Digital camera for providing random special effect images and an image processing method therein

An image processing method provided in a digital camera, comprising the steps of:

• imaging a subject and converting a subject image into unaltered image data representing an unaltered image of the subject upon receiving a command to image-capture;
• generating a random number by a random number generator;
• selecting one special effect from a plurality of special effects in accordance with-the random number;
• and
• image-processing:
• the unaltered image data under the selected special effect to thereby obtain special effect image data representing an unexpected special effect image.

An image processing method in a digital camera, comprising the steps of:

• (a) imaging a subject and converting a subject image into unaltered image data representing an unaltered image in a frame;
• (b) recording the unaltered image data in the frame into a recording medium;
• (c) repeating the steps (a)-(b) a preset number of times to thereby record the unaltered image data in the preset number of the frames;
• (d) reading the recorded unaltered image data in one of the preset number of the frames from the recording medium recorded in the step (c);
• (e) generating a random number by a random number generator;
• (f) selecting one special effect from a plurality of special effects in accordance with the random number;
• (g) image-processing the unaltered image data read in the step (d) under the special effect selected in the step (f) to thereby obtain special effect image data representing a special effect image;
• (h) recording the special effect image data obtained in the step (g) into the recording medium;
• and
• (i) repeating the steps (d)-(h) for the recorded unaltered image data in the preset number of the frames.

An image processing method in a digital camera, comprising the steps of:

• (a) imaging a subject and converting a subject image into unaltered image data representing an unaltered image in a frame;
• (b) generating a random number by a random number generator;
• (c) selecting one special effect from a plurality of special effects in accordance with the random number;
• (d) recording a combination of the unaltered image data in the frame and special effect data representing the special effect selected in the step (c) into a recording medium;
• (e) repeating the steps (a)-(d) a preset number of times to thereby record the preset number of the combinations of the unaltered image data and the special effect data;
• (f) reading one of the combinations of the unaltered image data and the special effect data recorded in the step (e);
• (g) image-processing the unaltered image data read in the step (f) under the special effect represented by the special effect data read in the step (f) to thereby obtain special effect image data representing a special effect image;
• (h) recording the special effect image data obtained in the step (g) into the recording medium;
• and
• (i) repeating the steps (f)-(h) for the preset number of the combinations of the unaltered image data and the special effect data.

An image processing method in a digital camera, comprising the steps of:

• (a) imaging a subject and converting a subject image into unaltered image data representing an unaltered image of the subject upon receiving a command to image-capture;
• (b) generating a random number by a random number generator;
• (c) selecting one special effect from a plurality of special effects in accordance with the random number;
• (d) image-processing the unaltered image data under the selected special effect to thereby obtain special effect image data representing a special effect image;
• (e) displaying the special effect image on an image display in accordance with the special effect image data;
• and
• (f) if a recording switch is operated, recording the special effect image data into a recording medium, and if a preset time has elapsed without the recording switch being operated, repeating the steps (b)-(f).

An image processing method in a digital camera, comprising the steps of:

• (a) imaging a subject and converting a subject image into unaltered image data representing an unaltered image of the subject upon receiving a command to image-capture;
• (b) recording the unaltered image data into a recording medium;
• (c) reading the unaltered image data from the recording medium according to operation of a frame-forwarding switch;
• (d) generating a random number by a random number generator;
• (e) selecting one special effect from a plurality of special effects in accordance with the random number;
• (f) image-processing the unaltered image data under the selected special effect to thereby obtain special effect image data representing a special effect image;
• (g) displaying the special effect image on an image display in accordance with the special effect image data;
• and
• (h) if a printing switch is operated, sending the special effect image data to an external printer so as to print the special effect image on the external printer, and if a preset time has elapsed without the printing switch being operated, repeating the steps (d)-(h).