Abstract: Apparatuses, computer media, and methods for altering a submitted image of a person. The submitted image is transformed in accordance with associated data regarding the person's condition. Global data may be processed by a statistical process to obtain cluster information, and the transformation parameter is then determined from cluster information. The transformation parameter is then applied to a portion of the submitted image to render a transformed image. A transformation parameter may include a texture alteration parameter, a hair descriptive parameter, or a reshaping parameter. An error measure may be determined that gauges a discrepancy between a transformed image and an actual image. A transformation model is subsequently reconfigured with a modified model in order to reduce the error measure. Also, the transformation model may be trained to reduce an error measure for the transformed image.

Abstract: The image data is analyzed to identify blobs having similar characteristics. Various blobs are gathered together and placed into a foreground plane based on one or more color characteristics and/or spatial characteristics. Each blob gathered onto a foreground plane has a color that is similar to a color associated with that foreground plane. One or more portions of the image data that is not mapped into any foreground plane may be mapped into a background plane.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus using the difference among scaled images as a layered image and a method thereof, which utilize the Gaussian and Laplacian pyramid theory to convert an original image into a plurality of scaled images of different scales, and the difference among scaled images of two adjacent different scales as a layered image of the corresponding layer, so that the edge and line characteristics of a scene of the original image for each layered image can be displayed in different levels sequentially from a clear level to a vague level, and provide a layered image display interface and an image characteristic editing interface for users to examine each layered image through the layered image display interface and edit or perform special effect to each layered image, so as to simulate different visual effects based on different vision models.

Abstract: A printer and a printing method are capable of greatly improving printing efficiency. In a printer and a printing method for printing a first image based on supplied first print data on a printing medium, when a predetermined operation mode is selected, second print data for a frame image formed by arranging second images of several kinds obtained by applying image processing different from each other to the first image, in a predetermined arrangement pattern and then, the frame image based on the second print data is printed on the printing medium. Therefore, it is possible to greatly shorten the time for obtaining a printing medium in which the image processing is performed in a desired sate and to previously avoid the printing medium from being wasted. Thus, it is possible to realize the printer and the printing method capable of greatly improving the printing efficiency.

Abstract: A method is used for analyzing scenes. The scene or objects in the scene and an optical sensor perform a relative movement and the scene information obtained is evaluated. Visual information of the scene is detected by the individual pixels of the optical sensor and pixel co-ordinates of established variations in intensity are determined. A temporization of the established variations in intensity is determined and a local accumulation of the variations in intensity is determined by statistical methods. The local accumulations are evaluated in terms of the number and/or position thereof by statistical methods and data area clearing methods. The determined values are used as parameters of a detected scene region. A parameter is compared with a pre-determined parameter considered characteristic of an object, and when the pre-determined comparison criteria are fulfilled, the evaluated local amassment associated with the respective scene region is seen as an image of the object.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for efficiently compressing three-dimensional stereoscopic images are provided. The apparatus and method include a search for Global motion between left and right images input through two image input units mounted in a mobile communication terminal. The images are arranged and a difference between the two images is computed. The images are compressed using the difference between the two images and a reference image. Accordingly, because the left and right images are similar, a computation amount can be reduced since the global motion is computed only once.

Abstract: A mechanism that allows an image object to maintain state information that provides on-demand rasterization of its content to meet the needs of a specific application or output device is described. A modified resultant proxy image is linked with its original content such that the ability to access the original content is preserved. In this way, on-demand rasterization is available at any time based on requirements of a specific application or a specific device. More particularly, an image processing command set formed into an edit list is associated with the modified resultant proxy image that links it to its original content.

Abstract: A blob identifier uses edge continuity signal to analyze how to combine the current pixel into an existing blob or into the background image, or start a new blob. The blob identifier outputs a list of blob identifiers on a line-by-line basis.

