Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and image processing program

Abstract

To provide an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and an image processing program that relatively easily create an album similar to an example album.SOLUTION: A page 74 of an example album is displayed in a page display area 70, and an example image 80 that is one of images attached to the page 74 is displayed in an example image display area 80. An image I1 similar to the example image 80 is displayed in a selected image area 90, and when a determination button 91 is clicked, the image I1 is attached to the position where the example image is attached. Other images similar to example images Ir101 to Ir104 attached to other image attachment areas are found and attached in a similar way, which creates an album. An album similar to the example album is created.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image processing device, an image processing method, and an image processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] With the spread of digital cameras, smartphones, and the like, opportunities to take pictures have increased, and the number of images obtained by taking pictures has become extremely large. Many images are often recorded in the form of image data on the main body of a digital camera or smartphone, or on a memory card. Since it is difficult to find a desired image from among the extremely large number of images, there are cases where opportunities to view the images taken are few. For this reason, it has been considered to leave a desired image from among the many images taken as a paper album. For example, there is a device that creates a photo book with a layout that matches the worldview of a picture book (Patent Document 1), and a device that allows the creation of albums of the same quality (Patent Document 2). In addition, since adjustments such as image correction may be made when editing an album, a device that displays a sample image when adjusting image correction, etc. (Patent Document 3) has also been considered. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-018418 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2005-184789 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2010-198078 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When creating an album, if the user selects an image to be pasted in the album, determines the position to paste the selected image in the album, and determines the size of the image to be pasted in the album, it becomes extremely troublesome, and an image suitable for the album may not be selected or pasted in an appropriate position, resulting in a low degree of completion of the album. In Patent Document 1, an album with a picture book worldview is created, and it is not considered how to create a relatively easy and highly complete album. In Patent Document 2, a sample image having the composition of the image to be inserted in the image insertion area of ​​the template is inserted as a guide image in the image insertion area of ​​the template, but the template image insertion area displayed on the display screen is relatively small, making it difficult to see the guide image and making it difficult to select an image to insert in the image insertion area of ​​the template. In Patent Document 3, it is not considered how to create an album.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to enable a user to create a high-quality album relatively easily. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The image processing device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a first display control means for controlling the display device to display on the display screen a first display area that displays a page of an album consisting of a plurality of pages, a second display control means for controlling the display device to display on the display screen a second display area that displays one of the images pasted in the image pasting area of ​​the page displayed in the first display area, and a third display control means for controlling the display device to display on the display screen a third display area that displays an image different from the image displayed in the second display area.

[0007] The present invention also provides an image processing method suitable for an image processing device. That is, in this method, a first display control means controls the display device to display on the display screen a first display area displaying a page of an album consisting of a plurality of pages, a second display control means controls the display device to display on the display screen a second display area displaying one of the images pasted in the image pasting area of ​​the page displayed in the first display area, and a third display control means controls the display device to display on the display screen a third display area displaying an image different from the image displayed in the second display area.

[0008] In this invention, the image processing device may include a processor, and the processor may control the display device to display on the display screen a first display area that displays a page of an album consisting of a plurality of pages, control the display device to display on the display screen a second display area that displays one of the images pasted in the image pasting area of ​​the page displayed in the first display area, and control the display device to display on the display screen a third display area that displays an image different from the image displayed in the second display area.

[0009] The present invention also provides a computer-readable program for controlling a computer of an image processing device, and a recording medium on which the program is stored.

[0010] The third display control means may, for example, cause an image having a similarity to the image displayed in the second display area equal to or greater than a threshold value to be displayed in the third display area.

[0011] The display device may further include an image input means for inputting a plurality of images. In this case, the third display control means may, for example, display in the third display area an image, from among the plurality of images inputted from the image input means, whose similarity to the image displayed in the second display area is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0012] The display device may further comprise a fourth display control means for controlling the display device so as to display on the display screen a fourth display area for displaying a plurality of images inputted from the image input means.

[0013] The fourth display control means may, for example, display a plurality of images input from the image input means in the fourth display area in order of similarity as images to be displayed in the third display area.

[0014] The higher the similarity, the higher the degree of similarity to the image displayed in the second display area, the degree of coincidence of facial information contained in the image displayed in the second display area, or the degree of coincidence of the shooting timing of the image displayed in the second display area.

[0015] The display device may further include a designation means for designating one of the images displayed in the fourth display area. In this case, the third display control means may, for example, cause the image designated by the designation means to be displayed in the third display area.

[0016] The display device may further include a fifth display control means for controlling the display device to display a fifth display area on the display screen, the fifth display area displaying at least one album out of the plurality of albums. In this case, the first display control means, for example, causes a page of the album displayed in the fifth display area to be displayed in the first display area.

