Patent Application
20110102829
The present invention pertains to the field of image printing. More particularly, the present invention pertains to the resolution of a detected inadequate image resolution for a selected print size.
For digital image printing there is a threshold print size which becomes unsuitable for an existing digital image file resolution. This is generally determined by the relative number of pixels used to capture the image. If a captured image has too few pixels for a selected print size, individual pixels appear in the digital image print, i.e. the image becomes “pixellated” by displaying geometric rectangular contours within the image.
Once a selected image is placed in an image node and found to be unsuitable, it has been difficult to convey to the user what aspect of the image has made the image unsuitable or how to resolve this issue. It could be unsuitable due to either crop/zooming, or the original image could be unsuitable for a particular image node for another reason. Typically, the user receives a warning that the image is not recommended for the image node size it is in. Current software provides a warning indicating only that the digital image and node match is unsuitable.
The present invention addresses the exact ratio when this inconsistency between capture resolution and requested image print size appears and provides a convenient user interface for handling adjustments to the user requested print size. Portions of the user interface methodology are automatically executed by computer system programming. The exact ratio that determines suitability for printing is a combination of requested print size, for example, print image width by print image height, and captured image size, for example, image pixel count, and is useful in printing both snapshot sized prints as well as collages, photobooks, etc.
Two image adjustment factors that can change the effective printing suitability of a digitally stored image, relative to print size, include cropping and zooming the digital image. For the cropping aspect, the user typically can opt to print only a portion of a digital image. If a user crops a 0.6 megapixel (“MP”) image such that only 0.3 MP of the image is used for print data, then it may no longer be suitable for a 4×6″ print in order to avoid all pixellation of the printed image.
Considering these two methods for adjusting a digital image for formatting a suitable 4×6″ print, it is fairly straightforward for the user, through use of the present invention, to understand what size image is acceptable for a certain size print. Matching captured image resolution to print size, or vice versa, can become complicated when, for example, a user is creating a 8×10″ book and the digital image is one of several digital images to be printed on a page, each image to be disposed at an image node. The present invention allows the user to monitor the suitability of the image's resolution after it is placed in the selected image node.
Therefore, the present invention includes several methods for addressing existing problems in digital image and print size compatibility. First, a user interface that allows a user to visually see an exact point where crop/zoom becomes unacceptable and, therefore, a clear illustration of what is necessary to avoid an incompatibility issue. This is embodied in presenting to a user the original captured image and indicating on the original image the cropped or zoomed area in order to permit the user to reselect the cropped or zoomed area to the user's liking until sufficient resolution is obtained for printing purposes.
A second embodiment is provided that allows a user the option to replace the unsuitable image with another image from a collection of digital images. A third embodiment allows a user to manually operate a cursor controlled sizing bar for adjusting an image size and indicating the point at which a resize becomes acceptable. A fourth embodiment provides a user with an option to reduce a size of an image node instead of reducing a digital image size, so that a current digital image can be disposed in an image node without changing the original image size. A combination of both reducing an image size and reducing the size of an image node can be performed.
These, and other, aspects and objects of the present invention will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention and numerous specific details thereof, is given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications. The figures below are not intended to be drawn to any precise scale with respect to size, angular relationship, or relative position.
Output from the computer 10 is typically presented on a video display 52, which may be communicatively connected to the computer 10 via the display interface device 24. Internally, the computer 10 contains components such as CPU 14 and computer-accessible memories, such as read-only memory 16, random access memory 22, and a hard disk drive 20, which may retain some or all of the digital objects referred to herein. The phrase “computer-accessible memory” is intended to include any computer-accessible data storage device, whether volatile or nonvolatile, electronic, magnetic, optical, or otherwise, including but not limited to, floppy disks, hard disks, Compact Discs, DVDs, flash memories, such as USB compliant thumb drives, for example, ROMs, and RAMs.
