Interactive eyewear selection system

A method of processing a digital eyeglass frame image which depicts an eyeglass frame having a nosepad, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a first digital color image depicting the eyeglass frame in front of a first background;
• (b) providing a second digital color image, the second image depicting a second background without the eyeglass frame;
• (c) generating first and second gray level images from the first and the second digital color images, respectively, the first and the second gray level images each containing gray level pixel data, the pixel data of the first gray level image including eyeglass frame data and background data, the eyeglass frame data including nosepad data;
• (d) determining the locations of the eyeglass frame data in the first gray level image by determining the difference between the pixel data of the first gray level image and the pixel data of the second gray level image and comparing the difference with a first threshold value;
• (e) determining the locations of the nosepad data in the first gray level image by comparing the eyeglass frame data of the first gray level image to a second threshold value;
• and
• (f) modifying the first digital color image by assigning a pre-determined color N to locations of the first color image that correspond to the locations of the nosepad data determined in said step.

A method of producing a blending coefficient for representing the degree of transparency in a transparent or semi-transparent eyeglass frame depicted in a digital image, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a first digital color image, the first image depicting the eyeglass frame in front of a first background;
• (b) providing a second digital color image, the second image depicting a second background without the eyeglass frame;
• (c) generating first and second gray level images from the first and the second digital color images, respectively, the first and the second gray level images each containing gray level pixel data, the pixel data of the first gray level image including eyeglass frame data and background data;
• (d) determining the difference between the pixel data of the first gray level image and the pixel data of the second gray level image;
• and
• (e) determining the blending coefficient from the difference determined in said step (d).

A method of producing a composite digital color image of a transparent or semi-transparent eyeglass frame superimposed on a person's face, using a blending coefficient, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a first digital color image, the first image depicting a transparent or semi-transparent eyeglass frame;
• (b) providing a blending coefficient associated with the first image;
• (c) providing a second digital color image, the second image depicting a person's face;
• (d) combining the first image with the second image to create a composite digital color image, the composite image depicting the eyeglass frame superimposed naturally on the person's face;
• and
• (e) in the composite image, blending the person's face with the eyeglass frame in accordance with the blending coefficient.

A method of re-sizing an eyeglass frame depicted in a digital eyeglass frame image, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a digital image of an eyeglass frame, the frame having a pair of rims and a bridge, the frame having a size Q2-Q1 and the bridge having a size B2-B1;
• (b) employing a rim scaling factor which is a function of (i) the frame size Q2-Q1;
• (ii) a selected rim size EYE, and (iii) a selected bridge size DBL;
• (c) employing a bridge scaling factor which is a function of the bridge size B2-B1 and the selected bridge size DBL;
• and
• (d) changing the size of the frame of the digital image by scaling the pair of rims and the bridge of the frame separately, if necessary, using the rim and the bridge scaling factors.

A method of stimulating color contact lenses on the eyes of a person depicted in a digital color image, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a digital color image of a person's face, the face having a pair of eyes each containing an iris and a pupil;
• (b) defining an outside area on each of the pair of eyes, the outside area surrounding the iris and having a boundary;
• (c) defining an inside area on each of the pair of eyes, the inside area being located inside the outside area and having a boundary which substantially bounds the pupil;
• (d) selecting a contact lens color;
• and
• (e) creating a composite digital color image of the person's face and the contact lens color, by mixing the contact lens color with the person's face within the boundary of the outside area, the proportion of the contact lens color to the person's face varying from a higher number at the boundary of the inside area to a lower number at the boundary of the outside area, whereby the contact lens color in the composite image simulates color contact lenses being worn naturally on the eyes of the person.