Abstract: Method and device for extracting a specified image subject including an extracting condition of an extracting algorithm of a subsequent stage so as to be adapted to an extraction result by the extracting algorithm of a precedent stage, when specified image subject extracting algorithms are successively implemented. At the time of performing the specified image subject extracting algorithms in each stage by parallel processing, the method and device manage extraction states of each step and qualify extraction processing conditions in the subsequent stage in accordance with the extraction states in the precedent stages. The method and device perform a vote in an N-dimensional space of image characteristic quantity for each extraction area by the specified image subject extracting algorithm and then perform weighting of degree of certainty as the specified image subject based on an aggregation value of the vote within a section area for aggregation in the N-dimensional space.

Abstract: This method determines the displacement of a pixel between a first and a second image, the first image representing, moreover, an object in a first scene taken from given viewpoint, and the second image representing the same object in a second scene, this second scene being obtained from the first scene by moving the object in the first scene and/or by moving the viewpoint of the first scene. The method comprises a definition operation of the colour of at least one point of the object of the second scene according to the position of this point in the first image such that the colour of the pixel of the second image corresponding to this point indicates the position of this pixel in the first image.

Abstract: In a system for transmitting a three-dimensional (3-D) digital image over a communication network, in response to a client computer generating a request for interaction with a 3-D image stored on an image storage device, a server computer performs two-dimensional sub-band transform decompositions in x-axis and y-axis directions upon the 3-D image, performs a one-dimensional sub-band transform decomposition in a z-axis direction upon a portion of the two-dimensionally transform-decomposed digital image, and progressively transmits to the client computer data representing a region of interest specified in the client request.

Abstract: A method and system for dual energy image registration is disclosed. In order to segment first and second images of a dual energy image pair, the first and second images are preprocessed to detect edges in the images. Gaussian pyramids, having multiple pyramid images corresponding to multiple pyramid levels, are generated for the first and second images. An initial optical flow value is initialized for a first pyramid level, and the optical flow value is sequentially updated for each pyramid level based on the corresponding pyramid images using an optimization function having a similarity measure and a regularizer. This results in a final optical flow value between the first and second images, and the first and second images are registered based on the final optical flow value.

Abstract: In an imaging device of the present invention, an imaging element 2 is driven in a thinning read-out mode for reading out signal charges from a subset of pixels, or in an all-pixels read-out mode for reading out signal charges from all pixels. When the imaging element 2 is driven in the thinning read-out mode, the imaging device processes and records a series of first image data that is obtained by reading out signal charges from the subset of pixels and that constitutes the moving images. When the imaging element 2 is driven in the all-pixels read-out mode, the imaging device processes and records a series of second image data constituting moving images after the number of pixels of the second image data is thinned, and processes and records a portion of the second image data as a still image without thinning when an instruction to pick up the still image is given while picking up the moving images.

Abstract: A system and method for authentication of JPEG image data enables the recipient to ascertain whether the received image file originated from a known identified source or whether the contents of the file have been altered in some fashion prior to receipt. A unique hashing function is derived from a first section of image data contained in the JPEG compressed image in such a way that any changes subsequently made to the first section of image data is reflected in a different hashing function being derived from a signature string is embedded into a next section of the image data. Since the embedding of a previous section's integrity checking number is done without modifying the JPEG bit stream, any JPEG decoder can thereafter properly decode the image.

Abstract: A printer and a printing method are capable of greatly improving printing efficiency. In a printer and a printing method for printing a first image based on supplied first print data on a printing medium, when a predetermined operation mode is selected, second print data for a frame image formed by arranging second images of several kinds obtained by applying image processing different from each other to the first image, in a predetermined arrangement pattern and then, the frame image based on the second print data is printed on the printing medium. Therefore, it is possible to greatly shorten the time for obtaining a printing medium in which the image processing is performed in a desired sate and to previously avoid the printing medium from being wasted. Thus, it is possible to realize the printer and the printing method capable of greatly improving the printing efficiency.

Abstract: The image data is initially processed in a manner that is similar to that used to convert the image data into 3-layer mixed raster content format. After the image data is initially processed through a first stage of the three-layer segmentation process, rather than completing the segmentation into foreground and background planes, the image data is analyzed to identify regions having similar image characteristics. These regions are grouped together in cluster if they share color characteristics and are spatially close. The clusters are then sorted according to their size, and placed into a binary foreground plane based on one or more color characteristics. Each cluster gathered into a binary foreground plane having the same color as the color of the cluster.

