Method and apparatus for the creation of digital photo albums

Abstract

An apparatus for creating a digital photo album is disclosed. Digital photo albums may be created on the storage media by a method that includes the steps of displaying a group of images, receiving instructions to select a subset of those images and save the subset as an album, compressing the files corresponding to those images and saving the compressed files to the storage medium.

1 .- 15 . (canceled)  
     
     
         16 . A method comprising: 
 a) displaying on a computer monitor a group of images;    b) formatting a plurality of the images as an album of images;    c) converting image files corresponding to the images of the album to one or more video signals that are formatted to produce representations of the images of the album on a video display device that is different from the computer monitor; and    d) transferring the one or more video signals to the video display device;    wherein the formatting the plurality of images comprises eliminating information from the corresponding image files that exceeds an available resolution of the video display device.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising formatting the album for transfer from a first hardware device that formats the plurality of images as the album to a second hardware device that converts the image files to the one or more video signals.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising compressing the image files before formatting the album for transfer and decompressing the image files before converting the image files to one or more video signals.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein formatting the album for transfer comprises saving the album to a storage medium in the first hardware device for transport to the second hardware device.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the video display device is a standard television and the one or more video signals are one or more television video signals.  
     
     
         21 . A method comprising: 
 a) displaying to a user, on a first display device, a group of images;    b) prompting the user to select a plurality of the images from the group; and    c) automatically adjusting image files corresponding to selected images so that the selected images will display in a resolution appropriate for a second display device that is different from the first display device.    
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the first display device is a computer monitor and the second display device is a standard television.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising formatting the image files as an album for transfer to a hardware device that converts the image files to one or more video signals for display on the second display device.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising compressing the adjusted image files.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein formatting the image files as an album comprises saving the album to a storage medium for transport to the hardware device.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein automatically adjusting comprises cropping to eliminate information from the corresponding image files that exceeds the resolution appropriate for the second display device.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein automatically adjusting comprises downsampling to eliminate information from the corresponding image files that exceeds the resolution appropriate for the second display device.  
     
     
         28 . A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for causing a computer system programmed thereby to perform a method comprising: 
 a) displaying to a user, on a computer monitor, a group of images;    b) prompting the user to select one or more of the images from the group; and    c) automatically eliminating information from one or more image files corresponding to one or more selected images, wherein the eliminating includes downsampling, the one or more selected images of the one or more image files each having a resolution that exceeds an available resolution of a standard television prior to the downsampling.    
     
     
         29 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 28 , wherein the method further comprises saving the one or more image files as an album on a storage medium.  
     
     
         30 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 28 , wherein the method further comprises formatting the one or more image files as an album.