[0017] The display device may further comprise a selection means for selecting a template for the album. In this case, the fifth display control means, for example, causes the fifth display area to display an album corresponding to the template selected by the selection means.

[0018] It is preferable that at least one of the first display control means and the second display control means displays an image contained in a page displayed in the first display area smaller than the image displayed in the second display area.

[0019] The display device may further include a command input means for inputting a command to display an image other than the image displayed in the second display area. In this case, it is preferable that the second display control means, for example, in response to a command input from the command input means, displays in the second display area an image other than the image displayed in the second display area among images included in the page displayed in the first display area.

[0020] The display device may further include an image commercial material creation means for creating an image commercial material using the image displayed in the third display area.

[0021] The image product creation means creates an album as image product by, for example, pasting the image displayed in the third display area into an image pasting area of ​​the page displayed in the first display area that corresponds to the image displayed in the second display area. Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to this invention, by displaying a page of a reference album in the first display area, a reference image is displayed in the second display area, and by displaying an image in the third display area using the image displayed in the second display area as a reference, an image to be pasted in an area corresponding to the image pasting area of ​​the reference album can be found. This makes it relatively easy to create an album similar to the reference album. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 shows an overview of an image processing system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a client computer. [Diagram 3] 13 is a flowchart showing the processing steps of a client computer. [Figure 4] 13 is a flowchart showing the processing steps of a client computer. [Diagram 5] 1 is an example of an album creation window. [Figure 6] It shows the relationship between the template and the model album. [Figure 7] The individual pages that make up the model album are shown. [Figure 8] 1 is an example of an album creation window. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for switching a model image. [Figure 10] This is an example of a model page. [Figure 11] 1 is an example of a created album page. [Figure 12] It shows the flow of the wedding ceremony. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, showing an overview of an image processing system.

[0025] The image processing system is a system that extracts images from multiple images and creates an album.

[0026] The image processing system includes a client computer 1 (an example of an image processing device), an order receiving server 2, and a printer 3. The client computer 1 and the order receiving server 2 can communicate with each other via the Internet. The order receiving server 2 is connected to the printer 3.

[0027] In the client computer 1, an image is extracted from a plurality of images, and image data representing the extracted image is sent to the order server 2. The image data is sent from the order server 2 to the printer 3, and an album is created in the printer 3 (an example of an image product creation means). The created album is sent to the user of the client computer 1.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the client computer 1. As shown in FIG.

[0029] The entire operation of the client computer 1 is controlled by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10 .

[0030] Client computer 1 includes display device 11 that displays images and other information on a display screen, and communication device 12 that connects to the Internet or other networks and communicates with devices other than client computer 1. Client computer 1 also includes hard disk 13, hard disk drive 14 that accesses hard disk 13, memory 15 that stores data, etc., keyboard 16 and mouse 17 for inputting commands, etc. Client computer 1 also includes compact disk drive 18 that accesses compact disk 19, and memory card reader / writer 20 that writes data to memory card 21 and reads data recorded on memory card 21.

[0031] An operation program of the client computer 1, which will be described later, is received by the communication device 12 via the Internet. The received operation program is installed in the client computer 1. The operation program may be received by the client computer 1 via a network such as the Internet and not installed in the client computer 1, but recorded on a portable recording medium such as a compact disc 19 and read from the portable recording medium. In that case, the operation program read from the portable recording medium is installed in the client computer 1. The operation program is readable by the computer (CPU 10) of the client computer 1.

[0032] 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing the processing steps of the client computer 1. FIG.

[0033] In this embodiment, an album similar to a model album is created by referring to images pasted in the model album. In this embodiment, the case of creating a wedding album is described, but the invention is not limited to wedding albums, and can also be applied to the creation of graduation albums, albums showing records of children's growth, and other albums. In addition, an album can be anything that consists of multiple pages with images (photos) pasted on it, and includes things like leaflets and pamphlets regardless of the name.

[0034] When the album creation program according to this embodiment is started, an album creation window 50 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display screen of the display device 11 (step 31).

[0035] FIG. 5 is an example of an album creation window 50 .

[0036] At the top left of the album creation window 50, there are formed a file menu button 51 displaying the character string "File", a thumbnail menu button 52 displaying the character string "Number of thumbnails", a window menu button 53 displaying the character string "Window", and a setting menu button 54 displaying the character string "Settings". The file menu button 51 is clicked by the user when creating a new album, etc. The setting menu button 54 is clicked by the user when specifying an image folder in which images to be pasted into a newly created album are stored, etc.

[0037] The album creation window 50 includes an album display area 60 (an example of a fifth display area) that displays a model album, a page display area 70 (an example of a first display area) that displays images of model pages, a model image display area 80 (an example of a second display area) that displays model images, a selected image display area 90 (an example of a third display area) that displays images selected based on the album creation program or images selected by the user, and an image list display area 100 (an example of a fourth display area).

