Crosfield Electronics Limited

Fujifilm Electronic Imaging Limited

Lindsay W MacDonald

Clive L Mayne

Richard A Kirk

Martin Philip Gouch

Richard E Huber

Brian S Rosen

Peter Grayson

John P Strait

Anthony J Johnson

Stephen G McGonigal

David M Kern

Reza P Rassool

Ronnier Luo

Robert C Wilson

Robert G Buxton

Apparatus for performing a color transformation or color retouch operation on multibit digital data defining P color components of image pixels. The apparatus comprises a look-up table (2) which is addressed by N most significant bits (MSBS) of each color component value and which contains coarse versions of output pixel color component values. An interpolator (3) is responsive to M least significant bits (LSBS) of each color component value to interpolate fine versions of the output pixel values from the coarse output pixel values obtained from the look-up table. A processor loads coarse output pixel data for each color component into the 2.sub.NP addresses of the look-up table which may be addressed by the M MSBs of the input pixel data. The processor (8) is adapted to cause the value of N progressively to increase with successive iterations.

Color image processing

A method and apparatus for modifying an image defined by data representing the colour component content of each pixel of the image. The method comprises, for each colour component of each pixel,

Image color modification method and apparatus employing unsharp masking

A method and apparatus for processing data representing an image in a first color space suitable for controlling a first image output device. The apparatus comprises a processor (11, 14, 17) for reversibly transforming the image into a perceptual color space defined by lightness, colorfulness and hue components, and for modifying the lightness, colorfulness and hue components of the image in accordance with a predetermined algorithm so that all colors in the image fall within the gamut of a second image output device; and a store for storing data defining the modified and unmodified lightness, colorfulness and hue components.

Image processor for output devices which transforms data into acceptable

Image display apparatus comprises a display monitor; an image frame buffer for storing data defining the color content of pixels of an image; and a control system for selecting from the frame buffer for each pixel displayed on the monitor the appropriate pixel data from the frame buffer. The relationship between the monitor pixels and the frame buffer pixels is defined by a preselected composite linear function, wherein the control system determines the frame buffer pixels corresponding to the monitor pixels by applying the preselected composite linear function in a stepwise manner.

Image display apparatus and method

A method of displaying a selected section of an N-dimensional color space uses two memories (14,16). The first memory (14) stores memory addresses of the second (16). The second memory (16) stores data defining color at addresses corresponding to the selected section and background color at all other addresses. The defined colors and background are output to a display (11) so that the background areas blend with the existing background and only the color of the selected section is redrawn not the whole image.

Color display

Apparatus for interactively modifying an image represented by digital data defining the color content of pixels in the image in terms of color components defining a first color space comprises a store (1) for storing the original image; a look-up table (2) for transforming the image into a second color space (LCH) and a store (3) for storing the second color space representation. The second color space is defined by second color components having a reduced resolution relative to those of the first color space. The representation in the second color space is fed through a look-up table (4) whose contents can be controlled by an operator so that the image at low color resolution can be retouched interactively, the retouch version being displayed on a monitor (6). Once a satisfactory retouch has been achieved, the original image in the store (1) is modified and stored in the first color space in a store (13). In another application of the invention, a control data array such as a mask can be generated from the low color resolution image stored in the store (3).

Image processing

Apparatus for generating an array of control data, the array having a number of pixels each of which corresponds to a respective pixel in an image, the apparatus comprising a first store (100) for storing the image data; a second store (17) for storing the control data; and a processor which, for each control data array pixel generates and stores in the second store (17) a control value in accordance with a predetermined algorithm which defines the control value as a function of the corresponding image pixel color components and the corresponding color component(s) of the target colors, wherein the generated control values can be ordered on a scale of at least three value classes.

Control data array generation apparatus and method

A manual position indicating device comprises a body portion (1) that can be moved by hand across a surface; and a support member (4) movably mounted to the body portion. The support member includes a graticule (13) and associated signal generating or detecting circuitry for interaction in use with position determining apparatus, whereby the relative positions of the graticule (13) and the body portion (1) are selected by suitably moving the support member and body portion relatively to one another. A cooperating ball (11) and notch system (10) is provided for locking the support member (4) relative to the body portion (1) in a number of different positions.

Position indicating device

Apparatus for generating a composite image from a plurality of subsidiary images comprises first stores for storing signals representing at least two subsidiary images. Second stores store at least two arrays of mask data, each array having a mask pixel corresponding to each pixel of the composite image. A control system is responsive to each array of mask data to generate for the pixels of the composite image signals defining a weighted sum of the subsidiary images.

Image generating apparatus

Cursor control for a digitizing table

Apparatus for generating a two-dimensional coloured display in which there is a variation of colour across the display in a predetermined manner, the colour of each pixel in the display being defined by one or more colour components. The apparatus comprises, for each colour component, a memory for storing a pair of gradation curves (X(i), Y(i)) representing the variation in intensity of the color component in orthogonal directions X, Y across the display; a monitor; and processing apparatus. The processing apparatus determines a resultant colour component value V(i,j) for a pixel to be displayed at a location (i,j) on the monitor in accordance with the following formula:

Apparatus for generating a two-dimensional coloured display

A method and apparatus for interactively modifying an image defined by original digital data, representing the color content of pixels of the image at a first resolution. The apparatus comprises a first store (4;12) for storing the digital data of the pixels at the first resolution; a monitor (9); a digitizing table (5); and an image processor (6;13,15). The image processor (6;13,15) is responsive to signals from the digitizing table (5) to select a modification algorithm and a portion of the image stored in the first store (4;12) to which the algorithm is to be applied. The image processor is further adapted to modify a subset of pixels of the image portion in accordance with the selected algorithm and to cause the modification image portion to be displayed on a monitor (9) at a second, lower resolution under the control of the modified pixels, and to modify and display successive subsets of the high resolution pixels while the same image portion and algorithm are selected and until all the high resolution pixels within the selected portion have been modified.

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Bedfordshire, United Kingdom

Lindsay W MacDonald