The CPU 14 communicates with other devices over a data bus 12. The CPU 14 executes software stored on, for example, hard disk drive 20. In addition to fixed media such as a hard disk drive 20, the computer 10 may also contain computer-accessible memory drives for reading and writing data from removable computer-accessible memories. This may include a CD-RW drive 30 for reading and writing various CD media 42 as well as a DVD drive 32 for reading and writing to various DVD media 40. Audio can be input into the computer 10 through a microphone 48 communicatively connected to an audio interface device 26. Audio playback can be heard via a speaker 50 also communicatively connected to an audio interface device 26. A digital camera 6 or other image capture device can be communicatively connected to the computer 10 through, for example, the USB interface device 34 to transfer digital objects from the camera 6 to the computer's hard disk drive 20 and vice-versa. Finally, the computer 10 can be communicatively connected to an external network 60 via a network connection device 18, thus allowing the computer to access digital objects and media assets from other computers, devices, or data-storage systems communicatively connected to the network. A “data-storage system” may include one or more computer-accessible memories, and may be a distributed data-storage system including multiple computer-accessible memories communicatively connected via a plurality of computers, a network, routers, and/or other devices. Alternatively, a data storage system need not be a distributed data-storage system and, consequently, may include one or more computer-accessible memories located within a single computer or device.
A collection of digital objects and/or media assets can reside exclusively on the hard disk drive 20, compact disc 42, DVD 40, or on remote data storage devices, such as a networked hard drive accessible via the network 60. A collection of digital objects can also be distributed across any or all of these storage locations.
A collection of digital objects may be represented by a database that uniquely identifies individual digital objects (e.g., such as a digital image file) and their corresponding location(s). It will be understood that these digital objects can be media objects or non-media objects. Media objects can be digital still images, such as those captured by digital cameras, audio data such as digital music or voice annotations, digital video clips with or without sound. Media objects could also include files produced by graphic or animation software such as those produced by Adobe Photoshop™ or Adobe Flash™. Non-media objects can be text documents such as those produced by word processing software or other office-related documents such as spreadsheets or email. A database of digital objects can be comprised of only one type of object or any combination of objects. Once a collection of digital objects is associated together, such as in a database or by another mechanism of associating data, the objects can be abstractly represented to the user in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
In the case of a user employing a crop/zoom adjustment for a digital image to be printed, we propose the following programmed method of showing where the crop/zoom adjustment takes the image into a poor printing situation and programmed methods of modifying the adjustment to avoid poor printing. With reference to the flowchart of
A preferred embodiment of the procedure employed at step 206, to determine whether the selected digital image will result in a poor printing condition, is described with reference to the resolution table illustrated in
At step 207 a list of options is presented to a user that chooses to correct the detected poor printing condition. The list of options can include a wide variety of programmable options, however, as explained below, the illustrated options are examples. A user can elect to modify a digital image that has triggered a warning icon by clicking on the warning icon 802 using mouse 44 which results in the example drop down menu 803 providing the user with a range of options to address the resolution mismatch condition. The options provided to a user in a preferred embodiment of the present invention are illustrated in
If the option “Skip” (or “Ignore”) is activated by the user, then the program will continue displaying the warning icon, at step 203, while further digital image and image node selections are continued by the user or, if a particular template is already complete, then the user can print the completed template even if the warning icons are present. Of course, the warning icons will not appear in the printed product.
If the option “Edit” (or “Limit Image Zoom”) or “Resize Node” is selected by the user, then, at step 211, the user can un-zoom the image until sufficient resolution of image data for the selected image node size becomes available to avoid a poor printing condition or, conversely, at step 212, the user can reduce the size of the image node until sufficient digital image data resolution for the resized image node is achieved. This editing option of resizing a digital image and/or the image node is described as follows.
Upon clicking on the warning icon, at step 220, which, in the illustrated examples herein, contains an exclamation point within a diamond or triangle, 403, 802, the drop down list appears as exemplified in
In response to clicking on the image within the node the computer system display will show the digital image 501 as illustrated in
By clicking on the magnifying box 502, rather than on the image, the display changes to that shown in
hi another preferred embodiment, when the user chooses “Move Image,” the selected digital image is moved to another image node, determined by the application to be a suitable image node, until a new location is accepted by the user. Once it moved to all possible nodes and was not accepted by the user, it would return to original location, where it would remain tagged with the warning symbol. If a user accepts a new location, the digital image would remain at the accepted image node. An optional embodiment includes swapping out the picture and requesting a user indication for approval, or to return the digital image to an image tray.
In another preferred embodiment, if the user chooses Resize node, the image node is reduced in size to an acceptable size that eliminates the warning. Another preferred embodiment includes a Move option where the user could manually moves the photo to a suitable image node. In an optional embodiment, this feature will maintain crop/zoom assuming the user does not want this changed.
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.