[0038] As described later, when a template to be used for an album is selected by the user, multiple model albums corresponding to the selected template are found. The most suitable album from among the found albums is displayed in the album display area 60. In the album display area 60, a previous model button 61 displaying the character string "previous model" and a next model button 62 displaying the character string "next model" are formed. In the album display area 60, model albums are displayed as described above, and by clicking the previous model button 61, an example album previous to the album displayed in the album display area 60 among the found albums is displayed in the album display area 60, and by clicking the next model button 62, an example album next to the album displayed in the album display area 60 among the found albums is displayed in the album display area 60. Displaying an album means that information that can identify the album is displayed, and may include displaying the cover of the album or displaying identification information such as an album number that identifies the album. Also, the identification information of the album may be displayed in a list format.

[0039] In the page display area 70, a previous page button 71 on which the character string "previous page" is displayed and a next page button 72 on which the character string "next page" is displayed are formed. When the previous page button 71 is clicked, the page previous to the page displayed in the page display area 70 is displayed in the page display area 70, and when the next page button 72 is clicked, the page next to the page displayed in the page display area 70 is displayed in the page display area 70. The pages displayed in the page display area 70 may be a left and right double-page spread that is displayed as one page in the page display area 70, or either the left or right page of the double-page spread may be displayed as one page in the page display area 70.

[0040] In the model image display area 80, a previous image button 81 on which the character string "previous image" is displayed and a next image button 82 on which the character string "next image" is displayed are formed. When the previous image button 81 is clicked, the image previous to the image displayed in the model image display area 80 of the page displayed in the page display area 70 is displayed in the model image display area 80. When the next image button 82 is clicked, the image next to the image displayed in the model image display area 80 of the page displayed in the page display area 70 is displayed in the model image display area 80.

[0041] A decision button 91 displaying the character string "decide" is formed in the selected image display area 90. When the decision button 91 is clicked, the image displayed in the selected image display area 90 is decided as the image to be pasted into the album.

[0042] In the image list display area 100, a recommended image list display area 101 that displays a list of recommended images or a time-series image list display area 102 that displays images in chronological order is displayed. A recommended tab displaying the character string "recommended" is formed in the upper left of the recommended image list display area 101, and by clicking on this recommended tab, the recommended image list display area 101 is displayed in the image list display area 100. A time-series tab displaying the character string "chronological" is formed in the upper left of the time-series image list display area 102, and by clicking on this time-series tab, the time-series image list display area 102 is displayed in the image list display area 100. The album display area 60, page display area 70, model image display area 80, selected image display area 90, and image list display area 100 may overlap each other, but may also be displayed so as not to overlap.

[0043] When the album creation window 50 is displayed, the user specifies the image folder in which the images to be used in the album are stored (step 32 in FIG. 3). When the setting menu button 54 is clicked by the user, a setting menu appears on the display screen of the display device 11. When the "Folder" menu included in the setting menu is clicked, a folder reference window (not shown) appears on the display screen of the display device 11, and the desired image folder is specified using the mouse 17.

[0044] Next, the user selects a template to be used for the album (step 33 in FIG. 3). When the file menu button 51 is clicked by the user, a file menu appears on the display screen of the display device 11. When the "New" menu included in the file menu is clicked, a new creation window (not shown) appears on the display screen of the display device 11, and the desired template is selected using the mouse 17 (an example of a selection means).

[0045] Once a template has been selected, a suitable album is found from among past example albums created using the selected template (step 34) as follows.

[0046] FIG. 6 shows the relationship between a template selected by a user (assuming that template T1 has been selected) and a sample album created using that template.

[0047] Assume that the model albums created using template T1 include model album Ab1 to model album Ab10. In model album Ab1, model images Ir100 to Ir199 are pasted in the image pasting area of ​​template T1.

[0048] FIG. 7 shows some of the pages that make up model album Ab1.

[0049] Model album Ab1 has pages 1 to 18 (excluding the front and back covers) in a double-page spread. Model images Ir100 to Ir104 have been pasted onto the first page in accordance with the layout of template T1. Model images Ir105 to Ir109 have been pasted onto the second page in accordance with the layout of template T1. Model images have also been pasted onto the other pages in accordance with the layout of template T1, and model images Ir195 to Ir199 have been pasted onto the 18th page in accordance with the layout of template T1.

