Eastman-kodak Company

Robert P Collette

Kenneth Alan Parulski

Kevin Edward Spaulding

John F Hamilton, Jr

Paul B Gilman, Jr

William K Hickok

Thomas J Kalkbrenner

The present invention discloses a proofing head apparatus and a proofing printer for generating a proof. The proofing head assembly comprises a color light analyzer and a color printhead joined by a housing to align the color light analyzer and to direct both the printhead and the color light analyzer at a media. In certain embodiments a controller is provided to drive the color light analyzer to make color measurements of an image and to instruct the printhead to render images on a receiver media. The controller can adjust the colors printed by the printhead so that an image printed by the printhead will match the appearance of the same image as printed by another printer. The proofing printer assembly of the present invention incorporates the proofing head with a media advance and translation mechanism.

Proofing head and proofer printer apparatus

A method for correcting for exposure in a digital image, captured by an image capture device, including rendering such captured digital image suitable for display and displaying such captured digital image as a first displayed digital image; and using an adjustable exposure setting to nonlinearly modify the rendered captured digital image to effect an exposure change and displaying the exposure modified rendered captured digital image as a second digital image simultaneous with the first displayed digital image.

System for printing correct exposure in a rendered digital image

A method for correcting for exposure in a digital image, including the steps of providing a rendered digital image suitable for display and displaying such digital image; using an adjustable exposure setting to nonlinearly modify the rendered digital image to effect an exposure change and displaying the exposure modified rendered digital image; and iteratively changing the adjustable exposure setting in accordance with the nonlinear function to continuously change the exposure setting and display modified digital images until a desired exposure modified rendered digital image is displayed.

Correcting exposure in a rendered digital image

Nonlinearly modifying a rendered digital image

Digital image signal data is applied to a film recorder to produce a pseudo-negative using high gamma transparency film as the negative. The image signal data is modified before application to the film recorder to insert signal values, positive for positive transparency film and negative for negative transparency film, such that upon photographic processing of the transparency film, a negative image is produced with a positive orange mask effect. The pseudo-negative is then used to produce multiple positive print images conventional negative-working print paper.

Method of producing positive prints from digital image signal data using

An improved method of producing positive photographic prints in hybrid photofinishing system employing a digital image printer to produce an intermediate negative image on a non-photographic medium wherein digital data used to print the negative includes code values simulating an orange mask effect in the negative. The improvement in the method involves a reduction in the orange mask values in the digital data so as to reduce the D-max values required for digitally printing the intermediate negative thereby reducing print cost and throughput time in the process. In a further improvement, the printer code values for pixels corresponding to full white in the final image are forced to values that print as black in the negative thereby eliminating the orange mask effect for these pixels and rendering improved rendition of full white areas in the final image print.

Method and apparatus for producing color internegatives with a digital

A calibration utility 22 for electronically-generated images decouples tone scale and color corrections by completing tone scale and color balance corrections upon separate RGB image signals (representative of intensity) and hue and saturation corrections upon combinations of RGB signals (representative of chrominance). An operator adjusts tone scale controls 32 and color controles 34, which provide values for calibrating separate RGB tone scale look-up tables 49a, 49b, and 49c and a color matrix 48 in a printer 14. To decouple the corrections, the tone scale look-up tables 49a, 49b, 49c are adjusted until the brightness of a predetermined number of image levels is accurately rendered. If the resultant image signal contains coloration in neutral areas, the values in the particular look-up table(s) for the color(s) producing the color cast in the neutral areas is adjusted, thereby producing a neutrally-adjusted image signal substantially free of neutral coloration. The hue and saturation of the image can then be adjusted by modifying terms in the color matrix 48 without affecting the tone scale reproduction.

Printer calibration method using electronically-decoupled color and tone

A calibration system for electronically-generated images includes a calibration utility 22 for modifying tone scale and/or color reproduction so that a reproduced print 10 will faithfully match a monitor image 16. An input memory 19 provides a stored image for processing by application software 20 until an acceptable monitor image 16 is obtained. If a hard copy print 20 made from the processed image does not match the monitor image 16, a printer tone scale algorithm 28 and a printer color algorithm 30 in the calibration utility 22 are invoked to match the print to the monitor. An operator adjusts tone scale controls 32 and color controls 34, which provide values for calibrating a tone scale look-up table 49 and a color matrix 48 in a printer 14. Interactive feedback is provided by inversely modifying a tone scale look-up table 44 and a color matrix 46 used in processsing the display signal. When the monitor image 16 looks 'as bad as' the print, the calibration of the printer 14 is completed and the monitor 18 reverts to its original state.

Color and tone scale calibration system for a printer using

A pair of crystal-controlled oscillators generate respective signals at specific frequencies that are useful in processing a video signal, such as in providing clock-driven signal delay or producing a subcarrier signal. The frequencies are used in such a way that they feed through into the frequency spectrum of the processed video signal. Though the frequencies are nominal multiples of each other they cannot be maintained invariant because of normal circuit conditions, such as ambient temperature variations and circuit aging. The frequencies therefore mix and a difference frequency develops in the processed video signal. By injecting a suitable harmonic of the lower frequency signal into the crystal oscillator generating the higher frequency signal, the higher frequency will lock to variations in the lower frequency. The difference frequency consequently disappears.

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Pavilion, NY, United States of America

Robert P Collette