Image processing device, 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 widespread use of digital cameras, smartphones, and other devices, opportunities to take photographs have increased, resulting in an extremely large number of images. 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. Because it can be difficult to find the desired image among the vast number of images, opportunities to view captured images are often limited. For this reason, the idea of ​​preserving desired images from the many captured images in a paper album has been considered. Examples include a system for creating a photo book with a layout that matches the worldview of a picture book (Patent Document 1) and a system for creating albums of consistent quality (Patent Document 2). Furthermore, since adjustments such as image correction may be required when editing an album, a system that displays sample images while image correction adjustments are being considered (Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-018418 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-184789 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-198078 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When creating an album, if a user has to select images to paste into the album, determine the position where the selected images will be pasted into the album, and determine the size of the images to be pasted into the album, it can be extremely tedious, and they may not select images suitable for the album or paste the images in the appropriate position, resulting in a low level of completion of the album. Patent Document 1 creates an album with a picture book worldview, and does not consider creating a high-quality album relatively easily. Patent Document 2 inserts a sample image having the composition of the image to be inserted into the image insertion area of ​​a template as a guide image, but the template image insertion area displayed on the display screen is relatively small, making the guide image difficult to see and making it difficult to select an image to insert into the template image insertion area. Patent Document 3 does not consider creating an album.

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

[0006] The image processing device of 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, in which first display control means controls 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, second display control means controls 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 third display control means controls 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.

[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 multiple 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 the computer of the image processing device, and a recording medium storing the program.

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

[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 the plurality of images input from the image input means that has a similarity to the image displayed in the second display area that 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 to display on the display screen a fourth display area for displaying a plurality of images input 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 the 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 the information about the face contained in the image displayed in the second display area, or the degree of coincidence of the timing of shooting of the image displayed in the second display area.

[0015] The display device may further include a designation means for designating one of the plurality of images displayed in the fourth display area, in which case the third display control means would, 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 causes, for example, the page of the album displayed in the fifth display area to be displayed in the first display area.

[0017] The apparatus 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 album corresponding to the template selected by the selection means to be displayed in the fifth display area.

[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 input of a command from the command input means, causes an image included in the page displayed in the first display area other than the image displayed in the second display area to be displayed in the second 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, for example, by 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. [Effects 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 using the image displayed in the second display area as a reference and displaying an image in the third display area, it is possible to find an image to paste in the area corresponding to the image pasting area of ​​the reference album. This makes it relatively easy to create an album similar to the reference album. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 shows an overview of an image processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a client computer. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing steps of a client computer. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing steps of a client computer. [Figure 5] 10 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] 10 is an example of an album creation window. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for switching a model image. [Figure 10] This is an example of a model page. [Figure 11] 10 is an example of a created album page. [Figure 12] It shows the flow of the wedding ceremony. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and shows 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 commercial material 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 overall 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 entering 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 operating program for client computer 1, which will be described later, is received by communication device 12 via the Internet. The received operating program is installed in client computer 1. The operating program may be received by client computer 1 via a network such as the Internet and recorded on a portable recording medium such as compact disc 19, and read from the portable recording medium, rather than being installed on client computer 1. In that case, the operating program read from the portable recording medium is installed in client computer 1. The operating program is readable by the computer (CPU 10) of client computer 1.

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

[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 creation of a wedding album is described, but the invention is not limited to wedding albums; it can also be applied to the creation of graduation albums, albums that record a child's growth, and other albums. In addition, an album can be anything that consists of multiple pages with images (photographs) pasted on them, and includes things like leaflets and pamphlets, regardless of the name.

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

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

[0036] The upper left corner of the album creation window 50 is formed with 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 settings 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 settings menu button 54 is clicked by the user when specifying an image folder containing images to be pasted into the newly created album, 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 will be described later, when a user selects a template to be used for an album, multiple model albums corresponding to the selected template are found. The most suitable album from the found albums is displayed in the album display area 60. The album display area 60 is formed with a previous model button 61 displaying the character string "previous model" and a next model button 62 displaying the character string "next model." The model album is displayed in the album display area 60 as described above. Clicking the previous model button 61 displays, in the album display area 60, a model album previous to the album displayed in the album display area 60, among the multiple found albums. Clicking the next model button 62 displays, in the album display area 60, a model album next to the album displayed in the album display area 60, among the multiple found albums. Displaying an album simply means displaying information that can identify the album, such as the album cover or identification information, such as an album number, that identifies the album. Furthermore, the album identification information may be displayed in a list format.