[0050] For example albums Ab2 to Ab10 other than example album Ab1, example images Ir200 to Ir1099 are pasted according to the layout of template T1 in the same manner as for example album Ab1. Example images Ir200 to Ir299, Ir300 to Ir399, Ir400 to Ir499, Ir500 to Ir599, Ir600 to Ir699, Ir700 to Ir799, Ir800 to Ir899, Ir900 to Ir999, and Ir1000 to Ir1099 are pasted in example albums Ab2, Ab3, Ab4, Ab5, Ab6, Ab7, Ab8, Ab9, and Ab10, respectively.

[0051] Among the model images Ir100 to Ir1099 attached to each of the model albums Ab1 to Ab10, model images with a similarity to the images stored in the image folder set by the user that is equal to or exceeds a threshold value are found. The model album in which the found model images that are equal to or exceed the threshold value are most frequently used is the model album suitable for use by the user.

[0052] The model album thus found is displayed in the album display area 60 by the CPU 10 (an example of the fifth display control means) (step 35 in FIG. 3). In this embodiment, it is assumed that the model album Ab1 is a suitable model album.

[0053] FIG. 8 is an example of the album creation window 50.

[0054] A cover 64 of the model album Ab1 is displayed in the album display area 60 of the album creation window 50. By looking at this cover 64, the user knows that he or she can create an album by referring to the model album Ab1 having the cover 64. By clicking the previous model button 61 or the next model button 62, any cover of the model albums Ab2 to Ab10 other than the cover 64 of the model album Ab1 displayed in the album display area 60 is displayed in the model album display area 60. A character string 63 is displayed in the center of the bottom of the model album display area 60, indicating which model album cover is displayed among the model albums Ab1 to Ab10 of the template T1 selected by the user. The denominator of the character string 63 is the number of model albums Ab1 to Ab10 of the template T1 selected by the user, and the numerator of the character string 63 is a number indicating which album is displayed in the album display area 60.

[0055] In addition, in the page display area 70 displayed by the CPU 10 (an example of the first display control means), the first page of the album displayed in the album display area 60 is displayed in the initial state (step 36 in FIG. 3). In the example shown in FIG. 8, the cover 64 of the model album Ab1 is displayed in the album display area 60, and therefore the first page 74 of the model album Ab1 is displayed. As described above, the model images Ir100, Ir101, Ir102, Ir103, and Ir104 are attached to the first page 74. When the previous page button 71 is clicked, the page previous to the page displayed in the page display area 70 is displayed in the page display area 70 (in this case, the previous page does not exist, so the previous page button 71 cannot be clicked). When the next page button 72 is clicked, the page next to the page displayed in the page display area 70 is displayed in the page display area 70. A character string 73 indicating which page of the model album the page displayed in the page display area 70 is is displayed in the center of the bottom of the page display area 70. The denominator of the character string 73 is the total number of pages in the album, and the numerator of the character string 73 indicates which page is displayed in the page display area 70.

[0056] Furthermore, in the model image display area 80 displayed by the CPU 10 (an example of a second display control means), in the initial state, the first image of the images attached to the page displayed in the page display area 70 is displayed (step 37 in FIG. 4). In the example shown in FIG. 8, the first page 74 of the model album Ab1 is displayed in the page display area 70, and so the first model image Ir100 (an example of one image) of the first page 74 is displayed in the model image display area 80. The model image Ir100 displayed in the page display area 70 is smaller than the model image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80. The model image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80 is large, making it easy to confirm. When the previous image button 81 is clicked, the image preceding the model image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80, among the model images Ir100 to Ir104 pasted on the page 74 displayed in the page display area 70, is displayed in the model image display area 80 (in this case, since there is no image preceding the model image Ir100, the previous image button 81 cannot be clicked. However, it is also possible to display the last model image among the images pasted on the page preceding the page to which the model image Ir100 is pasted). When the next image button 82 is clicked, the image following the image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80 is displayed in the model image display area 80. A character string 83 is displayed in the center of the bottom of the model image display area 80, indicating which image on the page the model image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80 is. The denominator of the character string 83 indicates the total number of images in which the model image Ir100 is displayed, and the numerator indicates the position of the model image Ir100 among the images displayed on the page.

[0057] The similarity to the model image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80 is calculated for the images {images recorded in the memory card 21 or the like and read by the client computer by the memory card reader / writer 20 (an example of an image input means for inputting a plurality of images)} stored in the image folder selected by the user. The image having the highest similarity to the model image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80, which is equal to or greater than a threshold value, is found from among the images stored in the image folder selected by the user (step 38 in FIG. 4). The found image is displayed as a selected image 92 (an example of an image different from the image displayed in the second display area) in the selected image display area 90 displayed by the CPU 10 (an example of a third display control means) (step 39 in FIG. 4). When the decision button 91 formed in the selected image display area 90 is clicked, the selected image 92 displayed in the selected image display area 90 is decided as the image to be pasted at the position of the page where the model image Ir100 is pasted.

