Abstract: When a user selects digital zooming in a camera such as might be included in a wireless telephone or PDA, a series of images are automatically obtained and superimposed using super-resolution techniques to produce an improved digital zoom image transparently to the user.

Abstract: A method of performing a zoom operation on a camera is disclosed, wherein, one or more regions of interest within a captured image of a scene are determined. Camera motion direction towards one of the regions of interest is determined. A target region of interest is determined based on the determined camera motion direction. The zoom operation is performed to the target region of interest.

Abstract: Provided is a photographing apparatus that includes a photographing section that photographs a subject, and a controller that controls a photographing range of the photographing section based on a range specification image that is projected onto the subject.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus which includes an image processing unit and a system control unit, wherein this system control unit adds information for determining an image height reference position of an image before cropping processing is performed to an image cropped by the image processing unit, and records the resultant image in an external storage device. Alternatively, information for determining an image height reference position of an image before rotation processing is performed is added to an image rotated by the image processing unit, and the resultant image is recorded in an external storage device.

Abstract: An imaging method includes a step of setting, when a digital zoom operation mode for enlarging an image imaged by a imaging part of an X-Y address type is selected, a zoom magnification and enlarging the image at the zoom magnification set. The imaging method includes the steps of: setting an imaging range in a vertical direction of the imaging part according to the zoom magnification set in the digital zoom step; outputting a driving signal for scanning the shutter signal and the readout signal to perform exposure in the imaging range set in the imaging range setting step and driving the imaging part; and discarding, when the zoom magnification is changed in the digital zoom step, images imaged by the imaging part before and after the change of the zoom magnification to prevent the images from being used.

Abstract: A method of controlling a digital photographing apparatus to enlarge and reproduce an image is provided. The method includes determining whether an instruction is given in an image reproduction mode, dividing the input image into a predetermined number of blocks when it is determined that the instruction is given, enlarging the small image corresponding to a specific block from among the predetermined number of blocks, and displaying the enlarged small image on an entire screen.

Abstract: An imaging unit outputs a video signal at a frame rate higher than a standard frame rate. During a zoom operation period or a period including the zoom operation period and periods before and after the zoom operation, a video signal from the imaging unit is recorded in a recording medium at a high recording frame rate. Other than this period, a video signal is recorded in the recording medium at the standard frame rate. The recording frame rate and zoom operation information is recorded as metadata in the recording medium. During reproduction, based on a set reproduction mode, thinning processing is carried out on a video signal recorded during a zoom operation, and the processed signal is output at the standard frame rate. In this way, it is possible to change a frame rate in view of a photographer's intention and assure compatibility with existing viewing and reproduction environments.

Abstract: A focus lens is moved to a position within a range of focus lens positions. A video frame is captured with the focus lens at that position. The magnification of the first video frame is altered according to a maximum magnification threshold associated with the range of focus lens positions.

Abstract: The image capture device of this invention includes: an optical system for producing a subject image; an imager, which receives the subject image and outputs an image signal representing the subject image; and an image processing section for zooming in on, or out, a given image based on the image signal and in accordance with information about a zoom power specified, to generate a new image signal with the zoom power changed. Until the zoom power specified reaches a predetermined value, the processing section zooms in on the image by interpolating pixels so that degree of sharpness given to the image increases. If a value representing illuminance of the image is a predefined value or more and if the zoom power is the predetermined value or more, the processing section fixes the degree of sharpness given to the image.

Abstract: When a user selects digital zooming in a camera such as might be included in a wireless telephone or PDA, a series of images are automatically obtained and superimposed using super-resolution techniques to produce an improved digital zoom image transparently to the user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing a digital zoom operation on an input Bayer format image is provided, the output of the digital zoom operation being a second Bayer format image corresponding to the input Bayer format imaged enlarged by a zoom factor.

Abstract: When a user selects digital zooming in a camera such as might be included in a wireless telephone or PDA, a series of images are automatically obtained and superimposed using super-resolution techniques to produce an improved digital zoom image transparently to the user.

Abstract: Upon capturing an image, distances to subjects are measured. The captured image is divided into a plurality of different layers that each has a set distance interval, so that subjects which are located within the same distance range belong to the same layer. Furthermore, enlargement ratios are set for the plurality of divided layers to execute resizing processing, and the resized layers are composited, so that layers having shorter distances to a subject are overlaid as upper layers, thereby obtaining an image which is resized for respective distances to subjects.

Abstract: An apparatus can generates an image having a dioramic special effect so as to have high quality in a still image recording mode and generates the image having the dioramic special effect speedily in a live image display mode. The apparatus generates one or more blurred images from a captured image and combine the captured image with at least one of the generated blurred images by changing in areas. The number of blurred images to be generated for the combination in the live image display is smaller than the number of blurred images to be generated for the combination in the still image recording.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an image capturing unit which captures an image, a control unit which controls the image capturing unit to generate a wide-angle image, a composition calculating unit which calculates an optimum composition of image pickup using the generated wide-angle image, and a user interface unit which provides composition guide information to capture the image according to the calculated optimum composition of image pickup.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus and method are provided. Pixel values of each line of a resized image are sequentially obtained by resizing an input image using pixel values of the input image that are sequentially obtained from an imaging element, wherein the resized image has a first number of lines. Pixel values of each line of a distortion-corrected image are sequentially obtained by performing distortion correction on the resized image using pixel values of one or more lines of the resized image, wherein the distortion-corrected image has a second number of lines. The first number of lines is set to have any two of positions in the resized image that are closest to each other in a vertical direction and that correspond to pixels of the distortion-corrected image, which have a distance that is greater than or equal to a line distance of the resized image.

Abstract: Controlling a camera using a touch interface. A first input control and a second input control may be presented on a touch interface. The first input control may be configured to control pan and tilt of the camera and the second input control may be configured to control zoom of the camera. First user input may be received to the touch display to a first region of one of the input controls. After, second user input may be received to the touch display to a second region outside of the first region. The pan and tilt or the zoom of the camera may be adjusted in response to the second user input.

Abstract: There is provided a drive circuit of a solid-state image pickup device capable of generating pulse for vertical scanning the interval of which changes non-linearly and pulse other than the pulse for vertical scanning without increasing a circuit size and communication time for setting an electronic shutter. There is provided a drive circuit of a solid-state image pickup device including a polynomial arithmetic operation unit for carrying out an arithmetic operation of first or higher order of polynomial; an arithmetic operation controller of generating a variable of the polynomial to control an arithmetic operation in the polynomial arithmetic operation unit; and a pulse generator of generating a pulse based on a result of an arithmetic operation on a polynomial of the polynomial arithmetic operation unit.

Abstract: Upon continuously displaying a plurality of image data read from a recording medium, printing setting information including trimming information is set for the image data recorded to the recording medium with a corresponding relation to the image data. The displaying of the image data is controlled based on the determination of whether or not the printing setting information is set for each image data read from the recording medium.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for reducing plenoptic camera artifacts. A first method is based on careful design of the optical system of the focused plenoptic camera to reduce artifacts that result in differences in depth in the microimages. A second method is computational; a focused plenoptic camera rendering algorithm is provided that corrects for artifacts resulting from differences in depth in the microimages. While both the artifact-reducing focused plenoptic camera design and the artifact-reducing rendering algorithm work by themselves to reduce artifacts, the two approaches may be combined.

Abstract: A zoom control method and apparatus. The zoom control method allows a subject to be photographed by automatically performing a zooming operation with a proper composition and resolves a problem where a subject disappears from a screen due to the zooming operation.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus for recording an image captured by use of electronic zoom, comprises an electronic-zoom setting unit configured to set a zoom magnification when using the electronic zoom, a recording-mode selection unit configured to select at least either a non-compression format or a compression format as a recording mode in recording the captured image, a recording-size setting unit configured to set a recording size in each recording mode, and a control unit configured to, when the zoom magnification is set to a magnification at which an image is enlarged, control a recording size in the non-compression format to be larger than the recording size set by the recording-size setting unit.

Abstract: A moving image sequence is automatically reframed for a small display. The framing is adjusted in dependence upon foreground and background segment weights derived for pixels in images in the sequence. Reframed images are formed from only those input pixels which fall within a reframing window within the input image area and the position or size of the reframing window is adjusted so as to maximize a weighted total of the sum of the foreground weights of pixels within the window and the sum of the background weights of pixels outside the window.

