Abstract: A method of creating a blending mode for blending base colors and blend colors to produce resultant colors for one or more pixels of a digital image includes displaying by a display device a relationship between a first independent variable representing the base colors and a dependent variable representing the resultant colors for a specific value of a second independent variable representing blend colors. The method also includes receiving user input altering the relationship, displaying the altered relationship, and storing the relationship as a blending mode.

Abstract: Systems and methods for receive one or more document comprising genealogical or ancestral information and generating an electronic version of the document. Extracting genealogical or ancestral information from one or more documents and associate information extracted from the document(s) with one or more data fields of a genealogical record. Displaying the electronic document simultaneously with a plurality of genealogical or ancestral records that includes information about individuals, and a hierarchical structure describing a relationship between individuals.

Abstract: A method of processing a plurality of source documents into scanned images of the source documents includes evaluating the plurality of source documents to thereby assign one or more source document quality metrics indicative of source document image quality. The plurality of source documents are comprised by a project and the source documents of the project are from a common source document type. The source document types include, for example, book pages, paper documents, microfilm documents, machine-printed documents, handwritten documents, print media documents, public records, microfiche documents, and/or the like. The method also includes scanning each of the plurality of source documents to thereby create one or more electronic image files comprising the scanned images and coupling the source document quality metrics to the electronic image files such that the source document quality metrics are thereafter accessible for post-production activities.

Abstract: A method of creating a blending mode for blending base colors and blend colors to produce resultant colors for one or more pixels of a digital image includes displaying by a display device a relationship between a first independent variable representing the base colors and a dependent variable representing the resultant colors for a specific value of a second independent variable representing blend colors. The method also includes receiving user input altering the relationship, displaying the altered relationship, and storing the relationship as a blending mode.

Abstract: A method of extracting information from a document and creating a record may include providing a document comprising text. The method may also include converting the text into a machine readable format. The method may further include displaying the document with the text in the machine readable format and displaying one or more data fields associated with the record to a user. Each of the data fields may be configured to store information. The method may additionally include receiving from the user, a selection of a data field and a selection of a first portion of text from the document to associate with the selected data field. The method may additionally include highlighting the first portion of text on the document. The method may additionally include extracting information associated with the first portion of text from the document and associating the extracted information with the data field.

Abstract: Methods and systems for correcting skew in digital images are disclosed according to embodiments of the invention. Embodiments may include receiving the endpoints of the skew-line, calculating the sine and cosine of the skew-angle from the endpoints and rotating the image using the sine and cosine of the skew-angle. Embodiments of the invention may also include various ways for a user to provide a skew-line and/or endpoints.

Abstract: An image editing user interface includes a first control adapted to alter an image property of an image in response to a user input and a second control adapted to operate in cooperation with the first control to alter the image property in response to a user input. The image property is brightness and the first control alters brightness over a range of image values between two endpoints and the second control defines at least one of the endpoints.

Abstract: The present invention displays text within a region by identifying text boxes within the region. To identify the text boxes, the invention uses scan lines that are spaced at intervals that are smaller than the text height of the text to be placed in the boxes. These scan lines are combined to identify the full text boxes. Additionally, under the invention, a region is transformed before text boxes are generated for the region. The transform is an inverse of a text transform that is applied to the text placed in the region. This allows rotated and skewed text to be placed in the region. The invention also facilitates displaying a single text string across several disjointed regions.

Abstract: Methods and systems for cropping images of book pages are disclosed according to one embodiment of the invention. A method may include identifying reference images and receiving cropping rectangles for the reference images. These cropping rectangles associated with reference images may then be used to generate cropping rectangles for images of book pages between the reference images. The cropping rectangles may be generated based on a linear interpolation of the cropping rectangles associated with the reference images and the number of pages between images. The method may also display one or more images of book pages with the associated one or more cropping rectangles superimposed thereon. A user may then have the opportunity to make adjustments to the position and/or size of the cropping rectangles.

Abstract: A method of determining a location for a watermark on an image having an array of pixels, each pixel having image information associated therewith includes determining a size for the watermark. The size has a pixel height and a pixel width. The method also includes calculating a region brightness value for each of a plurality of regions of the image. Each of the plurality of regions has a pixel height and a pixel width equal to the pixel height and the pixel width of the watermark. Each of the plurality of regions includes a plurality of pixels and the brightness value is representative of the image information associated with the plurality of pixels comprised by the region. The method also includes selecting one of the plurality of regions as the location for the watermark. The selection is based, at least in part, on the brightness value for the region.