[0058] Next, images whose similarity to the model image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80 is equal to or greater than a threshold value are found from among the images stored in the image folder selected by the user (step 40 in FIG. 4). The found images are displayed in a list in the recommended image display area 101 displayed by the CPU 10 (an example of the fourth display control means) (step 41 in FIG. 4).

[0059] In the recommended image display area 101, recommended images I1 to I15 are displayed in descending order of similarity to the model image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80. It is possible to grasp which image is similar to the model image. Images not displayed in the recommendation area 101 can be displayed in the recommended image display area 101 by scrolling. Check boxes B1 to B15 are formed on the left side of the recommended images I1 to I15. In the selected image display area 90, the recommended image I1 is displayed among the recommended images I1 to I15 displayed in the recommended image display area 101, so the check box B1 formed on the left side of the recommended image I1 is checked. When an image other than the recommended image I1 is to be displayed in the selected image display area 90, one of the check boxes B1 to B15 formed on the left side of the recommended image to be displayed is checked. The desired image can be selected. For example, when the check box B2 is checked by the mouse 17 (one example of a designation means), the recommended image I2 corresponding to the check box B2 is displayed in the selected image display area 90, and the check in the check box B1 is erased. By displaying a desired image in the selected image display area 90, the user can determine an image to be pasted in the album while comparing it with the model image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80. However, instead of displaying the image list display area 100 (recommended image display area 101, time-series image list display area 102), an image change button or the like may be provided in or outside the selected image display area 90, and the image displayed in the selected image display area 90 may be changed in response to clicking the image change button or the like. The images to be switched and displayed may be in order of similarity to the model image Ir100 or not. In addition, when there are many images to be displayed in the recommended image display area 101, the similarity threshold may be increased to reduce the number of images to be displayed in the recommended image display area 101, and conversely, when there are few images to be displayed in the recommended image display area 101, the number of images to be displayed in the recommended image display area 101 may be increased.

[0060] 8, when the previous model button 61 formed in the album display area 60 is clicked, the cover of the model album Ab10 is displayed in place of the cover 64 of the model album Ab1 displayed in the album display area 60. Also, when the next model button 62 formed in the album display area 60 is clicked, the cover of the next model album Ab2 is displayed in place of the cover 64 of the model album Ab1 displayed in the album display area 60. When the previous model button 61 is clicked, the first page of the model album Ab10 is displayed in the album display area 60, and when the next model button 62 is clicked, the first page of the model album Ab2 is displayed in the album display area 60.

[0061] If there is a page before page 70 displayed in page display area 70, clicking previous page button 71 causes the previous page to be displayed in page display area 70. The first model image of the previous page is displayed in model image display area 80. If there is a page after page 70 displayed in page display area 70, clicking next page button 72 causes the next page to be displayed in page display area 70. The first model image of the subsequent page is displayed in model image display area 80.

[0062] When the previous image button 81 or the next image button 82 formed in the model image display area 80 is clicked, a switching command is generated and the model image displayed in the model image display area 80 is switched; however, even if the previous image button 81 or the next image button 82 formed in the model image display area 80 is not clicked, a switching command is generated by clicking the previous model button 61 or the next model button 62 formed in the album display area 60, or by clicking the previous page button 71 or the next page button 72 formed in the page display area 70, and the model image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80 is switched.

[0063] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing steps of the client computer 1 when a switching command is issued.

[0064] As described above, when the previous model button 61, the next model button 62, the previous page button 71, the next page button 72, the previous image button 81 or the next image button 82 (an example of a command input means) is clicked, a switching command is generated and the model image corresponding to the clicked button is displayed in the model image display area 80 (step 101).

[0065] When the model image displayed in the model image display area 80 is switched and a new model image (an example of an image other than the image displayed in the model image display area 80 among images included in the page displayed in the page display area 70) is displayed in the model image display area 80 (step 102), the similarity to the switched model image is calculated for the images stored in the image folder specified by the user. The image with the highest calculated similarity is found (step 103), and the found image is displayed in the selected image display area 90 (step 104). In addition, an image with a similarity equal to or greater than the threshold value is found from among the images stored in the image folder specified by the user (step 105), and the images stored in the image folder specified by the user are displayed in the recommended image display area 101 in descending order of similarity (step 106).

[0066] In this way, each time the model image displayed in the model image display area 80 changes, the image displayed in the selected image display area 90 is switched, and the images and the display order of the images displayed in the recommended image display area 101 also change.

