Polaroid Corporation

Other

Bror O Hultgren, Iii

F Richard Cottrell

Jay E Thornton

Michael J Vigneau

Eric W Higgins

Device profiles conventionally describe properties of a device or element within a digital image processing system that capture, transform or render color components of an image. An improved device profile includes both chromatic characteristic information and spatial characteristic information. The device profile is generated by use of both chromatic and spatial characteristic functions within a model based image processing system to predict both color and spatial characteristics of a processed image. The device profile generally includes: first data for describing a device dependent transformation of color information content of the image; and second data for describing a device dependent transformation of spatial information content of the image. In a special case, the device profile could contain only spatial characteristic information.

Device profiles for use in a digital image processing system

A system and method for calibrating a printer includes the steps or functions of: printing a predetermined color test pattern with the printer by transforming data, representing said predetermined color test pattern, from a device-independent color space to a device-dependent color space associated with the printer by use of a color transform, said predetermined color test pattern including a set of color patches with one of said color patches representing a preferred mid-gray hue; providing a predetermined reference gray surface; comparing said reference gray surface to said set of colored patches of the printed test pattern to find a closest matching one of said patches, if the closest matching one of said patches is the patch representing the preferred mid-gray hue, then ending the method; otherwise determining, for each color channel of the printer, a solution set of correction values as a function of believed gray versus actual gray, said solution set derived from and including a white point, a black point and a point mapped at {G.sub.b, G.sub.a } where G.sub.b is the believed gray value of the closest matching one of said patches and G.sub.a is the actual gray value of the closest matching one of said patches; and adding to the color transform the corresponding solution set for each color channel of the printer.

Printer calibration

An image processing system and method for processing an input image provides a virtual observer for automatically selecting, ordering and implementing a sequence of image processing operations which will yield maximum customer satisfaction as measured by a customer satisfaction index (CSI) which, for example, can balance the image quality and the processing time. The CSI evaluates an effect of the sequence of image processing operations on the input image in response to upstream device characteristic data received from an input device profile, downstream device characteristic data received from an output device profile, host configuration data, user selection data, trial parameter values and data corresponding to the sequence of image processing operations. In a preferred embodiment, the effect is evaluated in accordance with predetermined psychovisual attributes of the input image as attained and codified by human observers who have subjectively selected a most pleasing test image corresponding to objective metrics of the predetermined psychovisual attributes.

System and method for automatically optimizing image quality and

A color management system including methods relying on an 'Ideal Film Model' color mapping function characterized by exact colorimetric detection of world color information, a nonlinear tone compression acting on the tristimulus values X/Xn, Y/Yn, Z/Zn, and an exact calorimetric display of the compressed tristimulus values. The system and method operate to provide a process for describing the necessary tone reproduction required in displaying optimal reproductions of complex world pictorial scenes over a plurality of elements in an image processing system and to provide a reference system for evaluating the color and tone reproduction of real imaging systems; provide a well defined calibration protocol for the calibration of electronic and hybrid imaging systems designed to capture complex world scenes; and provide a useful model for simulating some sensitometric attributes of real photographic systems.

System and method for color gamut and tone compression using an ideal

An image processing system that automatically optimizes the perceptual quality of images undergoing a series of selected image-processing operations. The automatic optimization capability allows the system to bypass expensive and time-consuming trial-and-error methods associated with interactive methods. The system consists of a set of image-processing operations, an architecture, and an intelligent control. These elements take into consideration profiles of sources from which the images are generated, profiles of intended applications, and the impact that image processing operations (individually or in concert) will have on perceived image quality. The analysis uses a body of relationships linking human perception of image quality with objective metrics (such as sharpness, grain, tone, and color) of image content. The relationships used are based upon extensive psychovisual testing, using human observers and photographic images. The intelligent control embodies the test results and thereby functions as a synthetic human observer. Controlling a collection of adjustable parameters in the requested image-processing operations, it works automatically to maximize subjective quality for the resulting picture. When optimal parameter values have been determined, the system then subjects the image data, itself, to the corresponding processing operations and provides an image to the end application. This is all achieved without operator intervention other than initially selecting the set of processing operations. The functionality of the system may be implemented in a variety of physical architectures, including computer workstations, and including communicating sets of discrete components in which the computations and control are distributed among the components.

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Ipswich, MA, United States of America

Bror O Hultgren, Iii