JP5245200B2 - Electronic still camera - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic still camera that adjusts the color of a captured image.

In the prior art, white balance change processing is performed using parameters predetermined for each light source such as natural light or fluorescent light.
JP 2000-152275 A

However, when the white balance changing process is performed using a predetermined parameter, there is a problem that the color tone of the image may not be the color tone intended by the user.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic still camera that can match the color tone of a photographed image with the color tone intended by the user.

Electronic still camera according to claim 1 records imaging means for imaging a subject, image processing means for performing compression processing on the image data imaged by the imaging means, the image data compression processing has been performed by the image processing means A recording medium, display means for reading out image data compressed by the image processing means from the recording medium and displaying it as an image, and color for performing color adjustment of the image displayed on the display means using color adjustment parameters Adjusting means and recording means for recording the image data color-adjusted by the color adjusting means on a recording medium, and the display means is displayed when the color tone of the displayed image is adjusted by the color adjusting means. The color tone of the displayed image is changed.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electronic still camera according to the first aspect, the display means displays navigation for determining a color adjustment parameter.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electronic still camera according to the first or second aspect , the display means displays a color-adjusted image instead of the image read and displayed from the recording medium. It is characterized by that.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic still camera according to the second aspect, further comprising switching means for switching between navigation display and non-display.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic still camera of the second aspect, the determined color adjustment parameter is recorded on a recording medium together with image data.
The electronic still camera according to claim 6 is the electronic still camera according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the image processing means performs image processing on the image data picked up by the image pickup means based on the white balance information, and a recording means. Is characterized in that the color adjustment parameter and the white balance information are recorded on a recording medium.

The electronic still camera according to claim 7 is the electronic still camera according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the image data is composed of main image data and display image data, and the display means converts the display image data into display image data. The color adjustment means corrects the color tone of the display image data and the main image data based on the color adjustment parameter, and the recording means corrects the main image data and display image data, and the color The adjustment parameter is recorded in association with each other.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic still camera according to the seventh aspect , the color adjusting means performs the color adjustment of the main image when recording the display image data after the color adjustment on the recording medium. It is characterized in that color-adjusted main image data is obtained.
An electronic still camera according to claim 9 is the electronic still camera according to claim 2, wherein the electronic still camera has a second recording medium different from the recording medium, and the determined color adjustment parameter is recorded on the second recording medium. It is characterized by.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the electronic still camera which makes it possible to match | combine the color tone of the image | photographed image with the color tone which a user intends can be provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
(Outline of the embodiment)
1 and 2 are explanatory diagrams showing an outline of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a rear view of the electronic still camera. In FIG. 1, 1 is a rear monitor made of a TFT liquid crystal, 2 is an operation key (in this example, a cross key), 3 is a save button for saving image data in a recording medium, and 4 is for entering a color adjustment mode. Color adjustment buttons, 5 is navigation displayed in the color adjustment mode, and 6 is a cursor moved by the operation key 2.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which the color adjustment button 4 is pressed and the color adjustment mode is entered. In this case, one image to be color-adjusted is displayed on the rear monitor 1 and simultaneously the navigation 5 is displayed.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the navigation 5 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the left horizontal axis represents blue, the right horizontal axis represents red, the upper vertical axis represents green, and the lower vertical axis represents magenta. When the user operates the operation key 2, the cursor 6 moves and the color adjustment parameter changes. In accordance with the change in the color adjustment parameter, the color tone of the image displayed on the rear monitor 1 immediately changes. The change of the color adjustment parameter accompanying the movement of the cursor 6 will be described later (FIG. 6).

As is clear from the above description, in the color adjustment mode, the color tone is adjusted to the color tone intended by the user by moving the cursor 6 and stored in the recording medium when the user presses the save button 3. As a result, the color tone of the image can be adjusted to match the user's intention.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 3, 11 is an image sensor such as a CCD, 12 is an image processing unit, 13 is a control unit, 14 is an operation member, 1 is a rear monitor such as a TFT liquid crystal, 16 is a removable memory card, and 17 is a working memory. A RAM 18 is a ROM for storing a camera operation program and the like, and 19 is a flash memory for storing a look-up table to be described later.
The correspondence relationship between the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 and the schematic diagram shown in FIG. 1 is as follows. 3 corresponds to the operation key 2, the save button 3, and the color adjustment button 4 shown in FIG. The memory card 16 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the recording medium described in FIG. Since the rear monitor 1 is the same, the same reference numeral (1) is given.

  Next, the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the electronic still camera shown in FIG. First, the control unit 13 enters the color adjustment mode by operating the operation member 14 (color adjustment button 4) shown in FIG. At this time, the memory card 16 stores image data obtained by photographing. That is, image data (for example, JPEG or the like) captured by the image sensor 11 and subjected to image processing such as A / D conversion, white balance processing, and correlated double sampling processing in the image processing unit 12 is stored in the memory card 16. It is stored via the control unit 13.