Abstract: An image determining device according to the present invention includes a block determining section, a block counting section, and an image determining section. The block determining section determines a color indicated by each of a plurality of blocks obtained by dividing a target image from a predetermined plurality of determining colors. The block counting section counts the number of blocks indicating the determining color for each of the plurality of determining colors based on the determination result of the block determining section.

Abstract: A system and method of efficiently and effectively triaging an image that may include one or more target entities. The image is divided into a plurality of individual image chips, and each image chip is successively displayed to a user for a presentation time period. Data are collected from the user at least while each image chip is being displayed. For each image chip, a probability that the image chip at least includes a target entity is assigned, based at least in part on the collected data. The image is then displayed with the assigned probabilities overlaid thereon.

Abstract: A method of multi-resolution adaptive correlation processing of images, such as seeded fluid flow images, to efficiently increase the spatial resolution and dynamic range of detecting particle image displacements in the images. The technique takes full advantage of the multi-resolution characteristic of the discrete correlation function by starting the processing at the smallest scale and if necessary gradually building correlation planes into larger interrogation areas based on the result of inter-level correlation correction and validation. It is shown that the method can be implemented in both direct and FFT based correlation algorithms with greatly reduced computational complexity. Processing the images at the lowest scale (e.g. pixel or particle image size) allows the combination of correlation planes of various shapes both in space and in time for maximizing the correlation plane signal-to-noise ratio or for estimating statistical flow parameters.

Abstract: A method (200) is disclosed of detecting one or more patterns embedded in an image. Each pattern embedded in the image has been formed from a one-dimensional basis function. The method (200) starts by calculating (210) a projective transform of the image. A 1-D correlation is then calculated (220) between the projective transform and the basis function for a selection of angles. Finally, one or more peaks of the correlation are found (230). The position of each of the peaks provides spatial parameters of one of the one or more embedded patterns.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system that applies the latest technology related to compression, rendering, and geographical data processing to present an interactive interface to users, which enables them to efficiently manipulate maps and queries for information over the World Wide Web. The method includes a World Wide Web application to display GIS information and obtains user input, and a server application to process user input and to communicate with the database to retrieve or store data.

Abstract: The camera includes a sensor for sensing the photographer's iris image and registering the image in advance. The iris image is recorded in the image of a subject by a digital MCU at a timing different from that at which the image of the subject is captured. The recording timing is that at which the camera power supply is turned off, that at which a recording medium is ejected from the camera or that at which the iris image to be recorded is changed to the registered iris image of another photographer. The recording of the iris image is achieved by embedding it as a watermark or by appending it to metadata.

Abstract: A method of blending a plurality of mutually overlapping graphical objects in a digital document processing system. The graphical objects are arranged in an ordered stack that includes at least one static object and at least one animated object. Each object has at least one associated blending parameter (e.g., transparency). The method comprises: (a) blending the content of the static objects to form at least one composite static object, taking account of the respective blending parameters of the static objects; and (b) blending the content of the animated object and the composite static object(s), taking account of the blending parameter(s) of the animated object.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to separate in real time a captured image into a foreground component image and a background component image. An image captured by an image-capturing unit 74 is separated into a foreground component image and a background component image, which are stored in an image storage unit 72. A billing processor 75 performs billing processing to charge fees for separating the image. A separating portion 91 performs motion-blur processing of the separated foreground component image and outputs the processed foreground component image and the background component image to a synthesizer 92. The synthesizer 92 combines the input motion-blur-processed foreground component image and the separated background component image to synthesize an image and displays the synthesized image on a display unit 73. The present invention is applicable to a camera terminal device.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed which include providing a first layer of an image, the first layer including features of the image having locations within the first layer; and providing a second layer of the image, the second layer including data blocks corresponding to respective ones of the features; each data block being in a location in the second layer substantially corresponding to a location in the first layer of the feature corresponding to each data block, wherein a size and shape of the second layer substantially correspond to a size and shape of said first layer.

