Embedding editing commands in digital images

Abstract

When editing a digital image that has previously been saved in a lossy manner (whether such losses result from the editing operations and/or from inherently lossy image file formats such as JPEG), each additional editing session typically compounds the overall losses. As an alternative, we disclose creating and storing a proxy for an edited image, the proxy including a baseline image and a series of meta data representing editing operations performed on that image. During a subsequent editing session, the edited image can be partially or wholly reconstructed by applying the meta data to the baseline image, resulting in a comparatively lossless version thereof. The reconstructed image can be used as a starting point for additional edits, thereby minimizing the compound losses that would otherwise have resulted.