Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and computer-readable device having instructions for generating focused image

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9503629-B2
Application number	US-201113050340-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2011
Priority date	Mar 19, 2010
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes: a display section having the function of detecting a position touched by a pointer; an icon display control section for identifying a pixel of interest which is a pixel associated with the position of the pointer from among pixels forming an image displayed at the display section and displaying an icon for indicating the pixel of interest on the image displayed at the display section; and an image processing section for generating an image focused in a part thereof associated with the pixel of interest using distance data associated with the pixels forming the image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
a display controller configured to:
control recording of a first image and metadata including depth information associated with the first image into a storage medium;
control display of the first image;
control display of an icon having a predetermined size and shape at a first pointed position on the first image at which a pointer is detected as having been pointed, the first pointed position corresponding to a first pixel of an object in the first image;
control display of the icon with the predetermined size and shape at a second pointed position on the first image at which the pointer is detected as having been pointed, the second pointed position corresponding to a second pixel of the object in the first image;
control display of a sub screen including an enlarged image of a first region of the first image, the first region including the second pixel of the object in the first image, wherein the sub screen is displayed overlapping the first image; and
control display of a sub screen icon identifying on the sub screen a position of the enlarged image corresponding to the second pointed position; and an image processor configured to:
calculate a respective defocus amount to be applied to at least two pixels of a plurality of pixels of the first image based on depth information representing a plurality of distances between a lens and a plurality of portions of the object in the first image; and
generate a second image at least by applying the respective defocus amount to the at least two pixels such that at least a portion of the object in the second image is in focus, the at least a portion of the object in the second image corresponding to the second pointed position on the first image,

wherein:
the display controller is further configured to control display of the second image,
the display controller is further configured to control recording of the second image into the storage medium,
the display controller is further configured to, before the image processor generates the second image, control display of a prompt to a user to confirm selection of the second pointed position, and
the first image comprises an original image and the second image comprises a defocused image corresponding to the original image.

2. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sub screen is configured to display the enlarged image by altering display of a part of the first image.

3. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display controller is further configured to change a displayed position of the sub screen icon.

4. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display controller is further configured to control display of contour information, the contour information indicating a contour of the object, the contour enclosing the second pointed position.

5. An image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the contour information is generated by using the depth information.

6. An image processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the contour information is generated based on a differentiated value of a depth information distribution of the first image being greater than a predetermined threshold.

7. An image processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the contour information is generated based on a double differentiated value of a depth information distribution of the first image being zero.

8. An image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the contour information is generated by using luminance information of the first image.

9. An image processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the contour information is generated by detecting a pixel having luminance resulting in a luminance difference of greater than or equal to a predetermined value compared with an adjacent pixel.

10. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the object in the first image is not in focus and corresponds to the first pointed position.

11. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image processor is configured to generate the second image by controlling blur.

12. An image processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the image processor is configured to control the blur in the second image based on the second pointed position.

13. An image processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the image processor is configured to control a value of the blur based on an operation input by a user.

14. An image processing apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the display controller is further configured to control display of a blur indicator indicating a value of the blur.

15. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first image comprises a frame of a movie.

16. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a display configured to display information received from the display controller and a touch sensor configured to detect the pointer.

17. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the object in the first image is not in focus and corresponds to the second pointed position.

18. An image processing method comprising:
controlling recording of a first image and metadata including depth information associated with the first image into a storage medium;
controlling display of the first image;
controlling display of an icon having a predetermined size and shape at a first pointed position on the first image at which a pointer is detected as having been pointed, the first pointed position corresponding to a first pixel of an object in the first image;
controlling display of the icon with the predetermined size and shape at a second pointed position on the first image at which the pointer is detected as having been pointed, the second pointed position corresponding to a second pixel of the object in the first image;
controlling display of a sub screen including an enlarged image of a first region of the first image, the first region including the second pixel of the object in the first image, wherein the sub screen is displayed overlapping the first image;
controlling display of a sub screen icon identifying on the sub screen a position of the enlarged image corresponding to the second pointed position;
calculating a respective defocus amount to be applied to at least two pixels of a plurality of pixels of the first image based on depth information representing a plurality of distances between a lens and a plurality of portions of the object in the first image;
before generating a second image, controlling display of a prompt to a user to confirm selection of the second pointed position;
generating the second image at least by applying the respective defocus amount to the at least two pixels such that at least a portion of the object in the second image is in focus, the at least a portion of the object in the second image corresponding to the second pointed position on the first images;
controlling display of the second image; and
controlling recording of the second image into the storage medium,
wherein the first image comprises an original image and the second image comprises a defocused image corresponding to the original image.

19. An image processing method according to claim 18 , further comprising displaying the enlarged image on the sub screen by altering display of a part of the first image.

20. An

Assignees

• Suzuki Naho
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Suzuki Naho

Classifications

• H04N5/2621 Primary

  Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability · CPC title

• H04N23/62 Primary

  Control of parameters via user interfaces · CPC title

• H04N23/80

  Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof · CPC title

• H04N5/23229

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/23216 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic