Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and a computer-readable storage medium containing a computer program for image processing recorded thereon

Abstract

An image processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a reference image extracting section for extracting a reference image as an object for display; a parameter managing section for managing a plurality of parameters and their values for the extracted reference image; a parameter setting section for selecting any two arbitrary parameters and setting the selected parameters as scales for the vertical axis and horizontal axis; a peripheral image preparing section for preparing peripheral images each obtained by changing the values of the two parameters selected for the reference image by a specified amount; and an image display controller for providing display controls by correlating parameter values of peripheral images to those for the vertical axis and horizontal axis of the reference image so that the reference image is displayed at a specified position of a screen and also peripheral images thereof are displayed surrounding the reference image in n layers.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An image processing apparatus comprising: 
 a display unit for displaying an image on a screen for editing and processing the image;    a reference image extracting unit for extracting a reference image as an object for editing and processing;    a parameter managing unit for managing a plurality of parameters such as brightness, chroma, hue, contrast or the like each relating to the reference image extracted by said reference image extracting unit;    a parameter setting unit for selecting any two arbitrary parameters from the plurality of parameters managed by said parameter managing unit and setting the selected parameters as scales for the vertical axis and horizontal axis respectively;    a peripheral image preparing unit for preparing an image obtained by changing the values of the two parameters selected by said parameter setting unit for the reference image by a specified amount as a peripheral image for the reference image; and    an image display controller for controlling said display so as to display the reference image at a specified position on the screen and also placing the peripheral images prepared by said peripheral image preparing unit around the reference image and correlating the parameter values of the peripheral image to the scales of the vertical axis and horizontal axis set by said parameter setting unit so that the peripheral images surround the reference image in n layers.    
     
     
         2 . An image processing apparatus according to  claim 1;  wherein said parameter setting unit prohibits the setting of a parameter already set on one of the vertical axis and horizontal axis on the other axis.  
     
     
         3 . An image processing apparatus according to  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a peripheral image specifying unit for specifying one of a plurality of peripheral images displayed on the screen; wherein said reference image extracting unit extracts the peripheral image specified by said peripheral image specifying unit as a reference image.  
 
     
     
         4 . An image processing apparatus according to  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a parameter value display controller for displaying the information concerning parameter values of parameters for the vertical axis and horizontal axis of the reference value and/or the peripheral image at a specified position within or adjacent to the reference image and/or the peripheral image displayed on the screen.  
 
     
     
         5 . An image processing apparatus comprising: 
 a display unit for displaying an image on a screen for editing and processing the image;    an editing and processing unit for editing and processing the image displayed on the screen;    a rectangle computing unit for computing a rectangle having a minimum size among those which can cover the image edited and processed by said editing and processing unit;    a contracted image preparing unit for preparing a contracted image according to the rectangle computed by said rectangle computing unit; and    a contracted image display controller for controlling said display so as to display the contracted images prepared by said contracted image preparing unit on the screen.    
     
     
         6 . An image processing apparatus according to claim  5 ; wherein the image edited and processed by said editing and processing unit is an image obtained by rotating a image having a rectangular shape by a specified angle.  
     
     
         7 . An image processing apparatus according to claim  5 ; wherein the image edited and processed by said editing and processing unit is an image obtained by separated with a shape other than a rectangle.  
     
     
         8 . An image processing apparatus comprising: 
 a display unit for displaying an image on a screen for editing and processing the image;    an editing and processing unit for editing and processing the image displayed on the screen;    a rectangle computing unit for computing a rectangle having a minimum size among those which can cover the image edited and processed by said editing and processing unit;    a blank extracting unit for extracting blank sections of the rectangle computed by said rectangle computing unit with the edited image excluded therefrom; and    a blank processing unit for coloring the blank sections extracted by said blank extracting unit with a specified color and making the part colored with the specified color transparent.    
     
     
         9 . An image processing apparatus according to claim  8 ; wherein said blank processing unit comprises: 
 a color specifying unit for specifying a color used for coloring the blank sections extracted by said blank extracting unit; and    a clearing unit for making transparent the part colored with a color specified by said color specifying unit.    
     
     
         10 . An image processing apparatus according to claim  8 ; wherein said blank processing unit comprising: 
 a color setting unit for setting a color used for coloring the blank sections extracted by said blank extracting unit according to colors used in the edited and processed image; and    a clearing unit for making transparent the part colored with the color set by said color setting unit.    
     
     
         11 . An image processing apparatus according to claim  10 ; wherein said color setting unit sets a color which is not used or used least in the edited and processed image among a plurality of preset colors as a color to be used for coloring the blank sections extracted by said blank extracting unit.  
     
