Abstract: When image data are input from a memory card or the like, a printing apparatus detects face region captured in these image data. Where the size and position of a face region fall within permitted ranges therefor set in advance in a permitted range table derived via sense evaluation testing, the input image data is selected as a printing target candidate. If the face region size and position do not each fall within their permitted range, however, the image data is not selected as a printing target. As a result, image data suitable for printing can be efficiently selected as printing targets from image data that contain human faces.

Abstract: With a minimal process load, to determine level of the image of an image data file, for image data files of a format that saves images in the form of coefficients of discrete frequency components. Image data that includes a plurality of coefficients representing the pattern of change of color of the image are acquired (Step S10). Multiple sets of basic pattern data that respectively include a plurality of basic coefficients representing basic patterns of color change are prepared. Then, based on a comparison of the two, one set of selected basic pattern data is selected from among the multiple sets of basic pattern data (Step S20). Subsequently, the blur level of the image of the image data is calculated, based on the basic blur level associated with the selected basic pattern data (S30-S70).

Abstract: In response to a search request, the type of the terminal from which the request originated is determined, and a selection history is weighted and accumulated so that the order of the results of a search carried out according to set search conditions varies depending on the selection history. In the case where the type of the request origin terminal is a terminal type in which the number of search results that can be displayed on a single screen is less than in other terminal types or the movement of the screen is more complicated than in other terminal types and search results have been selected across a plurality of screens, a greater weight is applied to the selection history of the selected search results than for other terminal types.

Abstract: A similar image search device includes an image database where image data is accumulated in advance, and a search unit which searches with regard to an input image from a search request origin for images which are similar to the input image from image data accumulated in the image database, where the search unit has a determination unit, which determines degrees of similarity of the input image and each image accumulated in the image database using a plurality of determination standards obtained by applying and combining weights of differences in a plurality of characteristic values which express the characteristics of an image, and a tuning screen transmission unit, which transmits images where the degrees of similarity determined by the determination unit satisfy predetermined conditions to the search request origin as a tuning screen which is divided into groups for each of the determination standards.

Abstract: The focusing information visualization system of the invention extracts an edge having an edge intensity of not less than a first reference value Th1 and an edge width of not greater than a second reference value Th2 in a photographic image and displays the extracted edge in a preset color at a position of the edge extraction to be overlapped with the original photographic image on a screen. A focused area defined by the extracted edge is displayed as N divisional areas. In response to a user's operational specification of one divisional area among the N divisional areas, an enlarged photographic image corresponding to the specified divisional area at a desired magnification ratio is displayed on the screen. This arrangement adopts the automatic rough judgment and the user's final visual check to accurately recognize the focusing status of the photographic image.

Abstract: A printer fetches a horizontal direction DCT coefficient group and a vertical direction DCT coefficient group for each block from the JPEG data. The printer selects edge patterns similar to the brightness changes expressed by these coefficient groups from a specified table, and records those pattern numbers in a RAM. The printer judges whether or not the brightness changes of the blocks with each other adjacent are continuous based on the pattern number of each block recorded in the RAM. And by connecting the edge patterns when those brightness changes are continuous, the printer accumulates the blur widths that exist extending over the blocks. Then, based on this cumulative value, the printer determines the presence or absence of image blur. It is possible thereby to detect with good precision the blur of images even for high resolution images while reducing the used memory capacity.

Abstract: A printing method for printing an image based on image data, the printing method includes: loading the image data from a storage medium in which the image data is stored; printing an order sheet, wherein the order sheet includes an index image representing the loaded image data to receive from a user entry of information for printing the image; recognizing the information entered in the order sheet via scanning of the printed order sheet; and printing a corrected image made by executing image correction to the image based on the recognized entered information.

Abstract: When a printing device inputs image data from a memory card, the printing device prints an order sheet whereon are arranged a chart of the image data and setting entry fields for filling in a variety of settings for generating a movie based on these image data. The user uses various marking fields provided on the order sheet to specify the display times for the various image data and the effects to be performed on the various image data. When the printing device uses a scanner to read in the filled-out order sheet, movie data is generated based on the content that is set using this order sheet. The user is able to generate movies easily using this type of printing device.

Abstract: An image data analyzing device that reads and analyzes image data includes a number-of-blurred-pixels detecting unit that detects a number of blurred pixels, which is a number of pixels indicating blur width of a contour in an image represented by the image data, a number-of-image-pixels acquiring unit that acquires a number of image pixels, which is a number of pixels related to a size of the image represented by the image data, and an upper-limit-output-size determining unit that determines, on a basis of the number of blurred pixels and the number of image pixels of the image data, an allowable upper limit output size of an image outputted by using the image data.

Abstract: An image display device used for checking an image represented by digital image data includes a display section that displays the image and checking information used for checking the image, an image display control section that displays the image on the display section based on the digital image data, a checking line segment designation section that allows designation of a checking line segment, which is a series of checking places in the image, on the display section on which the image is displayed, and a checking information display control section that displays a changing condition of the digital image data along the checking line segment on the display section as the checking information.

