Abstract: A method for producing an extended color gamut luminance-chrominance digital image from a captured digital image includes determining an estimate of the colors of the captured digital image of an original scene and further processing to produce an extended range output RGB image value including values outside the range that can be displayed on the output image display device, and producing an extended color gamut luminance-chrominance digital image by transforming the extended range output RGB image values to a luminance-chrominance representation.

Abstract: A method for representing a digital image in a plurality of image processing states using at least one reference digital image and at least one residual image comprising the steps of manipulating an input digital image using at least one digital image processing enhancement step to form at least one additional digital image in a different image processing state; designating at least one of the digital images to be a reference digital image in a reference image processing state; and determining at least one residual image representing differences between one of the reference digital images and one of the additional digital images, whereby the residual image(s) and the reference digital image(s) can be used to form digital image(s) in different image processing states.

Abstract: A method for correcting for exposure in a digital image, including the steps of providing a rendered digital image suitable for display and displaying such digital image; using an adjustable exposure setting to nonlinearly modify the rendered digital image to effect an exposure change and displaying the exposure modified rendered digital image; and iteratively changing the adjustable exposure setting in accordance with the nonlinear function to continuously change the exposure setting and display modified digital images until a desired exposure modified rendered digital image is displayed.

Abstract: A method for processing a digital image in a distributed manner to produce a final modified digital image includes providing a source digital image at a first computer, providing the source digital image at a second computer, and modifying the source digital image at the second computer to form a first modified digital image. The method further includes determining a difference digital image representing the difference between the source digital image and the first modified digital image, transferring the difference digital image to the first computer, and combining the difference digital image with the source digital image at the first computer to form the final modified digital image.

Abstract: A method for correcting for exposure in a digital image, captured by an image capture device, including rendering such captured digital image suitable for display and displaying such captured digital image as a first displayed digital image; and using an adjustable exposure setting to nonlinearly modify the rendered captured digital image to effect an exposure change and displaying the exposure modified rendered captured digital image as a second digital image simultaneous with the first displayed digital image.

Abstract: A method for determining information parameter(s) useful in processing a digital image having color values with an extended color gamut, includes the steps of: adjusting the color values of the extended color gamut digital image to fit within a limited color gamut to form a limited color gamut digital image; determining a residual image representing a difference between the extended color gamut digital image and the limited color gamut digital image; and analyzing the residual image to determine one or more image information parameter(s) related to the information contained in the residual image such parameter(s) being useful in processing the digital image.

Abstract: A method for modifying an input digital image having an (x,y) array of image pixels, each image pixel having an input code value for each of four or more color channels, to produce a depleted digital image subject to a total colorant amount limit. The method includes determining depleted code values for each color channel such that the depleted code values produce substantially the input perceived color according to a device color model.

Abstract: A method of generating a reduced color gamut boundary for a color output device using three or more colorants, wherein the amount of each colorant is controlled by a colorant control signal vector, including determining a forward device model for the color output device relating the colorant control signal vector to the corresponding output color; determining a complete color gamut boundary for the color output device, comprising a set of color gamut boundary points; and determining a set of candidate colorant control signal vectors for each point in the complete color gamut boundary. The method also includes selecting a preferred colorant control signal vector.

Abstract: A method of selecting a preferred colorant control signal vector for a color output device for reproducing a desired output color, the color output device producing output colors using four or more colorants, wherein the amount of each colorant is controlled by the colorant control signal vector, includes determining a device model for the color output device relating the colorant control signal vector to the corresponding output color; using the device model to determine a set of valid colorant control signal vectors whose corresponding output color substantially matches the desired output color; and selecting the preferred colorant control signal vector from the set of valid colorant control signal vectors using a cost function responsive to one or more cost attribute(s) that vary as a function of the colorant control signal vector.

Abstract: A method for representing an extended color gamut digital image on a hard-copy output medium having a limited color gamut comprising the steps of adjusting the color values of the extended color gamut digital image to fit within the limited color gamut of the output medium to form a limited color gamut digital image, producing a limited color gamut output print from the limited color gamut digital image on the hard-copy output medium, determining a residual image representing a difference between the extended color gamut digital image and the limited color gamut digital image, and encoding the residual image on the output print using a digital encoding means such that the residual image and the limited color gamut output print are adapted to be used to form a reconstructed extended color gamut digital image.