[0067] Fig. 10 is an example of a model page 74 displayed in the page display area 70, and is enlarged compared to the model page 74 shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 11 is an example of a page Pg constituting an album created with reference to the model page 74.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 10, image pasting areas Ar1, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4 and Ar5 are formed on model page 74, and model images Ir100, Ir101, Ir102, Ir103, Ir104 and Ir105 are pasted in these image pasting areas Ar1, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4 and Ar5, respectively.

[0069] 11, page Pg also has image pasting areas Ar1, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4, and Ar5 formed in the same layout as the model page. Images Ir1, Ir21, Ir22, Ir12, and Ir11 stored in an image folder selected by the user are pasted in these image pasting areas Ar1, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4, and Ar5.

[0070] The image Ir1 pasted in the image pasting area Ar1 of the page Pg shown in Fig. 11 is an image selected with reference to the image Ir100 pasted in the image pasting area Ar1 of the model page 74 shown in Fig. 10, and is an image with a high degree of similarity in composition, etc. Similarly, the model image Ir101 pasted in the image pasting area Ar2 of Fig. 10 and the image Ir21 pasted in the image pasting area Ar2 of Fig. 11, the model image Ir102 pasted in the image pasting area Ar3 of Fig. 10 and the image Ir22 pasted in the image pasting area Ar3 of Fig. 11, the model image Ir103 pasted in the image pasting area Ar4 of Fig. 10 and the image Ir12 pasted in the image pasting area Ar4 of Fig. 11, and the model image Ir104 pasted in the image pasting area Ar5 of Fig. 10 and the image Ir11 pasted in the image pasting area Ar5 of Fig. 11 are all images with a high degree of similarity in composition, etc. An album of page Pg that has a similar impression to model page 74 is created. Data representing page Pg generated in this manner is sent to the order server 2, and a paper album is created by the printer 3. Alternatively, the template data, data representing the selected image, and data indicating the image pasting position, etc. may be sent to the order server 2, and data representing the album may be created in the order server 2. Pages other than page Pg can also be created in the same way as the model page of the model album, allowing the user to create an album similar to the model album.

[0071] Based on the similarity to the model image displayed in the model image display area 80, the images displayed in the selected image display area 90 and the recommended image display area 101 and the order of the images are determined. The similarity may not only be obtained by simply comparing images, but may also be the degree of match between the facial information included in the model image and the facial information included in the image stored in the image folder selected by the user (the facial information is any information that can be understood from a face, and may be any of the number of faces included in the image, the size of the face relative to the image, and the gender that can be understood from the face). For example, a facial recognition process may be performed on the faces included in the model image and the faces included in the images stored in the image folder designated by the user, and the degree of match between the faces obtained from the facial recognition may be used as the similarity. The similarity may also be determined by using the similarity of the timing of taking the images. For example, if the degree of match between the timing of taking the model image and the timing of taking the images stored in the image folder designated by the user is high, the similarity may be high.

[0072] FIG. 12 shows the relationship between the flow of a wedding ceremony and the timing at which model images Ir100 to Ir199, which are pasted on each page of model album Ab1, are taken at the wedding ceremony.

[0073] For example, a wedding ceremony starts at time t0, and the bride and groom enter by time t1. The bride and groom are introduced between time t1 and time t2, and the guest of honor gives a speech between time t2 and time t3. A toast is made between time t3 and time t4, the wedding cake is cut between time t4 and time t5, and conversation and a meal take place between time t5 and time t6. Entertainment is performed by the guests between time t6 and time t7, bouquets are presented to the parents between time t7 and time t8, and the bride and groom give speeches of thanks between time t8 and time t9. In this way, the general flow of an event such as a wedding ceremony is set, and the subjects to be photographed at each time period are also set.

[0074] In the model album, model images of contents that follow the flow of the event are pasted on the model album. For example, an image corresponding to "entrance of the bride and groom" that takes place between time t0 and time t1 is pasted on the first and second pages of the model album. An image corresponding to "introduction of the bride and groom" is pasted on the third and fourth pages of the model album. Similarly, an image corresponding to "greetings from the guest of honor" is pasted on the fifth page of the model album, an image corresponding to "toast" is pasted on the sixth page of the model album, an image corresponding to "cutting the wedding cake" is pasted on the seventh and eighth pages of the model album, an image corresponding to "conversation and meal" is pasted on the ninth to twelfth pages of the model album, an image corresponding to "entertainment by guests" is pasted on the thirteenth and fifteenth pages of the model album, an image corresponding to "presentation of bouquets" is pasted on the sixteenth and seventeenth pages of the model album, and an image corresponding to "acknowledgments" is pasted on the eighteenth page of the model album.

