Electronic camera

Abstract

An electronic camera of the present invention includes: an imaging unit capturing a subject to generate an original image; a derivative image generating unit reducing resolution or color of the original image to generate a derivative image for transfer; a recording unit recording the original image and the derivative image thereon such that the original image and the derivative image get associated with each other; and a transfer unit transferring the derivative image recorded on the recording unit to an external transfer destination. In this configuration, the recording unit finds the derivative image (original image) by referring to the association with the original image (or derivative image), thereby collectively managing the original image and the derivative image. This makes it possible to prevent a user from being confused at image management due to the original image and the derivative image being the same image.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic camera which generates derivative images for external transfer from captured original images. The present invention particularly relates to an image managing technology, an image displaying technology, and a user interface technology for these derivative images.DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART[0002] In recent years, the pixel density of an electronic camera tends to increase more and more. With this increase in the pixel density, a file space of an image generated in an electronic camera amounts to 1 Mbyte or more even after compression.[0003] Images generated in an electronic camera are outputted to a personal computer, a printer, a mass memory unit, a cellular phone, a digital photograph server on the Internet, and so on when necessary.[0004] When an image of, for example, 1 Mbyte or more per frame is transferred to such external transfer destinations, a problem of a long transfer time arises.[0005] Further, for example, a cellul...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] It is another object of the present invention to provide an image displaying technology for distinguishing between an original image and a derivative image with ease.

[0012] It is still another object of the present invention to provide a user interface technology which achieves an easy and accurate discrimination operation on an image to be transferred.

Problems solved by technology

When an image of, for example, 1 Mbyte or more per frame is transferred to such external transfer destinations, a problem of a long transfer time arises.

Therefore, in a case where an image with substantially the same pixel density as images used with a personal computer or a printer is transferred to a cellular phone, the cellular phone cannot receive the image because the image data exceeds its data capacity, resulting in data loss.

This consequently doubles the number of images to be managed in the electronic camera, and there arises a problem that management of images in the electronic camera may be complexed to a great extent.

In particular, since these original image and derivative image are the same image, a user has a difficulty in clearly distinguishing the original image and the derivative image on the small monitor screen of the electronic camera and in accurately selecting from the two.

Structuring the electronic camera in this way solves a problem that the derivative image without the protect attribute is mistakenly erased even though its original image has the protect attribute set thereon.

Not appending the thumbnail image to the original image can reduce the file size of the original image properly.

Images