In step S <b> 1, the control unit 13 reads one image data from the memory card 16 and displays it on the rear monitor 1.
In step S <b> 2, the control unit 13 displays the navigation 5 on the rear monitor 1. The user operates the cursor 6 in the displayed navigation 5 to specify the color adjustment parameter.

In step S <b> 3, the control unit 13 detects the position of the cursor 6.
In step S <b> 4, the control unit 13 acquires a color adjustment parameter based on the position of the cursor 6.
In step S5, the control unit 13 performs color adjustment by applying color adjustment parameters to the image data of the display image.

In step S6, the control unit 13 updates the display image with the color-adjusted image.
In step S <b> 7, the user does not save the updated image in the memory card 16 when the user does not have the intended color tone. In this case, it returns to step S2 again and repeats step S2-step S7. In step S7, when the user has a color tone intended by the user, the user presses the save button 3 of the operation member 14 in step S8.

In step S <b> 9, the control unit 13 stores the updated image data of the color adjusted image in the memory card 16.
Next, color adjustment using color adjustment parameters will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the color adjustment of this embodiment, the image data of the processed image 20 is separated into three planes 21, 22, and 23 of R, G, and B, and only the R plane 21 and the B plane 23 are shown. The color adjustment parameter obtained in step S4 of 4 is applied. In this way, the color-adjusted R ′ plane 26 and B ′ plane 27 are obtained. Next, the R ′ plane 26, the G plane 22, and the B ′ plane 27 are combined to obtain a color adjusted image 28.

The process of separating the image data of the processed image 20 into the three planes 21, 22, and 23 of R, G, and B may be performed by the control unit 13 or the image processing unit 12. As a separation method, in the case of compressed image data such as JPEG, the image data is decoded to obtain three planes 21, 22, and 23 of R, G, and B.
The present invention is not only applied to compressed images such as JPEG, but can also be applied to the case where the data stored in the memory card 16 is RAW data. Specifically, in the case of RAW data read from the memory card 16, for example, by performing interpolation processing on the RAW data, three planes 21, 22, and 23 of R, G, and B are obtained.

The following processing is the same as the processing for a compressed image such as JPEG.
That is, the step of combining the R ′ plane 26, the G plane 22, and the B ′ plane 27 to obtain the color adjusted image 28 may be performed by the control unit 13 or the image processing unit 12. .
Next, a method for acquiring the color adjustment parameter will be described.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the navigation 5 shown in FIG. The cursor 6 shown in FIG. 6 is located at the coordinates of (red, green = + 2, +1). The color adjustment parameter is determined by the position of the cursor 6 in the navigation 5.
Here, the following rules are applied to the navigation 5.
In FIG. 6, when the cursor 6 is moved in the red direction, R is added and B is subtracted.

In FIG. 6, when the cursor 6 is moved in the blue direction, R is subtracted and B is added.
In FIG. 6, when the cursor 6 is moved in the green direction, both R and B are subtracted.
In FIG. 6, when the cursor 6 is moved in the magenta direction, R and B are added together.
Therefore, since the cursor 6 shown in FIG. 6 has two stages in the red direction, R = + 2 and B = -2. Further, since there are one step in the green direction, R = −1 and B = −1. As a result, R = + 1 and B = -3 are obtained. The obtained values (R = + 1, B = -3) are color adjustment parameters.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a look-up table for performing color adjustment using the obtained color adjustment parameter. The lookup table is stored in, for example, the ROM 18 shown in FIG. Two lookup tables for red and blue are prepared, but FIG. 7 shows only the lookup table for red.
As shown in FIG. 7, when the input is I1, since the color adjustment parameter is R = + 1, the output O1 is obtained using the +1 conversion curve. By performing this conversion process for all red and blue pixels, color-adjusted image data can be obtained. The image data is stored in a recording medium such as the memory card 16 and the processing is completed.

In the above description, color adjustment of a compressed image such as JPEG stored in a recording medium such as the memory card 16 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as described above, RAW The present invention can also be applied to image data stored in a recording medium such as the memory card 16 in a data format.
In step S9 described above, the acquired color adjustment parameter may be recorded as color adjusted image data header information (for example, Exif information). Further, the acquired color adjustment parameters may be recorded in the memory card 16, the RAM 17, the flash memory 19 or the like as data different from the color adjusted image data. When performing color adjustment of other image data, color adjustment of other image data can be performed quickly by using the color adjustment parameter recorded in the recorded image data or the color adjustment parameter recorded as separate data. Can be done. In this case, when the color adjustment mode is started, the color adjustment parameter stored first is read, and the image data color-adjusted by the color adjustment parameter is displayed on the rear monitor. The cursor 6 is displayed at a position corresponding to the color adjustment parameter.

