US 5,475,507 A · Color image processing method and apparatus for same, which automatically detects a contour of an object in an image

Abstract

A point at a position near the contour of a desired object in an image being processed is designated, and a boundary point on the contour of the object is detected on the basis of the designation. From the detected boundary point, other points on the object-contour are subsequently detected to detect the object-contour. When the object-contour has been detected, either the inside or the outside of the object-contour is uniformly filled with prescribed image data, so as to extract the object from the image. Extracted image data resulting from the extraction is output. The extracted image data may include mask data indicating the color mixing ratio at a boundary portion between the object and the background thereof so that color adjustment or image composition can be performed using the mask data.

Claims30

Dependent claims

A color image processing method for detecting a contour of an object in an image, comprising the steps of:

a contour position designation step wherein a position in a color image near the contour of a desired object contained in said image is designated by a user;
a boundary point detection step wherein a boundary point on said contour of said object is automatically detected on the basis of designation in said contour position designation step;
an object-contour tracking step wherein said contour of said object is detected by subsequently automatically detecting other points on said contour from said boundary point which has been automatically detected in said boundary point detection step;
and
a termination step wherein contour detection in said object-contour tracking step is checked, and said contour detection is terminated when said contour detection satisfies a prescribed condition.

2 more elements

A color image processing apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing input color image data;
display means for displaying said input color image data;
contour position designation means for receiving input data from a user designating a position near the contour of a desired object in said image;
boundary point detection means for automatically detecting a boundary point on said contour of said object on the basis of designation through said contour position designation means;
object-contour tracking means for subsequently automatically detecting other points on said contour from said boundary point which has been automatically detected by said boundary point detection means so as to detect said contour of said object;
and
termination means for checking contour detection by said object-contour tracking means, and for terminating said contour detection when said contour detection satisfies a prescribed condition.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Color image processing method and apparatus for same, which automatically detects a contour of an object in an image

Life of this patent

Color image processing method and apparatus for same, which automatically detects a contour of an object in an image

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims30