Image generator using a graphical flow diagram with automatic generation of output windows

An electronic image generator for generating electronically manipulatable images, comprising:

• means for generating, selecting and displaying image source display icons representative of one or more image sources which are used in an image formation process, transformation operation display icons representative of graphics transformation operations which are performed in the image formation process on the image source and on outputs of other graphics transformation operations, and output image display icons representative of two or more output images that are output by said image formation process, each image source display icon representing one image source, each transformation operation display icon representing one graphics transformation operation, each output image display icon representing one output image formed by said image formation process;
• means for generating and displaying interconnect display lines which interconnect said image source icons, said transformation operation icons and said output image display icons to form and display a graphical flow diagram in which at least one source image icon is connected either directly or through a sequence of transformation operation icons to at least one output image display icon, wherein said graphical flow diagram represents said image formation process performed on the source images to produce the two or more output images and the graphical flow diagram can be modified by altering at least one of the group including the image source display icons and the interconnect display lines;
• means for generating said two or more output images using the image formation process shown in the displayed graphical flow diagram;
• and
• means for automatically generating and displaying an output window for each output image display icon whenever the graphical flow diagram is executed and displaying each output window simultaneously with a window displaying the graphical flow diagram.

A method of generating a graphical representation of an image formation process, comprising:

• selecting at least one image source used as a component of two or more final output images;
• selecting zero or more graphics transformation operations that are performed on said one or more image sources to produce said two or more final output images;
• and
• generating a graphical flow diagram including:
• display icons representing said selected image sources, said selected graphics transformation operations, and said selected final output images, each of said display icons representing only a single image source, selected graphics transformation operation, or selected final output image,
• display interconnections between said image sources, said selected graphics transformation operations, and said final output images which represent an image formation sequence which is performed to produce said two or more final output images from said at least one image source, and
• automatically generating and displaying an output window for each output image display icon whenever the graphical flow diagram is executed and displaying each output window simultaneously with a window displaying the graphical flow diagram.

A method of constructing a graphics image represented by an output image display icon from one or more image sources represented by image source display icons, each of said one or more image sources represented by a single one of said image source display icons, and from zero or more graphics transformation operations represented by transformation operation display icons, each of said zero or more graphics transformation operations represented by a single one of said transformation operation display icons, each graphics transformation operation capable of being performed on at least one of said image sources, said method comprising:

• selecting at least one of said image source from a library as a component of a final output image;
• selecting zero or more of said graphics transformation operations to be performed on said at least one image source to produce said final output image from a library;
• generating a graphical flow diagram of an image formation sequence required to produce said final output image by generating on a display screen the display icons associated with the selected image sources, the selected transformation operations, the final output image, and interconnections extending between said image source display icons, said selected transformation operation display icons, and said output image display icon which represent the image formation sequence which is performed to produce said final output image;
• generating the final output image by executing the selected graphics transformation operations on the selected image sources according to said graphical flow diagram, and
• automatically generating and displaying an output window for each output image display icon whenever the graphical flow diagram is executed and displaying each output window simultaneously with a window displaying the graphical flow diagram.

An electronic image generator for generating electronically manipulatable images, comprising:

• a display that generates two or more output images, said two or more output images being generated as a result of performing zero or more operator selected graphics transformation operations on one or more source images;
• a processor constructing and displaying a graphical flow diagram of an image forming process used to generate said two or more output images from said one or more source images using the selected graphics transformation operations;
• and
• a memory that stores data, the data including plurality of nodes which represent said one or more source images, said zero or more selected transformation operations, and said two or more output images, each of said plurality of nodes representing only a single source image, selected graphics transformation operation, or output image;
• wherein said display automatically generates and displays an output window for each output node whenever the graphical flow diagram is executed and displays each output window simultaneously with a window displaying the graphical flow diagram, said processor controls formation and modification of said graphical flow diagram, said display being responsive to the graphical flow diagram generated by said to generate said one or more output images.