Abstract: A graphics system readily activates and deactivates layers of a multi-layer source image. Image data, such as a multi-layered integrated circuit (“IC”) design, is generated for a multi-layer source image. A pyramid of image tiles defines “on” and “off” states for elements that represent the source image. A bit plane identifies values for the elements for each layer of the source image. Mask image data is generated to zero image data associated with at least one layer of the bit plane. The graphics system generates pixel data from the mask image data, and renders the pixel data on an output display.

Abstract: A method for providing real time service of huge and high quality digital image on internet is disclosed, wherein data relevant to a general life such as a general photo, an advertising leaflet, and a pamphlet and professional image data exhibited in an art gallery, exhibition grounds, a pavilion are made into huge and high quality digital image or scanned and photographed to be digital, thereby processing real time service as an interactive browsing form. In the present invention, data are directly made, edited, constructed, and uploaded on internet, thereby providing various additional information with image through hyperlink and processing high quality digital image service on network without speed delay for huge image.

Abstract: A quantization error compensation includes a dividing unit to divide an input current image signal into a first high-frequency signal and a low-frequency signal; a changing unit to replace bits of the first high-frequency signal with a predetermined signal to output a second high-frequency signal; an adding unit to add the low-frequency signal and the second high-frequency signal to create a composite signal; a quantization unit to cut n number of bits of the composite signal and to output the cut composite signal and the n number of bit signal; an equalizing unit to output a brightness equalizing value of the cut composite signal; a calculating unit to calculate a compensation value using the n number of the bit signal and a difference between brightness equalizing values with respect to a current and next brightness levels; and a compensation unit to add the compensation and the current brightness equalizing values.

Abstract: A bidirectional texture function (BTF) synthesizer serves to synthesize BTFs on arbitrary manifold surfaces using “surface textons” given a sample BTF as an input. The synthesized BTFs fit the surface geometry naturally and seamlessly, and not only look similar to a sample BTF in all viewing and lighting conditions, but also exhibit a consistent mesostructure when the viewing and lighting directions change. Further, the synthesized BTFs capture the fine-scale shadows, occlusions, and specularities caused by surface mesostructures, thereby improving the perceived realism of the textured surfaces. In addition, the BTF synthesizer can describe real-world textures to allow a user to decorate real-world geometry with real-world textures. Finally, BTF synthesis using surface textons works well for any materials that can be described by three-dimensional textons.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of storing and of progressively transferring a still image so that it can be conveniently previewed during the transfer and so that a user can terminate the transfer at an early stage if the image turns out to be undesirable. The methods of the invention include transforming the image into a plurality of decomposition levels using a discrete wavelet transform. Each decomposition level comprises a plurality of subimages which allow reconstruction of an image representation of the still image. The decomposition levels are transmitted beginning with a base decomposition level providing a low level of image resolution and then proceeding with decomposition levels providing increasingly higher levels of image resolution. Within each decomposition level, rows of the various subimages are arranged or interlaced together in contiguous blocks, so that all data for a single row, at a single decomposition level, is transmitted together.

Abstract: A method for blind deconvolution of microscopic images in which only a single parameter is varied for the estimation of the PSF. The single parameter takes account of the optical properties of the environment of the object (40) between the objective (20) of the microscope (1) and the region above the object. The single parameter represents a functional relationship among the parameters of the individual layers.

Abstract: The printer's page description contains a contone layer and a black layer. The black layer is conceptually above the black layer and is composited over the contone layer by the printer. The print driver therefore maintains a page buffer which correspondingly contains a nedium-resolution contone layer and a high resolution black layer. It is therefore necessary to determine where an object being placed on the contone layer obscures something on the black layer. When an obscuration occurs the obscured black pixels are composited with the contone layer and removed from the black layer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for editing an image while maintaining codestream size is described. In one embodiment, the method comprises determining a portion of a codestream to edit, decoding the portion of the codestream, performing an edit to the decoded portion of the codestream, recompressing edited data into coded data, and generating a replacement portion for the portion of the codestream by making size of the replacement portion equal to size of the portion of the codestream by adding padding to the replacement tile if the replacement tile is smaller than the portion of the codesteam or quantizing the replacement tile if the replacement tile is larger than the portion of the codestream.