[0075] Since the time of shooting is recorded in the header of the image file, it is possible to know at what timing the image was shot by referring to the shooting time. Among the images stored in the image file selected by the user, images with the same shooting timing as the image displayed in the model image display area 80 are corrected to have a higher similarity, and images with a different shooting timing from the image displayed in the model image display area 80 are corrected to have a lower similarity, and the image with the highest corrected similarity can be displayed in the selected image display area 90. Also, the images can be displayed in the recommendation area 101 in descending order of the corrected similarity. For example, in FIG. 8, when the shooting timing is not taken into consideration, the similarity between the model image Ir100 and image I1 is 0.8, and the similarity between the model image Ir100 and image Ir2 is 0.75. When the shooting timing is not taken into consideration, image I1 is found as the image with the highest similarity to model image Ir100, and image I1 is displayed in the selected image display area 90. In contrast, model image Ir100 is an image of the first page, and therefore is considered to be a model image for the "entrance of the bride and groom" scene from time t0 to time t1. Assume that image I1 was taken at the "presentation of the bouquet" scene from time t7 to time t8, and image I2 was taken at the "entrance of the bride and groom" scene from time t0 to time t1. Image I2 is an image taken at the "presentation of the bouquet" scene, and is considered not to fit the first to second pages on which the "entrance of the bride and groom" images are attached. For example, image I1 has a correction value of 0 for the similarity of the shooting timing, and image I2 has a correction value of 0.1 for the similarity of the shooting timing. The similarity of image I1 is 0.8+0=0.8 because the correction value is 0, and the similarity of image I2 is 0.75+0.1=0.85 because the correction value is 0. The similarity of image I2 becomes greater than the similarity of image I1, and image I2 is displayed in selected image display area 90.

[0076] In this way, the similarity may be increased by taking into consideration the timing of photography. The timing of photography may be the time of photography itself.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the recommended image display area 101 selects and displays images according to the similarity level, and the time-series image list display area 102 selects and displays images according to the time series, but other selection and display methods may be used. For example, the recommended image display area 101 selects images according to the similarity level when the coincidence level of the photographing timing is not considered, but a display method such as attaching a mark indicating that the image is preferable near an image whose coincidence level of the photographing timing is higher than a threshold value may be used. Also, for example, the time-series image list display area 102 selects images according to the time series, as in the above embodiment, but a display method such as attaching a mark indicating that the image is preferable near an image whose similarity level with the image displayed in the model image display area 80 is higher than a threshold value may be used.

[0078] In the above embodiment, a wedding album was created, but albums other than wedding albums may be created by referring to the model album. For example, an album compiling school events for a year may be created. In such a case, even if a new album is created using an album created a year ago as a model, the similarity of images taken at the same time may be increased since events that take place in a year often take place at the same time every year.

[0079] The processing units that execute the above-mentioned processes include the CPU 10 that executes software and functions as various processing units, as well as programmable logic devices such as FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, and dedicated electrical circuits such as ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), which are processors having a circuit configuration specially designed to execute specific processes.

[0080] One processing unit may be configured with one of these various processors, or may be configured with a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, multiple FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). As an example of configuring multiple processing units with one processor, first, as represented by computers such as client computers and servers, one processor is configured with a combination of one or more CPUs and software, and this processor functions as multiple processing units. Second, as represented by systems on chips, there is a form in which a processor is used that realizes the functions of the entire system including multiple processing units with a single IC (integrated circuit) chip. In this way, the various processing units are configured using one or more processors of various types as a hardware structure.

[0081] Furthermore, the hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electrical circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1: Computer, 2: Order server, 3: Printer, 10: CPU, 11: Display device, 12: Communication device, 13: Hard disk, 14: Hard disk drive, 15: Memory, 16: Keyboard, 17: Mouse, 18: Compact disk drive, 19: Compact disk, 20: Memory card reader / writer, 21: Memory card, 50: Album creation window, 51: File menu button, 52: Thumbnail button, 53: Window menu button, 54: Settings menu button, 60: Album display area, 61: Previous example button, 62: Next example button, 63: Character string, 64: Cover, 70 :Page display area,71:Previous page button,72:Next page button,73:Text,74:First page,80:Model image display area,81:Previous image button,82:Next image button,83:Text,90:Selected image display area,91:Confirm button,92:Selected image,100:Image list display area,101:Recommended image list display area,102:Time series image list display area,Ab1-Ab10:Model album,Ar1-Ar5:Image attachment area,B1-B2:Check box,I1-I2:Recommended image,Ir1-Ir2:Image,Ir100-Ir1099:Model image,Ir11-Ir12:Image,Ir21-Ir22:Image,T1:Template