[0039] In the page display area 70, a previous page button 71 displaying the character string "previous page" and a next page button 72 displaying the character string "next page" 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 set of two facing pages, one on each side, or one on the left or right side of a facing page may be displayed 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 among the pages 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 among the pages 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] The image list display area 100 displays 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. A recommended tab displaying the character string "recommended" is formed in the upper left of the recommended image list display area 101, and clicking on this recommended tab causes the recommended image list display area 101 to be 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 clicking on this time-series tab causes the time-series image list display area 102 to be 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, or may be displayed so that they do not 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 Figure 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 Figure 3). When the user clicks the File Menu button 51, a File Menu appears on the display screen of the display device 11. When the "New" menu item 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 sample albums created using the selected template (step 34) as follows:

[0046] FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the template selected by the user (assuming that template T1 has been selected) and the 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 the model album Ab1.

[0049] Model album Ab1 has 1 to 18 pages in a double-page spread (excluding the front and back covers). Model images Ir100 to Ir104 have been pasted onto page 1 according to the layout of template T1. Model images Ir105 to Ir109 have been pasted onto page 2 according to the layout of template T1. Model images have also been pasted onto the other pages according to the layout of template T1, and model images Ir195 to Ir199 have been pasted onto page 18 according to the layout of template T1.

[0050] In addition to model album Ab1, model albums Ab2 to Ab10 also have model images Ir200 to Ir1099 pasted in accordance with the layout of template T1, just like model album Ab1. Model albums Ab2, Ab3, Ab4, Ab5, Ab6, Ab7, Ab8, Ab9, and Ab10 have model 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 pasted, respectively.

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

[0052] The model album found in this way 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 the suitable model album.

[0053] FIG. 8 shows 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 can see that they can create an album by referring to the model album Ab1 that has the cover 64. By clicking the previous model button 61 or the next model button 62, a cover of one 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] Furthermore, in the initial state, the page display area 70 displayed by the CPU 10 (an example of a first display control means) displays the first page of the album displayed in the album display area 60 (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, model images Ir100, Ir101, Ir102, Ir103, and Ir104 are pasted on the first page 74. Clicking the previous page button 71 displays the page previous to the page displayed in the page display area 70 in the page display area 70 (in this case, the previous page button 71 cannot be clicked because there is no previous page). Clicking the next page button 72 displays the page next to the page displayed in the page display area 70 in the page display area 70. A character string 73 indicating the page number of the model album in which the page displayed in the page display area 70 is displayed 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 the page number of the page displayed in the page display area 70 .

[0056] Furthermore, in the initial state, the model image display area 80 displayed by the CPU 10 (an example of a second display control means) displays the first image of the images attached to the page displayed in the page display area 70 (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 therefore the first model image Ir100 (an example of a single image) on that 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. Because the model image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80 is large, it is easy to confirm. When the previous image button 81 is clicked, the image previous to the model image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80, out of 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 previous to 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 previous to the page on which the model image Ir100 is pasted). When the next image button 82 is clicked, the image next to 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 images stored in an image folder selected by the user (images recorded on the memory card 21 or the like and read into the client computer by the memory card reader / writer 20 (an example of an image input means for inputting multiple images)). The image with the highest similarity to the model image Ir100 displayed in the model image display area 80, which is equal to or exceeds 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 a 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 on 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. This allows the user to see which images are similar to the model image. Images not displayed in the recommended area 101 can be displayed in the recommended image display area 101 by scrolling. Check boxes B1 to B15 are displayed to the left of the recommended images I1 to I15. In the selected image display area 90, 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 to the left of recommended image I1 is checked. To display an image other than recommended image I1 in the selected image display area 90, one of the check boxes B1 to B15 to the left of the recommended image to be displayed is checked. The desired image can be selected. For example, when check box B2 is checked with mouse 17 (an example of a designation means), recommended image I2 corresponding to check box B2 is displayed in selected image display area 90, and the check in check box B1 is cleared. By displaying a desired image in selected image display area 90, the user can compare it with model image Ir100 displayed in model image display area 80 and determine the image to paste into the album. 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 inside or outside the selected image display area 90, and the image displayed in selected image display area 90 may be changed in response to clicking the image change button or the like. The images that are switched and displayed may or may not be in order of similarity to model image Ir100. In addition, if there are many images displayed in the recommended image display area 101, the similarity threshold may be increased to reduce the number of images displayed in the recommended image display area 101, and conversely, if there are few images displayed in the recommended image display area 101, the number of images 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. Furthermore, 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 model image display area 80 displays the first model image of the previous page. 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 model image display area 80 displays the first model image of the subsequent page.