Abstract: There are disclosed an image processing apparatus and method, and the like, which can obtain a high-quality image, the dynamic range or partial pixel value range of which has been changed while suppressing or avoiding collapse of the edge structure of an image or generation of overshoot. Also, there are disclosed an image processing apparatus and method, and the like, which can obtain a high-quality image, desired spatial frequency components of which have been emphasized or suppressed while suppressing or avoiding collapse of the edge structure of an edge portion contained in an objective image.

Abstract: An image input unit acquires a first image and a second image. A matching processor computes a pixel matching between the images so that corresponding points are obtained on the second image with respect to lattice points of a mesh defined on the first image. A result thereof is recorded as a corresponding point file. An intermediate image generator generates an intermediate image of the first image and the second image based on the corresponding point file. Since the corresponding point file is composed of corresponding lattice points alone rather than corresponding pixels or the like, the amount of data is relatively small, and thereby allows efficient implementation of and application to various image effects, motion picture compression, on-line commodity presentation, and mobile applications.

Abstract: There are provided an image processing apparatus and method. In this apparatus and method, high-frequency components are converted by multiple-frequency transformation in accordance with tone conversion used to change the dynamic range, thereby obtaining a high-quality image. For example, an original image undergoes tone conversion on the basis of a tone conversion curve, and the converted image then undergoes discrete wavelet transformation. After that, subbands obtained by discrete wavelet transformation undergo a conversion process in correspondence with the slope of the tone conversion curve.

Abstract: The sense of contrast perceived by a viewer of an image is quantified and adequate image processing is carried out on image data based on the sense of contrast. Contrast-sense quantification means generates unsharp image data of the image data and then generates a histogram of the unsharp image data. Since the histogram of the image data includes lightness information of details of the image, a distribution width thereof does not represent the contrast perceived by the viewer of the image as a whole. However, since the histogram of the unsharp image data excludes information of the details, a distribution width of the unsharp image data represents the contrast of the overall image. The distribution width of the histogram of the unsharp image data is found as the sense of contrast and input to processing means. In the processing means, tone conversion processing is carried out on the image data by changing a tone conversion LUT based on the sense of contrast, and processed image data are obtained.

Abstract: A method for estimating the noise appearance in an image, includes the steps of: forming a noise table representing noise magnitude vs. intensity of the image; and generating a noise metric from the noise table, said noise metric representing the noise appearance in the image.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for building a video mosaic from a sequence of video images. Advantageously, the present invention can quickly and easily align each image by performing an image registration. The image registration includes detecting edges of structures and determining regions of interest. Once regions of interest are determined, then the distance from the center of the video image to the region of interest can be determined and from that determined data, the video images can be aligned.

Abstract: A method of rendering a low-resolution thumbnail image at an embedded imaging device is described. An original digital negative is captured at the embedded imaging device at an original resolution and a thumbnail digital image of the original digital negative is generated at a first resolution. The thumbnail digital image is displayed on a display device coupled to the embedded imaging device and modified to form a first resultant image at the first resolution. A first edit list based upon the modifying is generated and associated with the first resultant image and linked to the original digital negative. The linked first edit list, the original digital negative, and the first resultant image are stored at the embedded imaging device and displayed at the display device.

Abstract: The image-processing apparatus includes n image processing sections which receive n consecutive pixel data items that are respectively input with the same timing and which respectively process the respective input pixel data items with the same timing, and a control section that controls the n image processing sections. Each of the image processing sections are capable of being set to one of a first operation mode allowing data communication with the controlling section and a second operation mode allowing only reception from the aforementioned controlling section, one of the image processing sections is set to the first operation mode, and n?1 of the image processing sections are set to the second operation mode.