Abstract: The blurring determination device references image data in which are recorded coefficients that are obtained when pixel values forming the image in the spatial domain are converted to the frequency domain, and detects edges oriented in two or more directions, from among the image data, by comparing a series of the coefficients in each of the directions with various types of basic edge patterns whereby typical gradient patterns of the changes in pixel values are represented by values corresponding the coefficients. The representative values of the width of the detected edges is determined in each of the directions, and the image data is determined to not be blurred when the representative values meet the condition of being at or below a certain threshold.

Abstract: The focusing information visualization system of the invention extracts an edge having an edge intensity of not less than a first reference value Th1 and an edge width of not greater than a second reference value Th2 in a photographic image and displays the extracted edge in a preset color at a position of the edge extraction to be overlapped with the original photographic image on a screen. A focused area defined by the extracted edge is displayed as N divisional areas. In response to a user's operational specification of one divisional area among the N divisional areas, an enlarged photographic image corresponding to the specified divisional area at a desired magnification ratio is displayed on the screen. This arrangement adopts the automatic rough judgment and the user's final visual check to accurately recognize the focusing status of the photographic image.

Abstract: A printer fetches a horizontal direction DCT coefficient group and a vertical direction DCT coefficient group for each block from the JPEG data. The printer selects edge patterns similar to the brightness changes expressed by these coefficient groups from a specified table, and records those pattern numbers in a RAM. The printer judges whether or not the brightness changes of the blocks with each other adjacent are continuous based on the pattern number of each block recorded in the RAM. And by connecting the edge patterns when those brightness changes are continuous, the printer accumulates the blur widths that exist extending over the blocks. Then, based on this cumulative value, the printer determines the presence or absence of image blur. It is possible thereby to detect with good precision the blur of images even for high resolution images while reducing the used memory capacity.

Abstract: With a minimal process load, to determine level of the image of an image data file, for image data files of a format that saves images in the form of coefficients of discrete frequency components. Image data that includes a plurality of coefficients representing the pattern of change of color of the image are acquired (Step S10). Multiple sets of basic pattern data that respectively include a plurality of basic coefficients representing basic patterns of color change are prepared. Then, based on a comparison of the two, one set of selected basic pattern data is selected from among the multiple sets of basic pattern data (Step S20). Subsequently, the blur level of the image of the image data is calculated, based on the basic blur level associated with the selected basic pattern data (S30-S70).

Abstract: An image judging device for judging whether an image represented by input image data is a defocused image or not includes an evaluation value calculating unit and a judgment unit. The evaluation value calculating unit calculates a predetermined evaluation value on the basis of normalized orthogonal transform coefficients acquired from the input image data encoded by a normalized orthogonal transform. The judgment unit judges whether an image represented by the input image data is a defocused image or not on the basis of the calculated evaluation value.

Abstract: When a printing device inputs image data from a memory card, the printing device prints an order sheet whereon are arranged a chart of the image data and setting entry fields for filling in a variety of settings for generating a movie based on these image data. The user uses various marking fields provided on the order sheet to specify the display times for the various image data and the effects to be performed on the various image data. When the printing device uses a scanner to read in the filled-out order sheet, movie data is generated based on the content that is set using this order sheet. The user is able to generate movies easily using this type of printing device.

Abstract: When image data is input from a memory card or the like, the printing device prints an order sheet that includes a recipient specification field showing reduced images of the input image data and enabling recipients for the image data to be specified, and a sorting method specification field for specifying the sorting method for individual recipients. Using this order sheet, the user specifies the sorting method of the image data and the image data for individual recipients, and scans the order sheet with a scanner. The printing device then prints the specified image data for the individual recipients, in accordance with the sorting method specified on the order sheet. It is possible thereby to easily distribute images to individual recipients during printing of the image data using an order sheet.

Abstract: A printing method for printing an image based on image data, the printing method includes: loading the image data from a storage medium in which the image data is stored; printing an order sheet, wherein the order sheet includes an index image representing the loaded image data to receive from a user entry of information for printing the image; recognizing the information entered in the order sheet via scanning of the printed order sheet; and printing a corrected image made by executing image correction to the image based on the recognized entered information.

Abstract: A printing method for printing an image based on image data, the printing method includes: loading the image data from a storage medium in which the image data is stored; printing an order sheet, wherein the order sheet includes an index image representing the loaded image data to receive from a user entry of information for printing the image; recognizing the information entered on the order sheet via scanning the order sheet; and printing a trim image based on the recognized entered information, wherein the trim image is made by trimming the image.

Abstract: When image data are input from a memory card or the like, a printing apparatus detects face region captured in these image data. Where the size and position of a face region fall within permitted ranges therefor set in advance in a permitted range table derived via sense evaluation testing, the input image data is selected as a printing target candidate. If the face region size and position do not each fall within their permitted range, however, the image data is not selected as a printing target. As a result, image data suitable for printing can be efficiently selected as printing targets from image data that contain human faces.