Abstract: An image processing method for producing background blurred image and an image capturing device thereof are provided. The image processing method for producing background blurred image includes following steps. First, a plurality of live-view images are continuously captured on a subject and a target image is captured. Next, a geometric correction on the live-view images is performed so as to produce a plurality of corrected live-view images. Then, a correlation comparison on the corrected live-view images is performed so as to produce a relative depth of field (DOF) map. Further, the relative DOF map is enlarged. Finally, a subject area containing a subject in the target image is determined according to the enlarged relative DOF map and a blurring processing on a remained area except for the subject area is performed so as to produce a background blurred image.

Abstract: When trimming is performed on a photograph image obtained by a photography apparatus, a plurality of trimming range candidates is set by analyzing the photograph image. A judgment is made as to whether the zoom magnification ratio of the photography apparatus during photography corresponds to a predetermined limit, the limit being a maximum zoom magnification ratio or a minimum zoom magnification ratio that can be set by the photography apparatus. A trimming range is set by selecting one of the plurality of trimming range candidates. If the zoom magnification ratio is judged to be a magnification ratio corresponding to the predetermined limit, a trimming range candidate that has a smaller or larger range than that of a trimming range candidate selected if the zoom magnification ratio is judged to be a magnification ratio that does not correspond to the predetermined limit is selected as the trimming range.

Abstract: An embodiment of a camera apparatus includes transferring a compressed playback streaming signal output from a recording medium to a map defined in a memory circuit, decoding the transferred playback streaming signal by a decoder, converting the decoded signal to a YUV signal in an image processing unit, transferring the converted signal to the map as a YUV signal, generating a magnified or reduced image from the YUV signal in the image processing unit, and storing the image on the map, overlaying a magnified or reduced image prepared on the map according to a magnified playback request, and outputting the overlaid image for seeking an output position.

Abstract: A system for selecting a zoom size of an anatomical image for display includes an image detector having a pre-defined field of view defining a maximum and minimum analog zoom fields of view corresponding to maximum and minimum analog zoom settings for at least one anatomical image; an image display displaying the anatomical image within the pre-defined field of view; a processing unit providing a selection of at least one anatomical image; and a network configured to interface the detector with the processing unit and the image display with the processing unit. The system enables establishment of at least one intervening selectable zoom setting corresponding to an intervening selectable zoom field of view between the maximum and minimum analog zoom fields of view, thereby establishing a first user profile. A second user profile overriding the first user profile can be established. A corresponding method is also disclosed.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a display unit configured to display a captured image, an object region detection unit configured to detect the main object region in a photographic screen, a determination unit configured to determine whether the main object region is in a focused state, an enlarge unit configured to enlarge and display the main object region in focus on the display unit larger than when the main object region is not in focus, an object movement detection unit configured to detect whether the main object in the main object region moves in the photographic screen, and an enlarge control unit configured to, when the object movement detection unit detects that the main object is moving, limit the enlarge from performing enlargement and display.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to perform photoelectric conversion of an optical image, an optical zoom unit configured to perform optical magnification variation in response to a zooming operation, an electronic zoom unit configured to perform electronic magnification variation on a signal output from the imaging unit, and a controller configured to operate the electronic zoom unit together with the optical zoom unit in a first zoom range in response to the zooming operation, to operate the optical zoom unit without operating the electronic zoom unit in response to the zooming operation in a second zoom range, which is closer to a telephoto side than the first zoom range, and to operate the electronic zoom unit together with the optical zoom unit in response to the zooming operation in a third zoom range, which is closer to the telephoto side than the second zoom range.

Abstract: An apparatus that can display an area wider than a recording area as a display area in a zoom mode, in which a portion of an imaging area is clipped and recorded, includes an image processing unit that keeps constant or increases a ratio of a display area to a clipped recording area when the size of clipped recording areas is made gradually smaller relative to the imaging area, and keeps constant or decreases the ratio of the display area to the clipped recording area when the size of clipped recording area is gradually made larger relative to the imaging area.

Abstract: A method of image edge enhancement comprises: determining the edge trend for an image in accordance with the second order gradient value of a center pixel in different directions; performing interpolation operation with the center pixel; calculating absent color component of pixels; performing edge enhancement for the image in the interpolation module in accordance with original color component of the center pixel and the image edge trend based on the Bayer data. The image edge enhancement process takes into account the influence of the green component values of different pixels surrounding the center pixel, and adopts a noise-resistant, self-adaptive edge enhancement algorithm, to suppress noise on the image edge. Thus, the resulting image has a clear image edge. In addition, the fact that the process performs image edge enhancement in the interpolation module based on the Bayer data can significantly reduce the consumption of memory space.

