Patent · US Active

Digital image processing system and method for emphasizing a main subject of an image

US7333654B2 · kind B2 · utility

6Cited by
3References
29Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 22, 2005
Grant dateFeb 19, 2008
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 18, 2026

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T2207/30201
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method for automatically altering an image having pixels is disclosed. An image is segmented into regions and various features of the regions are extracted and used to calculate a confidence factor, or belief value, that a particular region is a main subject of the image. The belief values are assembled into a belief map that is used to define how pixel values are to be altered. Various color and appearance values of the pixel are altered in a predetermined way to emphasize the main subject of the image. The emphasis is applied in a binary fashion or as in a gradient of values. Either the main subject can be emphasized, or the secondary or background subjects can be de-emphasized. The system can be implement on a variety of computer systems.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.