Apparatus, system and method for capturing and compositing an image using a light-emitting backdrop

An apparatus for photographing an image in a photo booth, which comprises:

• a photo booth including a housing having an entrance on one side with movable closure member for substantially enclosing one or more users or subjects therein so as to minimize encroachment of exterior light;
• a seat for supporting the one or more subjects to be photographed;
• a first white light source facing the one or more subjects for emitting a first selected light intensity upon the subjects;
• and
• a second white light emitting source facing generally the rear of the one or more subjects so as to provide a light-emitting photographic backdrop;
• a device for receiving a selected form of payment from the one or more subjects for the one or more photographs to be taken;
• a photography unit comprising a selected camera, a program-controlled apparatus having random access memory and read-only memory, a printer, and the first light source, the photography unit, upon activation by receipt of payment-in-full from the one or more subjects, taking a digital photograph of objects within the frame of reference against the light-emitting photographic backdrop of the second white light emitting source, data comprising the digital photograph being stored in random access memory of the program-controlled apparatus;
• the unit further including a first member and the program-controlled apparatus a first function for selection by the one or more subjects of a desired digital background image for composing with images of one or more subjects of which one or more photographs are to be taken;
• and a second member and function, respectively, for enabling the one or more subjects to select a frame, the contents of which are to be included in one or more photographs to be taken, defining a plurality of objects to be included in the frame for the one or more photographs to be taken;
• a member for adjusting the position of the one or more subjects relative to a center point of the frame of reference;
• the program-controlled apparatus including a third function for applying a first selected algorithm pixel by pixel to the data comprising the digital photograph so as to create a luma mask, the algorithm performing the steps of determining a threshold brightness value correlated with the second light emitting source, and then for each pixel, determining if its brightness is greater than or equal to the threshold brightness value, and if so, it represents the subject and the corresponding pixel on the luma mask is assigned a first binary value of “0”, a black color or an opaque appearance, whereas if the pixel brightness is less than the threshold brightness value, then it represents the background image and the corresponding pixel on the luma mask is assigned a second binary value of “1”, a white color or a transparent appearance, the resulting luma mask generated pixel by pixel thereby delineating the subject with the color black (or opaque appearance) and the background with the color white (or transparent appearance);
• a fourth function for composing, using the luma mask, the data comprising the digital photograph of the one or more subjects with data comprising the digital background image, by applying a second selected algorithm pixel by pixel so as to create a digital composite image comprising both the digital photograph and the digital background image, the algorithm comprising the steps of determining whether the pixel has a first binary value of “0”, a black color or an opaque appearance, or a second binary value of “1”, a white color or a transparent appearance, and if the pixel has the first binary value of “0”, black color or opaque appearance, then the corresponding color of the pixel on the composite digital image is replaced with that of the corresponding digital subject image pixel, whereas if the pixel has the second binary value of “1”, white color or transparent appearance, then the corresponding color of the pixel on the composite digital image is replaced with that of the corresponding digital background image pixel;
• a fifth function for storage of the data comprising the resulting composite digital image of the one or more subjects and background image in random access memory of the program-controlled apparatus and optionally saving the stored data to a hard drive of the program-controlled apparatus;
• a sixth function for showing to the one or more subjects the composite digital image on a display screen of the program-controlled apparatus;
• a seventh function for application of a third selected algorithm pixel by pixel to the data comprising the composite digital image so as to remove visual artifacts and perform edge blending or feathering between edge data comprising the original digital photograph of the one or more subjects, and edge data comprising the original digital background image, which respective edge data borders and is in proximity to one another, so as to produce an enhanced composite digital image;
• an eighth function for storage of the data comprising the enhanced composite digital image in random access memory of the program-controlled apparatus and optionally saving the stored data to the hard drive;
• and
• a ninth function for printing one or more photographs of the enhanced composite digital image from the printer.