Further, when the color adjustment button 4 is pressed, the electronic still camera enters the color adjustment mode. However, for example, when the updated image displayed in step S6 in FIG. The navigation 5 may be hidden by pressing the button 4. Further, a non-display button may be provided.
(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, a case where image data stored in a recording medium such as a memory card 16 is composed of display image data to be displayed on the rear monitor 1 and main image data will be described.

In this case, of the read image data, an image based on the display image data is displayed on the rear monitor 1. The user obtains a color adjustment parameter according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 and adjusts the image based on the display image data to an image having an intended tone.
Next, when a display image having an intended color tone is obtained, an image based on the main image data is adjusted to an image having an intended color tone using the obtained color adjustment parameter. Thereafter, the adjusted main image data and display image data are stored in a recording medium.

Also in this case, the obtained color adjustment parameter may be stored in the recording medium together with the image data.
When the display image data is not recorded on the recording medium, the recorded image data may be resized and displayed on the rear monitor 1.
<Additional notes>
In the above-described embodiment, the recording medium such as the memory card 16 is configured to be detachable from the electronic still camera. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a recording medium such as an electronic still camera and a memory card 16 can be obtained by applying a communication technique such as wireless communication to the electronic still camera and a recording medium such as a memory card 16. The present invention can be implemented even when the remote is in a remote location.

  Further, when storing the color adjustment image data described above, the white balance information applied when the image data subjected to the color adjustment is captured together with the color adjustment parameter is also stored in the memory card 16, the RAM 17, the flash memory 19, and the like. It may be recorded. The white balance information is information indicating a color temperature such as Kelvin or Milled, or information indicating a predetermined color temperature such as “fine weather” or “fluorescent lamp”. For image data captured and created by a normal electronic still camera, white balance information is stored in the header information portion (Exif information portion) of the image data. In the electronic still camera according to the present embodiment, the clear sky indicates 5200 Kelvin and the fluorescent lamp indicates 4200 Kelvin. The control unit 13 of the electronic still camera adjusts the color temperature setting value indicated by the white balance information based on the color adjustment parameter, and uses the adjusted color temperature setting value as a white balance preset value as a memory card 16, RAM 17, flash Store in the memory 19 or the like.

  By using the white balance preset value as the white balance information at the time of imaging, the user can take an image with a white balance that is finely adjusted as desired while viewing the image.

  The present invention can be used industrially in the field of electronic still cameras.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of embodiment shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the process of the color adjustment using a color adjustment parameter. It is explanatory drawing of the navigation shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the look-up table which performs color adjustment using a color adjustment parameter.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Back monitor, 2 ... Operation key, 3 ... Save button, 4 ... Color adjustment button, 5 ... Navigation, 6 ... Cursor 6, 11 ... Image sensor, 12 ... Image processing part, 13 ... Control part, 14 ... Operation member , 16 ... Memory card, 17 ... RAM, 18 ... ROM, 19 ... Flash memory

Claims (9)

Imaging means for imaging a subject;
Image processing means for compressing the image data picked up by the image pickup means;
A recording medium for recording image data subjected to compression processing by the image processing means;
Display means for reading out the image data compressed by the image processing means from the recording medium and displaying it as an image;
Color adjustment means for performing color adjustment of an image displayed on the display means using color adjustment parameters;
Recording means for recording the image data color-adjusted by the color adjustment means on the recording medium ,
The electronic still camera , wherein the display means changes the color tone of the displayed image when the color tone of the displayed image is adjusted by the color adjusting means . The electronic still camera according to claim 1.
The electronic still camera, wherein the display means performs navigation display for determining the color adjustment parameter. The electronic still camera according to claim 1 or 2,
The electronic still camera, wherein the display means displays the color-adjusted image instead of the image read and displayed from the recording medium. The electronic still camera according to claim 2.
An electronic still camera comprising switching means for switching between display and non-display of the navigation. The electronic still camera according to claim 2.
An electronic still camera, wherein the determined color adjustment parameter is recorded on the recording medium. The electronic still camera according to claim 1,
The image processing means performs image processing on the image data captured by the imaging means based on white balance information,
The electronic still camera, wherein the recording unit records the color adjustment parameter and the white balance information on the recording medium. The electronic still camera according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The image data is composed of main image data and display image data,
The display means displays a display image based on display image data;
The color adjustment unit corrects the color tone of the display image data and the main image data based on the color adjustment parameter,
The electronic still camera, wherein the recording unit records the corrected main image data and display image data and the color adjustment parameter in association with each other. The electronic still camera according to claim 7.
The electronic still camera according to claim 1, wherein the color adjustment unit performs color adjustment of the main image and obtains the color-adjusted main image data when recording the color-adjusted display image data on the recording medium. The electronic still camera according to claim 2 further includes:
A second recording medium different from the recording medium,
The electronic still camera, wherein the determined color adjustment parameter is recorded on the second recording medium.

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