Claims

1. a first display control means for controlling the display device to display on a display screen a first display area which is configured with a plurality of pages and displays pages of an album which is not to be edited; a second display control means for controlling the display device to display, on the display screen, a second display area for displaying one of the images pasted in the image pasting area of ​​the page of the album not to be edited, which is displayed in the first display area; a third display control means for controlling the display device to calculate a similarity between the image displayed in the second display area and an image included in an image group different from the image group including the image pasted in the image pasting area of ​​the album page, find images having a similarity to the image displayed in the second display area equal to or greater than a threshold value, and display one of the images on the display screen in a third display area; and means for switching the images displayed in the second display area and the third display area in response to a user operation, and determining the image displayed in the third display area in response to the user operation as an image to be pasted in an image pasting area of ​​the page displayed in the first display area to which the image displayed in the second display area is pasted; An image processing device comprising:

2. The first display area is It is made up of multiple pages and displays the pages of a sample album. The second display area is displaying one of the images pasted in the image pasting area of ​​the sample album page displayed in the first display area; The image processing device according to claim 1 .

3. further comprising image input means for inputting a plurality of images; The third display control means is finding an image having a similarity to the image displayed in the second display area equal to or greater than a threshold value from among the plurality of images input from the image input means; 3. The image processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a fourth display control means for controlling the display device so as to display on the display screen a fourth display area for displaying a plurality of images input from the image input means; The image processing device according to claim 3 , further comprising:

5. The fourth display control means is displaying a plurality of images inputted from the image input means in the fourth display area in order of similarity as images to be displayed in the third display area; The image processing device according to claim 4.

6. the higher the similarity is, the higher the similarity is, the higher at least one of the similarity to the image displayed in the second display area, the degree of agreement of face information included in the image displayed in the second display area, and the degree of agreement of the photographing timing of the image displayed in the second display area is. The image processing device according to claim 5 .

7. a designation means for designating one of the images displayed in the fourth display area, The third display control means is displaying the image designated by the designation means in the third display area; 7. An image processing device according to claim 4.

8. a fifth display control means for controlling the display device to display a fifth display area on the display screen, the fifth display area displaying at least one album out of a plurality of albums; The first display control means displaying the page of the album displayed in the fifth display area in the first display area; 8. An image processing device according to claim 1.

9. A selection means for selecting a template for the album is further provided, The fifth display control means is displaying, in the fifth display area, an album corresponding to the template selected by the selection means; The image processing device according to claim 8.

10. At least one of the first display control means and the second display control means is displaying an image displayed in the second display area smaller than an image displayed in the first display area, out of images included in the page displayed in the first display area; 10. An image processing device according to claim 1.

11. a command input unit for inputting a command to display an image other than the image displayed in the second display area, The second display control means In response to a command input from the command input means, an image included in the page displayed in the first display area, other than the image displayed in the second display area, is displayed in the second display area.

11. An image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. an image commercial material creation means for creating an image commercial material using the image displayed in the third display area; 12. The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

13. The image material creation means includes: pasting the image displayed in the third display area into an image pasting area of ​​the page displayed in the first display area that corresponds to the image displayed in the second display area, thereby creating an album as an image commercial material; The image processing device according to claim 12.

14. a first display control means for controlling the display device to display on a display screen a first display area which is made up of a plurality of pages and displays pages of an album which is not to be edited; a second display control means for controlling the display device to display on the display screen a second display area for displaying one of the images pasted in the image pasting area of ​​the page not to be edited, the second display area being displayed in the first display area; a third display control means for controlling the display device to calculate a similarity between the image displayed in the second display area and an image included in an image group different from an image group including the image pasted in the image pasting area of ​​the album page, find images having a similarity to the image displayed in the second display area equal to or greater than a threshold value, and display a third display area showing one of the images on the display screen; a determining means for switching between the images displayed in the second display area and the third display area in response to a user operation, and determining, in response to the user operation, the image displayed in the third display area as an image to be pasted in an image pasting area to which the image displayed in the second display area is pasted, of the page displayed in the first display area; Image processing methods.

15. A program for controlling a computer of an image processing device and readable by the computer, Controlling the display device to display on a display screen a first display area that is configured with a plurality of pages and displays pages of an album that is not to be edited; Controlling the display device to display on the display screen a second display area for displaying one of the images pasted in the image pasting area of ​​the page of the album not to be edited, the second display area being displayed in the first display area; a similarity between the image displayed in the second display area and an image included in an image group different from an image group including an image pasted in an image pasting area of ​​the album page is calculated, an image having a similarity to the image displayed in the second display area equal to or greater than a threshold is found, and the display device is controlled so as to display a third display area on the display screen to display one of the images; A program for controlling a computer of an image processing device to switch between the images displayed in the second display area and the third display area in response to a user's operation, and to determine the image displayed in the third display area in response to the user's operation as the image to be pasted into an image pasting area of ​​the page displayed in the first display area to which the image displayed in the second display area is pasted.

16. A recording medium storing the program according to claim 15.

Images