High quality image processing

Abstract

In a high quality image-encoding scheme an input image is decomposed into several image blocks comprising multiple image elements. The image blocks are encoded into encoded block representations. Such a block representation comprises two color codewords, a color modifying codeword and optionally a sequence of color indices and color modifier indices. The color codewords define multiple discrete color representations along a line in color space. The color modifying codeword represents a set of multiple color modifiers for modifying the multiple color representations along at least one extension vector to obtain, for each color representation, a set of multiple color points. These color points of the multiple sets are located on a surface defined by the multiple color representations and the at least one extension vector. The colors of the image elements in the block are then approximated by these color points on the surface.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention generally refers to image processing, and in particular to methods and systems for encoding and decoding images at a high image quality.BACKGROUND

[0002] Presentation and rendering of images and graphics on data processing systems and user terminals, such as computers, and in particular on mobile terminals have increased tremendously the last years. For example, three-dimensional (3D) graphics and images have a number of appealing applications on such terminals, including games, 3D maps and messaging, screen savers and man-machine interfaces.

[0003] A 3D graphics rendering process typically comprises three sub-stages. Briefly, a first stage, the application stage, creates several triangles. The corners of these triangles are transformed, projected and lit in a second stage, the geometry stage. In a third stage, the rasterization stage, images, often denoted textures, can be “glued” onto the triangles, increasing the realism of the rendered imag...

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