Abstract: A processor (30) of a mobile terminal (10) that is one example of a camera apparatus detects a face image of a person image (58) in an object image displayed on a display (14) prior to an imaging key (26) is operated, and displays a face mark (60) at a portion of the face of each person image. A user selects arbitrary one or more person image out of the person images onto each of which the face mark is displayed as a zoom processing target by operating an operating portion such as a GUI. A selection mark (62) is applied to a person image that the user selects. A zooming-up and/or down (zoom processing) is performed such that the object image including the person image onto which the selection mark is applied is rendered to a predetermined composition.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus that includes a camera unit including an imaging sensor that captures an image; a display that displays an image; and a processor that: clips an image region having a size corresponding to a photography zoom power from an image captured by the camera unit; adjusts a clipping position at a time of clipping the image region from the image; and controls the display to display the clipped image region on the display.

Abstract: An image-data processing apparatus includes a writer which writes image data into a memory according to a non-interlaced-scanning or an interlaced-scanning of each N line. An updater updates a cumulative zoom coefficient by accumulating, for each line, a decimal portion of the cumulative zoom coefficient to a first numerical value corresponding to the zoom coefficient. An accumulator accumulates, for each line, a second numerical value corresponding to an integer portion of the cumulative zoom coefficient. A reader reads out image data in a line corresponding to an accumulated value of the accumulator. A first setter sets N-times the zoom coefficient to the first numerical value in the non-interlaced-scanning, and sets the zoom coefficient to the first numerical value in the interlaced-scanning. A second setter sets an integer portion to the second numerical value in the non-interlaced-scanning, and sets N-times the integer portion to the second numerical value in the interlaced-scanning.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an optical system to change a focus state of an image of a subject, an imaging unit to capture the image of the subject formed by the optical system and generate image data, an auto focus controller to control the optical system to focus on a partial area in the image indicated by the image data generated by the imaging unit, a manual focus changing unit to be operated manually by a user to change the focus state of the optical system, a display unit to display the image based on the image data generated by the imaging unit, and a display controller to control the display unit. When detecting that the manual focus changing unit is operated by the user while a focus state is maintained after the autofocus controller controls the optical system to the focus state, the display controller determines, as an enlarged area, an area including a partial area in the focused image by the autofocus controller and controls the display unit to display the image of the determined enlarged area.

Abstract: An image sensing apparatus sets a trimming area for an image file obtained by image sensing. An image processing apparatus acquires the image file to which the trimming area has been added, and displays the acquired image file on a display unit. The image processing apparatus then sets a new trimming area for the displayed image file, and distinguishably displays the trimming area set by the image sensing apparatus and the trimming area set by the image processing apparatus on the display unit.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, are described for zooming into a portion of an image that is associated with a specified feature, for example, a portion of an image that depicts a human or an animal face. In one aspect, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that include the actions of receiving user input requesting to zoom to faces depicted in one or more digital images, where the faces include either human faces or animal faces.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus having: an image acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of viewpoint images; a disparity map generation unit that generates a disparity map representing a disparity distribution; a multi-viewpoint image generation unit that generates a multi-viewpoint image including a plurality of viewpoint images the number of which is larger than the number of the plurality of viewpoint images based on the plurality of viewpoint images and the disparity map; an image processing unit that performs image processing for a subject image of the multi-viewpoint image based on the multi-viewpoint image and the disparity map and switches an amount of image processing for the subject image depending on the disparity; and an output unit that switches the plurality of viewpoint images included in the multi-viewpoint image, which has been subjected to image processing by the image processing unit, and sequentially outputs the viewpoint images.

Abstract: A method for processing an image includes: obtaining depth values of an image including a target region and a non-target region; obtaining a scaling ratio of the target region; obtaining a scaling ratio of the non-target region according to the depth values of the image and the scaling ratio of the target region; scaling respectively the target region and the non-target region according to the scaling ratio of the target region and the scaling ratio of the non-target region, and obtaining a scaled image.

Abstract: An input system for a digital camera may include a portion for taking at least one image to be used as a control image; and a controller to control at least one operation of the digital camera based on a control command recognized from the control image, the control command controlling a function of the camera.