[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, but 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 procedure 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 model image display area 80 is switched and a new model image (which is an example of an image other than the image displayed in model image display area 80, among the images included in the page displayed in page display area 70) is displayed in 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 selected image display area 90 (step 104). Furthermore, an image with a similarity equal to or greater than a 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 recommended image display area 101 in order of highest 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 changes, 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 Figure 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] Image Ir1 pasted in image pasting area Ar1 of page Pg shown in Fig. 11 was selected with reference to image Ir100 pasted in image pasting area Ar1 of model page 74 shown in Fig. 10, and is an image with a high degree of similarity in composition, etc. Similarly, model image Ir101 pasted in image pasting area Ar2 of Fig. 10 and image Ir21 pasted in image pasting area Ar2 of Fig. 11, model image Ir102 pasted in image pasting area Ar3 of Fig. 10 and image Ir22 pasted in image pasting area Ar3 of Fig. 11, model image Ir103 pasted in image pasting area Ar4 of Fig. 10 and image Ir12 pasted in image pasting area Ar4 of Fig. 11, and model image Ir104 pasted in image pasting area Ar5 of Fig. 10 and image Ir11 pasted in 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 the same impression as model page 74 is created. Data representing page Pg created in this way is sent to the order server 2, and a paper album is created by the printer 3. However, the template data, data representing the selected image, and data indicating the image pasting position may also be sent to the order server 2, and the 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 pages of the model album, allowing the user to create an album similar to the model album.

[0071] 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 based on the similarity to the model image displayed in the model image display area 80. However, this similarity may not simply be obtained by comparing images, but may also be the degree of match between the facial information contained in the model image and the facial information contained in the images stored in the image folder selected by the user (facial information refers to any information that can be determined from a face, such as the number of faces contained in the image, the size of the face relative to the image, or the gender that can be determined from the face). For example, facial recognition processing may be performed on the faces contained in the model image and the faces contained 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. Furthermore, the similarity may be determined based on the similarity of the timing at which the images were captured. For example, the similarity may be determined to be high if there is a high degree of match between the timing at which the model image was captured and the timing at which the images stored in the image folder designated by the user were captured.

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

[0073] For example, a wedding ceremony begins 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. Guest entertainment is performed 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 is set, and the subjects that are photographed at each time point are also set.

[0074] In the model album, model images of content that follows the flow of the event are pasted onto the model album. For example, an image corresponding to the "entrance of the bride and groom," which takes place between time t0 and time t1, is pasted onto pages 1 and 2 of the model album. An image corresponding to the "introduction of the bride and groom" is pasted onto pages 3 and 4 of the model album. Similarly, an image corresponding to the "remarks from the guest of honor," an image corresponding to the "toast," an image corresponding to the "cutting of the wedding cake," an image corresponding to the "conversation and meal," an image corresponding to the "entertainment by guests," an image corresponding to the "guest entertainment," an image corresponding to the "presentation of the bouquet," and an image corresponding to the "acknowledgments" are pasted onto pages 18 of the model album.

[0075] The time of shooting is recorded in the header of the image file, so the timing of when the image was taken can be determined by referring to the shooting time. Images stored in the image file selected by the user that were taken at the same timing as the image displayed in the model image display area 80 are corrected to have a higher similarity, while images that were taken at a different timing than 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 is displayed in the selected image display area 90. Images can also be displayed in the recommendation area 101 in descending order of corrected similarity. For example, in FIG. 8, if the shooting timing is not taken into consideration, the similarity between model image Ir100 and image I1 is 0.8, and the similarity between model image Ir100 and image Ir2 is 0.75. If the shooting timing is not taken into consideration, image I1 is found to have 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 the image of page 1, and is therefore considered to be the model image for the "entrance of the bride and groom" scene from time t0 to time t1. Assume that image I1 was taken during the "presentation of the bouquet" scene from time t7 to time t8, and image I2 was taken during the "entrance of the bride and groom" scene from time t0 to time t1. Image I2 is an image taken during the "presentation of the bouquet" scene, and is therefore considered to not fit between pages 1 and 2, where the "entrance of the bride and groom" image is pasted. For example, the correction value for similarity for image I1 regarding the timing of photographing is 0, and the correction value for similarity for image I2 regarding the timing of photographing is 0. The similarity for image I1 is 0.8 + 0 = 0.8 because the correction value is 0, and the similarity for 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 photographing. The timing of photographing may be the time of photographing itself.

