Using a distance measure, the total length of the minimum entropic graph is measured to obtain a dissimilarity measure. The dissimilarity measure is minimized for updating the geometric transformation.

Abstract: An image processing method and system removes quantization artifacts in digital video/images. The local neighborhood of the current pixel is segmented based on a pre-defined quantization level to generate a segment containing the current pixel. Then, the luminance values of the pixels within the segment are low-pass filtered. Several sub-gains are computed based on measurements of the segment, and the sub-gains are multiplied together and filtered to obtain a final gain value. The final gain value is used to linearly interpolate between the original luminance value and the filtered luminance value of the pixel to obtain an output luminance value.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, system, computer program and product, each capable of converting a resolution of an image using an interpolation method. The interpolation method determines a pixel value of an interpolated pixel based on a weighting factor, which is generated based on a pixel value and a distance value of a reference pixel.

Abstract: A seed point is selected inside a structure that is to be segmented in image data. An adaptive model is defined around the seed point, and a preprocessing filter is applied only within the bounding region. A presegmentation of the preprocessed result is performed, and the bounding region is expanded if necessary to accommodate the presegmentation result. An adaptive model for post-processing may be used. The model is translated, rotated and scaled to find a best fit with the pre-segmented data.

Abstract: An image display method includes dividing one frame into a plurality of sub-frames by multiplying a frame frequency of an input image signal, reducing a high-spatial frequency component of an image signal which is used for image display in at least one predetermined sub-frame among the plurality of sub-frames in comparison with that of an image signal which is used for image display in another sub-frame, and displaying an image in each sub-frame.

Abstract: Denoising of a plurality of pixels of a color digital image includes analyzing the plurality of pixels to identify those pixels having a high likelihood of containing significant noise; and forcing those pixels having a high likelihood of containing significant noise to be photometrically coherent with nearby pixels having a lower likelihood of containing significant noise.

Abstract: A facial parts position detection device which includes an image inputting device for inputting a captured face image, an ends position detecting device for detecting right and left ends position of the face on the basis of the image, a facial parts region setting device for setting facial parts region indicating a region where facial parts exists on the basis of the right and left ends of the face, a horizontal edge detecting device for detecting a horizontal edge on the basis of the image inputted by the image inputting device, a horizontal edge histogram creating device for creating a horizontal edge histogram by projecting the horizontal edge in a horizontal direction, a proposed position setting device for setting a plurality of peaks of the horizontal edge histogram as proposed positions respectively, and an optimum position detecting device for detecting an optimum position of the facial parts region.

Abstract: A method of digitizing graphic information includes the steps of reading monochrome graphic information by using a black-and-white scanner to input raster data; sorting the raster data into text data and vector data; storing the sorted vector data in element layers for every predetermined element; deleting only the raster data of alphabetic information that has undergone the text conversion; converting the raster data excluding the text data into the vector data; and storing the converted vector data in basic layers for every group.

Abstract: The present invention uses five regions of interest, 4 corners and 1 center to do Fourier Transform analysis to mark rough location of the streaks, if there is any. It sets the small window around the center in each Fourier Transform ROI to zero to mask the cluster of bright points caused by the lens rolloff or other noises. It use iterative linear regression to remove the random outliers and to search the best possible linear pattern. If it finds any streaks, it calculates the angle and converts it to the streak angle in spatial domain. Once a streak is detected, it can be removed by applying an inverse Fourier Transform on the processed magnitude and original phase Fourier Transform images.