Abstract: A camera comprising a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit may be configured to perform image signal processing using encoding related information. The second circuit may be configured to encode image data using image signal processing related information. The first circuit may be further configured to pass the image signal processing related information to the second circuit. The second circuit may be further configured to pass the encoding related information to the first circuit. The second circuit may be further configured to modify one or more motion estimation processes based upon the information from the first circuit.

Abstract: An optical instrument of the present invention comprises a ring member which is arranged to be rotatable with respect to a lens barrel, and also to slide in an optical axis direction, a movement mechanism for slide movement of the ring member to a first position or a second position in the optical axis direction, an encoder that generates signals in accordance with a rotation operation of the ring member, a slide position determination section for determining positional change accompanying slide movement to the first position or the second position by the movement mechanism, and a control section for performing determination of the signals from the encoder to switch the display operation, and prohibiting switching of the display operation when the slide position determination section has determined a positional change accompanying the slide operation.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a control unit which switches between a first display mode and a second display mode based on whether a zoom state is equal to or greater than a predetermined zoom magnification. The imaging apparatus, in a zoom state where a part of an imaging area is clipped and recorded, switches between the first display mode, which displays on a display unit a clipped recording area, and the second display mode, which displays on the display unit an area which is wider than the clipped recording area.

Abstract: Different sharpness values are assigned to different digital zoom levels for generation of preview images from cropped images, where the dimensions of the cropped images correspond to the different digital zoom levels.

Abstract: Using correction values obtained based on image signals outputted from an image sensing unit by controlling the image sensing unit in the first mode, in which image signals are read out from a first photoelectric conversion element group arranged in a first region of an image sensing plane, the image signals outputted from an image sensing apparatus by controlling the image sensing unit in the second mode, in which image signals are read out from a second photoelectric conversion element group arranged in a second region that is smaller than the first region of the image sensing plane, are subjected to a white balance process.

Abstract: A digital image processing device and processing method thereof are provided. The device includes a digital image capturing module, an image enlarging module, an image correcting module, and an image blending module. The digital image capturing module captures a plurality of first resolution images. The image enlarging module enlarges the first resolution images and produces a plurality of second resolution images. The image correcting module selects a target image and produces a plurality of corrected images. The image blending module performs direction gradient operation on each of the pixels of the target and corrected images and produces a plurality of gradient differential values. The image blending module performs a weighting sum operation on each of the pixels of the target and corrected images and produces a third resolution images.

Abstract: A photographic apparatus comprises a monitor, a face detector, and an electronic zoom controller. The monitor displays a first through-image based on image data. The face detector performs face detection on an image of an area displayed on the monitor, based on the image data. The electronic zoom controller performs first electronic zoom control that enlarges and displays a second through-image corresponding to a predetermined area including a face area detected by the face detector, to the size of a display area of the first through-image, on the monitor. The electronic zoom controller performs second electronic zoom control that enlarges and displays an intermediate through-image corresponding to an intermediate area including the predetermined area and larger than the predetermined area, to the size of the display area of the first through-image, on the monitor, before performing the first electronic zoom control.

Abstract: A user enters an input for selecting an image-capturing mode. The user then captures the image of a target with a desired zoon factor as a target image. An image-capturing device determines a zoom factor for an image to be captured starting from the target image and then captures an image while zooming out to the determined zoom factor. A process of changing the zoom factor and capturing an image is repeated until the smallest zoom factor among determined zoom factors is used. When image capturing of an image of the smallest zoom factor is completed, metadata is created that includes the respective zoom factors of images and relative position information of the images, and the metadata is stored in a memory unit in relation with the data of the captured images.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus which has at least an optical zooming function, determines a layout of image data to be picked up by an image pickup unit, and displays the picked-up image data with the determined layout by superimposing the image data with a frame which excludes an image pickup area additionally obtained when an image pickup range corresponding to a focal length for the determined layout is zoomed a predetermined amount in a wide-angle direction.

Abstract: An imaging method includes a step of setting, when a digital zoom operation mode for enlarging an image imaged by a imaging part of an X-Y address type is selected, a zoom magnification and enlarging the image at the zoom magnification set. The imaging method includes the steps of: setting an imaging range in a vertical direction of the imaging part according to the zoom magnification set in the digital zoom step; outputting a driving signal for scanning the shutter signal and the readout signal to perform exposure in the imaging range set in the imaging range setting step and driving the imaging part; and discarding, when the zoom magnification is changed in the digital zoom step, images imaged by the imaging part before and after the change of the zoom magnification to prevent the images from being used.