[0077] In the above-described embodiment, images to be displayed in the recommended image display area 101 are selected according to the degree of similarity, and in the time-series image list display area 102 are selected according to the time series, but other selection and display methods may be used. For example, in the recommended image display area 101, images to be displayed are selected according to the degree of similarity when the degree of coincidence of the photographing timing is not taken into consideration, but a display method such as attaching a mark indicating that the image is preferable near images whose degree of coincidence of the photographing timing is higher than a threshold may be used. Also, for example, in the time-series image list display area 102, images to be displayed according to the time series are selected in the same way as in the above-described embodiment, but a display method such as attaching a mark indicating that the image is preferable near images whose degree of similarity to the images displayed in the model image display area 80 is higher than a threshold may be used.

[0078] In the above-described embodiment, a wedding album was created, but albums other than wedding albums may also be created by referring to a model album. For example, an album compiling school events for the 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 occur at the same time every year.

[0079] The processing units that perform the above-mentioned processes include the CPU 10, which 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 with circuit configurations specifically designed to perform specific processes.

[0080] A single 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). Examples of multiple processing units configured with a single processor include, first, a configuration in which a single processor is configured with a combination of one or more CPUs and software, as typified by computers such as client computers and servers, and this processor functions as multiple processing units. Second, a configuration in which a processor is used to realize the functions of an entire system including multiple processing units on a single IC (integrated circuit) chip, as typified by systems-on-chips. In this way, the various processing units are configured using one or more processors of each type 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 pasting 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 a first display area on a display screen, the first display area being composed of a plurality of images and displaying a first composite image; 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 first composite image, 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 first composite image, find images whose similarity with the image displayed in the second display area is 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 image displayed in the second display area in response to a user operation, switching the image displayed in the third display area to an image found in response to the image displayed in the switched second display area, and determining the image displayed in the switched 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 first composite image displayed in the first display area; An image processing device comprising:

2. The first display area is A composite image of a model consisting of multiple images is displayed. The second display area is displaying one of the images pasted in the image pasting area of ​​the composite image of the example 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 finding an image from among the plurality of images input from the image input means, the image having a similarity to the image displayed in the second display area equal to or greater than a threshold value; 3. The image processing device according to claim 1.

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 displaying the 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; The image processing device according to claim 4 .

6. the higher the similarity is, the higher the degree of similarity to the image displayed in the second display area, the degree of coincidence of information about faces included in the image displayed in the second display area, or the degree of coincidence of 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 plurality of images displayed in the fourth display area, The third display control means 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. further comprising a selection means for selecting a template for the album; The fifth display control means is displaying an album corresponding to the template selected by the selection means in the fifth display area; The image processing device according to claim 8 .

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

11. further comprising a command input means 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, images included in the first composite image displayed in the first display area, other than the image displayed in the second display area, are 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 commercial material creation means is: the image displayed in the third display area is pasted in an image pasting area of ​​the first composite image 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 a first display area on a display screen, the first display area being configured with a plurality of images and displaying a first composite image; a second display control means controls 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 first composite image that 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 an image group including the image pasted in the image pasting area of ​​the first composite image, find images whose similarity with the image displayed in the second display area is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and display one of the images on the display screen in a third display area; a determining means that switches the image displayed in the second display area in response to a user operation, switches the image displayed in the third display area to an image found in response to the image displayed in the switched second display area, and determines the image displayed in the switched third display area as the image to be pasted in the image pasting area to which the image displayed in the second display area is pasted, of the first composite image displayed in the first display area; Image processing methods.

15. A program that controls a computer of an image processing device and is readable by the computer, controlling the display device to display on a display screen a first display area that is configured from a plurality of images and displays a first composite image; 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 first composite image that is displayed in the first display area; 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 first composite image, find images whose similarity with the image displayed in the second display area is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and control the display device to display one of the images in a third display area on the display screen; A program for controlling a computer of an image processing device to switch the image displayed in the second display area in response to a user operation, switch the image displayed in the third display area to an image found in response to the image displayed in the switched second display area, and determine the image displayed in the switched third display area as the image to be pasted in the image pasting area to which the image displayed in the second display area is pasted, of the first composite image displayed in the first display area.

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

Images