Image processing device, imaging device, image processing method, program, and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10070112-B2
Application number	US-201615185368-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2016
Priority date	Feb 7, 2014
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

Provided are an image processing device, an imaging device, an image processing method, a program, and a recording medium that perform white balance bracketing according to image characteristics. An image processing unit 31 acquires a white balance gain which is applied to original image data in order to obtain a base image and a bracket image. The image processing unit 31 includes a color distribution acquisition unit 46, a first gain acquisition unit 41, and a second gain acquisition unit 42. The color distribution acquisition unit 46 acquires color distribution information of input image data. The first gain acquisition unit 41 acquires a base image white balance gain for obtaining the base image. The second gain acquisition unit 42 acquires a bracket image white balance gain for obtaining the bracket image on the basis of the color distribution information and the base image white balance gain.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing device that acquires a white balance gain which is applied to original image data in order to obtain a base image and a bracket image, comprising:
a color distribution acquisition unit that acquires color distribution information of input image data;
a first gain acquisition unit that acquires a base image white balance gain for obtaining the base image; and
a second gain acquisition unit that acquires a bracket image white balance gain for obtaining the bracket image on the basis of the color distribution information and the base image white balance gain,
wherein the second gain acquisition unit determines a bracket direction in a color space on the basis of the color distribution information and acquires the bracket image white balance gain on the basis of the base image white balance gain and the bracket direction, and
wherein the bracket direction is determined by a ratio of colors in the bracket image white balance gain.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second gain acquisition unit determines an absolute value of an amount of bracket on the basis of the color distribution information and acquires the bracket image white balance gain on the basis of the base image white balance gain and the absolute value of the amount of bracket.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second gain acquisition unit estimates a light source color from the color distribution information and acquires the bracket image white balance gain on the basis of the light source color estimated from the color distribution information.

4. The image processing device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the second gain acquisition unit acquires the bracket image white balance gain on the basis of a correlated color temperature of the light source color estimated from the color distribution information.

5. The image processing device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the second gain acquisition unit determines the absolute value of the amount of bracket on the basis of the correlated color temperature of the light source color estimated from the color distribution information and acquires the bracket image white balance gain on the basis of the absolute value of the amount of bracket.

6. The image processing device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the second gain acquisition unit acquires the bracket image white balance gain on the basis of a distance between black-body radiation characteristics in the color space and the light source color estimated from the color distribution information.

7. The image processing device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the second gain acquisition unit adjusts the bracket direction in the color space such that it becomes closer to an umber-blue direction as the distance between the black-body radiation characteristics and the light source color estimated from the color distribution information decreases and it becomes closer to a green-magenta direction as the distance increases, thereby acquiring the bracket image white balance gain.

8. The image processing device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the second gain acquisition unit acquires chroma information of the base image on the basis of the light source color estimated from the color distribution information and the base image white balance gain and acquires the bracket image white balance gain on the basis of the chroma information.

9. The image processing device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the second gain acquisition unit acquires the chroma information on the basis of a chroma of the base image relative to an achromatic color, determines the absolute value of the amount of bracket on the basis of the chroma information, and acquires the bracket image white balance gain on the basis of the base image white balance gain and the absolute value of the amount of bracket.

10. The image processing device according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a display characteristic acquisition unit that acquires display characteristic information of a display unit which displays at least one of the base image or the bracket image,
wherein the second gain acquisition unit acquires display achromatic color information on the basis of the display characteristic information acquired from the display characteristic acquisition unit,
the second gain acquisition unit acquires the chroma information on the basis of a chroma of the base image relative to a display achromatic color obtained from the display achromatic color information, and
the second gain acquisition unit determines the absolute value of the amount of bracket on the basis of the chroma information and acquires the bracket image white balance gain on the basis of the base image white balance gain and the absolute value of the amount of bracket.

11. The image processing device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the second gain acquisition unit increases the absolute value of the amount of bracket as a difference in chroma between the achromatic color and the base image increases, on the basis of the chroma information, thereby acquiring the bracket image white balance gain.

12. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second gain acquisition unit determines whether the bracket image needs to be created on the basis of the color distribution information of the input image data, with reference to data indicating whether bracketing is required which defines a relationship between the color distribution information and whether the bracket image needs to be created, acquires the bracket image white balance gain in a case in which it is determined that the bracket image needs to be created, and does not acquire the bracket image white balance gain in a case in which it is determined that the bracket image does not need to be created.

13. The image processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a white balance processing unit that applies the base image white balance gain to the original image data to obtain the base image and applies the bracket image white balance gain to the original image data to obtain the bracket image.

14. The image processing device according to claim 13 ,
wherein the white balance processing unit adds classification information indicating a main image to the base image and adds classification information indicating a sub-image to the bracket image.

15. The image processing device according to claim 14 , further comprising:
an instruction receiving unit that receives an instruction to decide the classification information to be added to the base image and the bracket image from a user; and
a classification information rewriting unit that can rewrite the classification information added to the base image and the bracket image on the basis of the decision instruction input to the instruction receiving unit.

16. The image processing device according to claim 14 , further comprising:
an image storage unit that stores the base image and the bracket image so as to be associated with each other; and
a storage control unit that deletes one of the base image and the bracket image, to which sub-image classification information is added, from the image storage unit in a case in which a time elapsed since the creation of the base image is longer than a first time.

17. The image processing device according to claim 15 , further comprising:
an image storage unit that stores the base image and the bracket image so as to be associated with each other; and
a storage control unit that deletes one of the base image and

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp

Inventors

• Fujiwara Shinya
• Ueda Tooru

Classifications

• H04N23/12

  with one sensor only · CPC title

• H04N23/743

  Bracketing, i.e. taking a series of images with varying exposure conditions · CPC title

• H04N23/88 Primary

  for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control · CPC title

• H04N23/631 Primary

  Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters · CPC title

• H04N23/10

  for generating image signals from different wavelengths · CPC title