Methods and systems for differentiating synthetic and non-synthetic images

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10140545-B2
Application number	US-201615376589-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2016
Priority date	Feb 28, 2013
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

The techniques introduced here include a system and method for transcoding multimedia content based on the results of content analysis. The determination of specific transcoding parameters, used for transcoding multimedia content, can be performed by utilizing the results of content analysis of the multimedia content. One of the results of the content analysis is the determination of image type of any images included in the multimedia content. The content analysis uses one or more of several techniques, including analyzing content metadata, examining colors of contiguous pixels in the content, using histogram analysis, using compression distortion analysis, analyzing image edges, or examining user provided inputs. Transcoding the multimedia content can include adapting the content to the constraints in delivery and display, processing and storage of user computing devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving an image;
analyzing, using a processer of a computer system, the received image to produce analyzing results;
assigning, based on the analyzing results, an image type to the received image;
identifying a plurality of transcoding parameters, wherein at least one of the transcoding parameters is selected based on the assigned image type; and
transcoding the received image using the plurality of transcoding parameters.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the received image comprises compression distortion analysis, wherein the compression distortion analysis includes analysis of distortion between the received image and a processed version of the received image.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the analysis of distortion between the received image and the processed version of the received image is performed using one or more of:
a Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) index; or
a structural similarity (SSIM) index.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
identifying that the image type is a synthetic image type if the distortion is greater than a specified threshold; and
identifying that the image type is a natural image type if the distortion is less than the specified threshold.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the received image comprises contiguous pixels analysis, wherein the contiguous pixels analysis includes computing whether a number of pixel groups from the received image is above a color continuity threshold, wherein the color continuity threshold corresponds to a distinction in image types.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the contiguous pixels analysis comprises identifying that a first pixel of the contiguous pixels and a second pixel of the contiguous pixels are of similar color when one or more of a hue value or a saturation value associated with the first pixel and the second pixel are within a specified threshold level of each other.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the received image comprises an analysis of edges detected in the received image.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein transcoding the received image comprises converting the image from one format to another format based on whether the image type is a synthetic image type.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a computing device to:
receive an image;
analyze the received image to produce analyzing results;
assign, based on the analyzing results, an image type to the received image;
identify a plurality of transcoding parameters, wherein at least one of the transcoding parameters is selected based on the assigned image type; and
transcode the received image using the plurality of transcoding parameters.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to transcode the received image by converting the image from one format to another based on whether the image type is a synthetic image type.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 ,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to assign the image type by assigning a natural image type; and
further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to determine, based on the natural image type being assigned to the received image, to run facial recognition on the received image.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 ,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to assign the image type by assigning a natural image type; and
further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to select, based on the natural image type being assigned to the received image, a set of photo editing tools to provide to a user that correspond to natural images.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the set of photo editing tools comprises a red eye reduction tool.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the image type corresponds to one or more of a color image or a black-and-white image.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to transcode the received image by adding redundancy to protect against data loss.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to:
assign the image type by assigning a natural image type; and
transcode the received image by converting, based on the natural image type being assigned to the received image, the received image into a GIF compression format.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to:
assign the image type by assigning a synthetic image type; and
transcode the received image by setting, based on the synthetic image type being assigned to the received image, a parameter indicating that no resizing of the received image should be performed.

18. A system comprising:
one or more processors;
an interface configured to receive an image; and
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
analyze the received image to produce analyzing results;
assign, based on the analyzing results, an image type to the received image;
identify a plurality of transcoding parameters, wherein at least one of the transcoding parameters is selected based on the assigned image type; and
transcode the received image using the plurality of transcoding parameters.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to identify a transcoding process to apply to the received image by one or more of:
identifying whether a compression is to be applied to the received image based on the image type assigned to the received image;
identifying a type of compression to be applied to the received image based on the image type assigned to the received image;
identifying one or more of a type or intensity of size reduction to be applied to the received image based on the image type assigned to the received image;
identifying one or more of a type or intensity of color reduction to be applied to the received image based on the image type assigned to the received image; or
any combination thereof.

20. The system of claim 18 , wherein:
the image type is a natural image type; and
the received image is one or more of:
a photograph;
a digital version of a photograph, wherein the digital version is generated by scanning;
a camera-produced image; or
any combination thereof.

Assignees

• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Lerios Apostolos
• Stoop Dirk
• Mack Ryan
• Bourdev Lubomir
• Paluri Balmanohar

Classifications

• G06T9/00 Primary

  Image coding (bandwidth or redundancy reduction for static pictures H04N1/41; coding or decoding of static colour picture signals H04N1/64; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00) · CPC title

• G06F18/24

  Classification techniques · CPC title

• H04N19/136

  Incoming video signal characteristics or properties · CPC title

• H04N19/40

  using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream · CPC title

• G06K9/4604

  Physics · mapped topic