Abstract: A method of processing an image includes receiving a digital version of the image, processing the digital version of the image through at least two binarization processes to thereby create a first binarization and a second binarization, and processing the first binarization through a first optical character recognition process to thereby create a first OCR output file. Processing the first binarization through a first optical character recognition process includes compiling first metrics associated with the first OCR output file. The method also includes processing the second binarization through the first optical character recognition process to thereby create a second OCR output file. Processing the second binarization through the first optical character recognition process includes compiling second metrics associated with the second OCR output file. The method also includes using the metrics, at least in part, to select a final OCR output file from among the OCR output files.

Abstract: A method of operating on an image of a document includes, for an electronic file that includes a representation of the document, portioning the representation of the document into non-overlapping areas. Each area includes a matrix of pixels and each pixel has an initial grayscale value and a position in the matrix. The method also includes, for each area, determining a black point value and a white point value. The method further includes, for each pixel in each area, determining a revised pixel grayscale value for the pixel using the pixel's grayscale value, the pixel's position in the matrix, the black point value for the area comprising the pixel, the white point value for the area comprising the pixel, the black point value for at least one area adjacent to the area comprising the pixel, and/or the white point value for at least one area adjacent to the area comprising the pixel. The method also includes producing the image of the document using the revised grayscale values for each pixel.

Abstract: A method and protocol to create and control compositions on a remote device is disclosed. The protocol allows servers and other devices to take advantage of processing capabilities of remote devices to render compositions on the remote devices, thereby increasing server scalability and leveraging the remote device processing capabilities. The protocol provides high-level command packets to communicate resource command packets and control packets to the remote device with the payload having the information needed to process the commands.

Abstract: A method of creating a blending mode for blending base colors and blend colors to produce resultant colors for one or more pixels of a digital image includes displaying by a display device a relationship between a first independent variable representing the base colors and a dependent variable representing the resultant colors for a specific value of a second independent variable representing blend colors. The method also includes receiving user input altering the relationship, displaying the altered relationship, and storing the relationship as a blending mode.

Abstract: A media integration layer including an application programming interface (API) and an object model allows program code developers to interface in a consistent manner with a scene graph data structure in order to output graphics. Via the interfaces, program code adds child visuals to other visuals to build up a hierarchical scene graph, writes Instruction Lists such as geometry data, image data, animation data and other data for output, and may specify transform, clipping and opacity properties on visuals. The media integration layer and API enable programmers to accomplish composition effects within their applications in a straightforward manner, while leveraging the graphics processing unit in a manner that does not adversely impact normal application performance. A multiple-level system includes the ability to combine different media types (such as 2D, 3D, Video, Audio, text and imaging) and animate them smoothly and seamlessly.

Abstract: An image editing user interface includes a first control adapted to alter an image property of an image in response to a user input and a second control adapted to operate in cooperation with the first control to alter the image property in response to a user input. The image property is brightness and the first control alters brightness over a range of image values between two endpoints and the second control defines at least one of the endpoints.

Abstract: Methods and systems for correcting skew in digital images are disclosed according to embodiments of the invention. Embodiments may include receiving the endpoints of the skew-line, calculating the sine and cosine of the skew-angle from the endpoints and rotating the image using the sine and cosine of the skew-angle. Embodiments of the invention may also include various ways for a user to provide a skew-line and/or endpoints.

Abstract: Methods and systems for cropping images of book pages are disclosed according to one embodiment of the invention. A method may include identifying reference images and receiving cropping rectangles for the reference images. These cropping rectangles associated with reference images may then be used to generate cropping rectangles for images of book pages between the reference images. The cropping rectangles may be generated based on a linear interpolation of the cropping rectangles associated with the reference images and the number of pages between images. The method may also display one or more images of book pages with the associated one or more cropping rectangles superimposed thereon. A user may then have the opportunity to make adjustments to the position and/or size of the cropping rectangles.

Abstract: A method and system for reducing or eliminating artifacts that may occur during color reduction of images. A bias is added to a data structure that is arranged to store counts of pixel colors of an image. Counts of pixel colors of the image are added to the data structure. Via the data structure, colors from the image are grouped into buckets until the number of buckets is less than or equal to a number of colors in a palette. Then, colors of pixels in the image are mapped to colors in the palette.

Abstract: A method and system implemented in an application programming interface (API) and an object model allows program code developers to interface in a consistent manner with a scene graph data structure to output graphics. Via the interfaces, program code writes drawing primitives such as geometry data, image data, animation data and other data to visuals that represent a drawing surface, including validation visual objects, drawing visual objects and surface visual objects. The code can also specify transform, clipping and opacity properties on visuals, and add child visuals to other visuals to build up a hierarchical scene graph. A visual manager traverses the scene graph to provide rich graphics data to lower-level graphics components.