Shading correction method, photographic printer and index print production apparatus

A shading correction method for a photographic printer in which an image is displayed on a liquid crystal panel by controlling each pixel of the liquid crystal panel according to an image data signal, the light from a light source is irradiated on the liquid crystal panel with said image displayed thereon, and said image is exposed on a photosensitive material by the light transmitted through said liquid crystal panel, the method comprising the steps of:

• turning on the light source by setting all the pixels of the liquid crystal panel to a predetermined driven state;
• measuring the density of each pixel of the image formed by the light transmitted through said liquid crystal panel corresponding to each pixel of said liquid crystal panel;
• calculating the light transmittance correction amount for each pixel of the liquid crystal panel on the basis of the density of each pixel of the image corresponding to each pixel of the liquid crystal panel;
• and
• correcting selected one of the image data signal and the driving conditions of each pixel for displaying an image on the liquid crystal panel on the basis of the light transmittance correction amount.

A photographic printer for displaying an image on a two-dimensional display unit by controlling each pixel of the two-dimensional display unit according to an image data signal, irradiating the light from a light source on the two-dimensional display unit with said image displayed thereon, and exposing said image on a photosensitive material by the light transmitted through or reflected from said two-dimensional display unit, said photographic printer comprising:

• density measuring means for setting all the pixels of said two-dimensional display unit to a predetermined driven state and measuring the density of each pixel of the image formed by the light transmitted through or reflected from the two-dimensional display unit corresponding to each pixel of said two-dimensional display unit;
• correction amount calculation means for calculating the correction amount of selected one of the light transmittance and the light reflectance of each pixel of the two-dimensional display unit on the basis of the density of each pixel measured by said density measuring means;
• and
• correction control means for correcting selected one of the image data signal and the driving conditions of each pixel for displaying an image on the two-dimensional display unit on the basis of the correction amount of selected one of the light transmittance and the light reflectance calculated by said correction amount calculation means.

A photographic printer for displaying an image on a liquid crystal panel by controlling each pixel of said liquid crystal panel in accordance with an image data signal, irradiating the light from a light source on the liquid crystal panel with said image displayed thereon, and exposing said image on a photosensitive material by the light transmitted through said liquid crystal panel, said photographic printer comprising:

• liquid crystal density measuring means for measuring the density of each pixel of the image formed by the light transmitted through said liquid crystal panel corresponding to each pixel of said liquid crystal panel by setting all the pixels of said liquid crystal panel to a predetermined driven state;
• transmittance correction amount calculation means for calculating the light transmittance correction amount for each pixel of said liquid crystal panel on the basis of the density of each pixel measured by said liquid crystal density measuring means;
• and
• liquid crystal pixel correction control means for correcting selected one of the image data signal and the driving conditions of each pixel for displaying an image on said liquid crystal panel on the basis of the light transmittance correction amount calculated by said transmittance correction amount calculation means.

An index print production apparatus for producing an index print by displaying on a two-dimensional display unit an image including a predetermined number of frame images arranged in a predetermined manner and recorded in a photographic film and exposing said image, said index print production apparatus comprising:

• correction data production means for detecting the irregularities of the light amount transmitted through or reflected from an image display field of said two-dimensional display unit and producing the shading correction data as selected one of the light transmittance adjustment amount and the light reflectance adjustment amount for each pixel of said image display field;
• extraction means for extracting the shading correction data corresponding to the positions of said frame images from the shading correction data for said image display field produced by said correction data production means;
• and
• correction means for correcting the shading by adjusting selected one of the light transmittance and the light reflectance of the pixels of said two-dimensional display unit for each frame image on the basis of the shading correction data of each frame image extracted by said extraction means.

An index print production apparatus for producing an index print by displaying on a liquid crystal panel and exposing an image including a predetermined number of frame images arranged in a predetermined manner and recorded in a photographic film, said index print production apparatus comprising:

• shading correction data production means for detecting the irregularities of the light amount transmitted through an image display field of said liquid display panel and producing the shading correction data as a light transmittance adjustment amount for each pixel of said image display field;
• shading correction data extraction means for extracting the shading correction data corresponding to the positions of said frame images from the shading correction data for said image display field produced by said correction data production means;
• and
• shading correction means for correcting the shading by adjusting the light transmittance of the pixels of said liquid crystal panel for each frame image on the basis of the shading correction data of each frame image extracted by said extraction means.