     
         12 . An image processing apparatus comprising: 
 a display unit for displaying an image on a screen for editing and processing the image;    an editing and processing unit for editing and processing the image displayed on the screen;    an editing and processing history memory for storing thereon the history of editing and processing of the image edited and processed by said editing and processing unit; and    an editing and processing history display controller for displaying the history of editing and processing stored in said editing and processing history memory together with the image on the screen.    
     
     
         13 . An image processing apparatus according to claim  12 ; wherein said editing and processing history memory stores thereon information concerning an original image as an object for editing and processing; and 
 said editing and processing history display controller displays information concerning the original image as an object for editing and processing stored in said editing and processing history memory.    
     
     
         14 . An image processing apparatus comprising: 
 a display unit for displaying an image on a screen for editing and processing the image;    a first display controller for controlling said display to display the information concerning an image file as an object for editing and processing on a first dedicated displaying area on the screen;    a second display controller for controlling said display to display the contracted images of images in an image file corresponding to information for a specified image file of information for image files displayed on the first dedicated area in a second dedicated displaying area on the screen; and    a third display controller for controlling said display to display an image of an image file corresponding to a specified contracted image as an object for editing and processing in a third dedicated displaying area on the screen for displaying an image with a specified magnification.    
     
     
         15 . An image processing apparatus according to claim  14 ; wherein said first display controller displays only information concerning the folders which store the image files as an object for editing and processing; and 
 said second display controller displays a contracted image of image files stored in a specified folder information of those displayed in the first dedicated displaying area.    
     
     
         16 . An image processing method of displaying an image on a display screen and editing and processing the image displayed on the display screen comprising: 
 a reference image extracting step of extracting a reference image as an object for editing and processing;    a parameter setting step of managing a plurality of parameters such as brightness, chroma, hue, contract or the like concerning a reference image extracted in the reference image extracting step and values of the parameters, selecting any two arbitrary parameters of the plurality of parameters put under management, and setting the selected parameters as scales for the vertical axis and horizontal axis respectively;    a peripheral image preparing step of preparing an image obtained by changing the values of the two parameters selected in the parameter setting step by a specified amount for the reference image as the peripheral images for the reference image; and    an image displaying step of displaying the reference image at a specified position on the screen and also displaying the peripheral image prepared in the peripheral images preparing step around the reference image correlating parameter values of the peripheral image to scales of the vertical axis and horizontal axis set in the parameter setting step so that the peripheral images surrounds the reference image in n layers.    
     
     
         17 . An image processing method according to claim  16 ; wherein, in the parameter setting step, the same parameter as that already set on one of the vertical axis and horizontal axis is not set on the other axis.  
     
     
         18 . An image processing method according to  claim 16  further comprising: 
 a peripheral image specifying step of specifying one peripheral image of a plurality of peripheral images displayed on the screen; wherein, in the reference image extracting step, a peripheral image specified in the peripheral image specifying step is extracted as a reference image.  
 
     
     
         19 . An image processing method according to  claim 16  further comprising: 
 a parameter value displaying step of displaying information concerning parameter values of parameters for the vertical axis and horizontal axis of the reference image and/or peripheral image at a specified position within or adjacent to the reference image and/or peripheral image displayed on the screen.  
 
     
     
         20 . An image processing method of displaying an image on a display screen and editing and processing the image displayed on the screen comprising: 
 an editing and processing step of editing and processing the image displayed on the screen;    a rectangle computing step of computing a rectangle having a minimum size among those which can cover the image edited and processed in the editing and processing step;    a contracted image preparing step of preparing a contracted image according to the rectangle computed in the rectangle computing step; and    a contracted image displaying step of displaying a contracted image prepared in the contracted image preparing step on the screen.    
     
     
         21 . An image processing method according to claim  20 ; wherein an image edited and processed in the editing and processing step is an image obtained by rotating a image having a rectangular shape by a specified angle.  
     
     
         22 . An image processing method according to claim  20 ; wherein the image edited and processed in the editing and processing step is an image separated with a shape other than a rectangular.  
     
     
         23 . An image processing method of displaying an image on a display screen and editing and processing the image displayed on the screen comprising: 
 an editing and processing step of editing and processing the image displayed on the screen;    a rectangle computing step of computing a rectangle having a minimum size among those which can cover the image edited and processed in the editing and processing step;    a blank extracting step of extracting the blank sections of the rectangle computed in the rectangle computing step with the edited image excluded therefrom; and    a blank processing step of coloring the blank sections extracted in the blank extracting step with a specified color and making transparent the part colored with the specified color.    
     
     
         24 . An image processing method according to claim  23 ; wherein the blank processing step comprising: 
 a color specifying step of specifying a color used for coloring the blank sections extracted in the blank extracting step; and    a clearing step of making transparent the part colored with the color specified in the color specifying section.    
     
     
         25 . An image processing method according to claim  23 ; wherein the blank processing step comprises; 
 a color setting step of setting a color used for coloring the blank sections extracted in the blank extracting step according to colors used in the edited and processed image; and    a clearing step of making transparent the part colored with the color set in the color setting step.    
     
     
         26 . An image processing method according to claim  25 ; wherein, in the color setting step, a color which is not used or used least in the edited and processed image of a plurality of preset colors is set as a color for coloring the blank sections extracted in the blank extracting step.  
     
     
         27 . An image processing method of displaying an image on a display screen and editing and processing the image displayed on the screen comprising: 
 an editing and processing step of editing and processing the image displayed on the screen; and    an editing and processing history displaying step of displaying a history of editing and processing of the image edited and processed in the editing and processing step together with the image on the display screen.    
     
     
         28 . An image processing method according to claim  27 ; wherein, in the editing and processing history displaying step, information concerning the original image as an object for editing and processing is displayed.  
     
     
         29 . An image processing method of displaying an image on a display screen and editing and processing the image displayed on the screen comprising: 
 a first displaying step of displaying information concerning an image file as an object for editing and processing in a first dedicated displaying area on the screen;    a second displaying step of displaying a contracted image for an image file corresponding to information for the specified image file of information for image files displayed in the first dedicated area; and    a third displaying step of displaying an image in an image file corresponding to a specified contracted image of the contracted images displayed in the second dedicated area as an object for editing and processing with a specified magnification in a third dedicated displaying area.    
     
     
         30 . An image processing method according to claim  29 ; wherein the first dedicated display area displays only information for a folder which stores the image file as an object for editing and processing thereon; and 
 the second dedicated area displays a contracted image for the image file stored in the specified folder information of folder information displayed in the first dedicated area.    
     
     
         31 . A computer-readable storage medium containing thereon a computer program of an image processing method for displaying an image on a display screen and editing and processing the image displayed on the display screen, said computer program being: 
 extracting a reference image as an object for editing and processing;    managing a plurality of parameters such as brightness, chroma, hue, contract or the like concerning a reference image extracted in the reference image extracting step and values of the parameters, selecting any two arbitrary parameters of the plurality of parameters put under management, and setting the selected parameters as scales for the vertical axis and horizontal axis respectively;    preparing an image obtained by changing the values of the two parameters selected in the parameter setting step by a specified amount for the reference image as the peripheral images for the reference image; and    displaying the reference image at a specified position on the screen and also displaying the peripheral image prepared in the peripheral images preparing step around the reference image correlating parameter values of the peripheral image to scales of the vertical axis and horizontal axis set in the parameter setting step so that the peripheral images surrounds the reference image in n layers.    
     
     
         32 . A computer-readable storage medium containing thereon a computer program of an image processing method for displaying an image on a display screen and editing and processing the image displayed on the screen, said computer program being: 
 editing and processing the image displayed on the screen;    computing a rectangle having a minimum size among those which can cover the image edited and processed in the editing and processing step;    preparing a contracted image according to the rectangle computed in the rectangle computing step; and    displaying a contracted image prepared in the contracted image preparing step on the screen.    
     
     
         33 . A computer-readable storage medium containing thereon a computer program of an image processing method for displaying an image on a display screen and editing and processing the image displayed on the screen, said computer program being: 
 editing and processing the image displayed on the screen;    computing a rectangle having a minimum size among those which can cover the image edited and processed in the editing and processing step;    extracting the blank sections of the rectangle computed in the rectangle computing step with the edited image excluded therefrom; and    coloring the blank sections extracted in the blank extracting step with a specified color and making transparent the part colored with the specified color.    
     
     
         34 . A computer-readable storage medium containing thereon a computer program of an image processing method for displaying an image on a display screen and editing and processing the image displayed on the screen, said computer program being: 
 editing and processing the image displayed on the screen; and    displaying a history of editing and processing of the image edited and processed in the editing and processing step together with the image on the display screen.    
     
     
         35 . A computer-readable storage medium containing thereon a computer program of an image processing method for displaying an image on a display screen and editing and processing the image displayed on the screen, said computer program being: 
 displaying information concerning an image file as an object for editing and processing in a first dedicated displaying area on the screen;    displaying a contracted image for an image file corresponding to information for the specified image file of information for image files displayed in the first dedicated area; and    displaying an image in an image file corresponding to a specified contracted image of the contracted images displayed in the second dedicated area as an object for editing and processing with a specified magnification in a third dedicated displaying area.