Abstract: What is disclosed is an image path for work flow or printing in which a scanner or image editor produces a raster image. The raster image is segmented into a background plus a plurality of objects represented as foreground, mask pairs (henceforth the background or a foreground, mask pair will be referred to as a field). Each field possesses a potentially different security level. Each security level corresponds to a public encryption key used to encrypt each layer with its corresponding security level. A publicly known file storage and transmission format that supports mixed raster content is used to store or transmit the raster image. Upon retrieval or reception, a viewer enters in a private key into a user interface. The private key can only decrypt that content to which the viewer is authorized.

Abstract: Image dividing means of an RPU divides raw image data into divided image data A1 having 2048 horizontal pixels and A2 having 1024 horizontal pixels. The divided image data A1 is continuously processed in single pixel processing means and multiple pixel processing means and thereafter transferred to and stored in a buffer. The divided image data A2 is processed in the single pixel processing means and thereafter transferred to and temporarily stored in another buffer. The multiple pixel processing means reads and processes divided image data A2a stored in this buffer and thereafter transfers and stores the same to and in still another buffer. Image combining means reads divided image data A1b and A2b stored in the buffers and combines the same with each other. Thus, an image processing time and a cost can be reduced even if raw image data having horizontal pixels in a number exceeding the capacity of a line memory is received.

Abstract: A method and system for the extraction of linear features from digital imagery is described herein. The proposed methodology is based on the tridimensional Radon transformation and on the generation of a multi-layer database having separate layers containing different types of information to allow the reconstruction of an output image where the linear features of the input image are restored.

Abstract: A data storage and retrieval system and method are disclosed that enable storage and retrieval of very large digital images. The image data is stored on a one-dimensional storage device in a format optimized for high speed retrieval, display, and seamless navigation.

Abstract: An ASIC-implemented wavelet transformation engine (circuit) providing a wavelet filter is described. The wavelet filter itself provides up to a 9-stage FIR (finite impulse response) filter with symmetrical coefficients. The architecture of the filter includes data inputs, a bank of shift registers (register bank), coefficient registers, a multiplier/accumulator, a sub-sampling component, and output (results) registers. The filter provides a wavelet-based compression solution that may be implemented in less-costly, page-based memory architecture (e.g., SDRAM), and does so in a manner that overcomes the inherent speed disadvantage encountered due to the horizontal-optimized access strategy employed by page-based memory architectures.

Abstract: A method of rendering a low-resolution thumbnail image at an embedded imaging device is described. An original digital negative is captured at the embedded imaging device at an original resolution and a thumbnail digital image of the original digital negative is generated at a first resolution. The thumbnail digital image is displayed on a display device coupled to the embedded imaging device and modified to form a first resultant image at the first resolution. A first edit list based upon the modifying is generated and associated with the first resultant image and linked to the original digital negative. The linked first edit list, the original digital negative, and the first resultant image are stored at the embedded imaging device and displayed at the display device.

Abstract: A visual device searches for moving and still objects and counts the moving and still objects. The visual device includes a vibrator for vibrating a frame image by using an array calculating unit, an information unit for creating edge information on the moving and still objects from the frame image, a separator for separating the object region of the moving and still objects from the background of the frame image, a measuring unit for measuring the positions and sizes of the moving and still objects, a normalizer for normalizing the separation object regions segmented by the object regions, and a recognition unit for recognizing the normalized regions.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of storing and of progressively transferring a still image so that it can be conveniently previewed during the transfer and so that a user can terminate the transfer at an early stage if the image turns out to be undesirable. The methods of the invention include transforming the image into a plurality of decomposition levels using a discrete wavelet transform. Each decomposition level comprises a plurality of subimages which allow reconstruction of an image representation of the still image. The decomposition levels are transmitted beginning with a base decomposition level providing a low level of image resolution and then proceeding with decomposition levels providing increasingly higher levels of image resolution. Within each decomposition level, rows of the various subimages are arranged or interlaced together in contiguous blocks, so that all data for a single row, at a single decomposition level, is transmitted together.

Abstract: Aspects for allowing variably controlled alteration of image processing of digital image data in a digital image capture device include forming an image processing chain with two or more image processors to process digital image data, and providing one or more parametric controls within each of the two or more image processors. The aspects further include accessing chosen controls of the one or more parametric controls to modify the two or more image processors for alteration of the image processing.