Abstract: A method for processing an input digital image having an x,y array of input pixels having associated input pixel values, to produce a multichannel multitoned output image having two or more colorant channels, wherein at least two of the colorant channels are similar, having substantially the same color but different densities, including determining continuous-tone pixel values for each colorant channel of the input digital image in response to the input pixel values using an ink manifold processor; for each colorant channel, selecting a multitone process from a plurality of multitone processes in response to an input pixel value using a multitone process controller; for each colorant channel, applying the selected multitone process to the continuous-tone pixel value to produce a multitoned output pixel value; and repeating steps a)-c) for each input pixel in the input digital image to produce the multichannel multitoned output image.

Abstract: A method for color correcting an original halftone bitmap image by a predefined color correction function to produce a color corrected halftone bitmap image comprising: providing an original halftone bitmap image; estimating the dot area percentage of the original halftone bitmap image in a set of sub-image blocks; calculating an aim dot area percentage, based on a predefined color correction function, for each sub-image block in the original halftone bitmap image, calculating the number of halftone bitmap image pixels to convert to on or off states to produce a modified original halftone bitmap image that has the aim dot area percentage where said value is designated by N, for each sub-image block in the original halftone bitmap image, and converting N pixels in the original halftone bitmap image to either on or off states depending on whether the aim dot area percentage is greater or less than the dot area percentage of the original halftone bitmap image respectively, for each sub-image block in the origina

Abstract: A method for producing a composite digital image, includes the steps of: providing a plurality of partially overlapping source digital images having pixel values that are linearly or logarithmically related to scene intensity; modifying the source digital images by applying linear exposure transforms to one or more of the source digital images to produce adjusted source digital images having pixel values that closely match in an overlapping region; and combining the adjusted source digital images to form a composite digital image.

Abstract: A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, includes the steps of: providing a matrix of dither values for each group of similar color channels wherein two or more of the matrices of dither values are designed jointly to minimize a visual cos t function; for at least one group of similar color channels, forming an inverted matrix of dither values by subtracting the value of each element of the matrix of dither values for that group from a predetermined maximum value, associating the inverted matrix of dither values with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and associating the matrix of dither values for that group with the other low- or high-density color channel of that group; for each color channel of the multi-channel digital color image modularly addressing the matrix of dither values associated with that color channel u

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for converting an input digital color image having a set of possible input colors to an output digital color image having a set of palette colors, the number of palette colors being less than the number of possible input colors, wherein the set of palette colors is determined based on the distribution of colors in the input digital image boosted by a distribution of important colors contained in the input digital image.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for converting an input digital color image having a set of possible input colors to an output digital color image having a set of palette colors, the number of palette colors being less than the number of possible input colors, wherein the set of palette colors is determined based on the distribution of colors in the input digital image supplemented by a distribution of important colors.

Abstract: A method for modifying an input digital image having an (x, y) array of pixels, each pixel having an input code value for one or more color channels, wherein said input code value has a nonlinear relationship to colorant amount, to form an output digital image containing output code values for each pixel subject to a total colorant amount limit.

Abstract: An image capture system for generating and storing an extended dynamic range digital image, includes a sparsely sampled extended dynamic range image sensing device having fast photosites with a predetermined response to light exposure interspersed with slow photosites with a slower response to the same light exposure for producing a sparsely sampled high resolution digital image having fast pixel values produced by the fast photosites and slow pixel values produced by the slow photosites; a digital image processor that employs the slow pixel values to expand the dynamic range of the fast pixel values in the sparsely sampled high resolution digital image to form a full resolution digital image having an extended dynamic range; a color encoder for reducing the dynamic range of the full resolution digital image to fit within the dynamic range of a storage color space having a dynamic range less than the dynamic range of the full resolution digital image to form a limited dynamic range digital image represented i

Abstract: A method for modifying an input image suitable for printing on a digital printer having two or more colorants, wherein at least two of the colorants are similar having substantially the same color but different densities, to form an output image with pixels representing modified colorant amounts subject to a total colorant amount limit.

Abstract: A method for representing an extended color gamut digital image on a hard-copy output medium having a limited color gamut comprising the steps of adjusting the color values of the extended color gamut digital image to fit within the limited color gamut of the output medium to form a limited color gamut digital image, producing a limited color gamut output print from the limited color gamut digital image on the hard-copy output medium, determining a residual image representing a difference between the extended color gamut digital image and the limited color gamut digital image, and encoding the residual image on the output print using a digital encoding means such that the residual image and the limited color gamut output print are adapted to be used to form a reconstructed extended color gamut digital image.