Electronic device applying bokeh effect to image and controlling method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12456167-B2
Application number	US-202217710032-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2022
Priority date	Feb 20, 2019
Publication date	Oct 28, 2025
Grant date	Oct 28, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device and method are disclosed. The electronic device includes a memory and processor, which implements the method, including: obtaining image data for an image, set in the image a region of interest and a background region, using depth information, both including one or more sub-regions, determining respective bokeh characteristics for the one or more first sub-regions and the one or more second sub-regions based on a first characteristic criterion and a second characteristic criterion, respectively, and processing the image to apply a bokeh effect to the plurality of pixels based on the respective bokeh characteristics for the one or more first sub-regions and the one or more second sub-regions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory storing instructions,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to:
identify an interest region and a background region of an image,
identify a designated position of the image,
identify at least one sub interest region included in the interest region based on distances between the designated position and the interest region,
identify at least one sub background region included in the background region based on distances between the designated position and the background region,
determine at least one intensity of a bokeh effect to be applied to the at least one sub interest region such that a first intensity of the bokeh effect applied to all pixels of a first sub interest region closer to the designated position than a second sub interest region is lower than a second intensity of the bokeh effect applied to all pixels of the second sub interest region, and wherein the second intensity is lower than a third intensity applied to all pixels of a third sub interest region that is further from the designated position than the second sub interest region,
determine at least one intensity of the bokeh effect to be applied to the at least one sub background region such that a fourth intensity of a first sub background region closer to the designated position than a second sub background region is lower than a fifth intensity of the second sub background region, and
process the image to apply the bokeh effect to the at least one sub interest region and the at least one sub background region based on the determined intensities,
wherein one of the at least one intensity of the bokeh effect to be applied to a corresponding at least one sub interest region is lower than one of the at least one intensity of the bokeh effect to be applied to a corresponding at least one sub background region of which a distance from the designated position to the corresponding at least one sub background region is the same as a distance from the designated position to the corresponding at least one sub interest region.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein a range of the at least one intensity of the bokeh effect to be applied to the at least one sub interest region is narrower than a range of the at least one intensity of the bokeh effect to be applied to the at least one sub background region.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the designated position is a center position of the image.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the designated position is a center position of the interest region.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to
identify the interest region and the background region based on depth information on each of pixel included in the image.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to:
identify a plurality of concentric circular regions each of which corresponds to one of the at least one sub interest region and the at least one sub background region.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 ,
wherein when a first concentric circular region overlaps both at least a part of the interest region and at least a part of the background region, the first concentric circular region is subdivided into a first portion corresponding to one of the at least one sub interest region and a second portion corresponding to one of the at least one sub background region, such that the bokeh effect is applied differently between the first and second portion.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the bokeh effect is not applied to a region including the designated position, regardless of whether the region is the at least one sub background region or not.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one intensity of the bokeh effect to be applied to the at least one sub interest region is determined based on an interpixel distance from a pixel of the designated position, and
wherein the at least one intensity of the bokeh effect to be applied to the at least one sub background region is determined based on an interpixel distance from the pixel of the designated position.

10. A method of an electronic device, comprising:
identifying an interest region and a background region of an image,
identifying a designated position of the image,
identifying at least one sub interest region included in the interest region based on distances between the designated position and the interest region,
identifying at least one sub background region included in the background region based on distances between the designated position and the background region,
determining at least one intensity of a bokeh effect to be applied to the at least one sub interest region such that a first intensity of the bokeh effect applied to all pixels of a first sub interest region closer to the designated position than a second sub interest region is lower than a second intensity of the bokeh effect applied to all pixels of the second sub interest region, and wherein the second intensity is lower than a third intensity applied to all pixels of a third sub interest region that is further from the designated position than the second sub interest region,
determining at least one intensity of the bokeh effect to be applied to the at least one sub background region such that a fourth intensity of a first sub background region closer to the designated position than a second sub background region is lower than a fifth intensity of the second sub background region, and
processing the image to apply the bokeh effect to the at least one sub interest region and the at least one sub background region based on the determined intensities,
wherein one of the at least one intensity of the bokeh effect to be applied to a corresponding at least one sub interest region is lower than one of the at least one intensity of the bokeh effect to be applied to a corresponding at least one sub background region of which a distance from the designated position to the corresponding at least one sub background region is the same as a distance from the designated position to the corresponding at least one sub interest region.

11. The method of claim 10 ,
wherein a range of the at least one intensity of the bokeh effect to be applied to the at least one sub interest region is narrower than a range of the at least one intensity of the bokeh effect to be applied to the at least one sub background region.

12. The method of claim 10 ,
wherein the designated position is a center position of the image.

13. The method of claim 10 ,
wherein the designated position is a center position of the interest region.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
identifying the interest region and the background region based on depth information on each of pixel included in the image.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
identifying a plurality of concentric circular regions each of which corresponds to one of the at least one sub interest region and the at least one sub background region.

16. The method of claim 15 ,
wherein when a first concentric circular region overlaps both at least a part of the interest region and at least a part of the background region, the first concentric circular region is subdivided into a first portion corresponding to one of the at least one sub interest region and a second portion corresp

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hwang Jeena
• Hwang Insung
• Pandey Subash
• Hyun Jongmin
• Won Jonghun

Classifications

• G06T7/11

  Region-based segmentation · CPC title

• G06T7/194

  involving foreground-background segmentation · CPC title

• G06T2207/20021

  Dividing image into blocks, subimages or windows · CPC title

• G06T7/50

  Depth or shape recovery · CPC title

• G06T2207/20012

  Locally adaptive · CPC title