Electronic device for generating HDR image and control method therefor

Abstract

An electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device of the present disclosure may include a camera, at least one processor, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: store, in the memory, a plurality of long-exposure image frames and a plurality of short-exposure image frames obtained through the camera; identify, in real time when the plurality of short-exposure image frames are stored, a plurality of brightness distributions of pixels included in each of the plurality of short-exposure image frames; receive a user input for image capture; adjust a brightness value of at least some of a plurality of pixels of a first short-exposure image frame most recently stored before receiving the user input, on the basis of a brightness distribution of the first short-exposure image frame among the brightness distributions; and generate a high dynamic range (HDR) image on the basis of a first long-exposure image frame most recently stored before receiving the user input from among the plurality of long-exposure image frames and the first short-exposure image frame having the adjusted brightness value.

Description

Electronic device for generating HDR images and method for controlling the same

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an electronic device for generating an HDR image and a method for controlling the same.

[0002] The variety of services and additional features offered through electronic devices, such as smartphones, is steadily increasing. To enhance the utility of these devices and satisfy the diverse needs of users, telecommunications service providers and electronic device manufacturers are competitively developing electronic devices that offer a variety of features and differentiate themselves from competitors. Consequently, the various functions offered through electronic devices are also becoming increasingly sophisticated.

[0003] As imaging technology has advanced, technology has been developed to obtain HDR (high dynamic range) images, which are images with a wider contrast than the limits of the contrast that digital cameras can express.

[0004] The above information may be provided as background art to aid in understanding the present disclosure. No claim or determination is made as to whether any of the above-described matters constitute prior art related to the present disclosure.

[0005] According to one embodiment, an electronic device may include a camera, at least one processor, and a memory storing instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to perform the following operations.

[0006] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to store a plurality of long exposure image frames and a plurality of short exposure image frames acquired through the camera in the memory.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to determine in real time a plurality of brightness distributions of pixels included in each of the plurality of single exposure image frames when the plurality of single exposure image frames are stored.

[0008] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to receive user input for image capture.

[0009] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to adjust a brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame based on a brightness distribution of the first short exposure image frame that was most recently stored before receiving the user input among the brightness distributions.

[0010] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to generate a high dynamic range (HDR) image based on a first long exposure image frame most recently stored before receiving the user input among the plurality of long exposure image frames and a first short exposure image frame with an adjusted brightness value.

[0011] According to one embodiment, a method for controlling an electronic device may include storing a plurality of long exposure image frames and a plurality of short exposure image frames acquired through a camera of the electronic device in a memory of the electronic device.

[0012] According to one embodiment, a control method of an electronic device may include an operation of checking in real time a plurality of brightness distributions of pixels included in each of the plurality of single exposure image frames when the plurality of single exposure image frames are stored.

[0013] According to one embodiment, a method of controlling an electronic device may include receiving a user input for image capture.

[0014] According to one embodiment, a method of controlling an electronic device may include adjusting a brightness value of at least some of a plurality of pixels of a first short exposure image frame based on a brightness distribution of a first short exposure image frame that was most recently stored before receiving the user input among the brightness distributions.

[0015] According to one embodiment, a control method of an electronic device may include an operation of generating an HDR (high dynamic range) image based on a first long-exposure image frame that is most recently stored before receiving the user input among the plurality of long-exposure image frames and a first short-exposure image frame whose brightness value is adjusted.

[0016] According to one embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing one or more programs may include instructions causing an electronic device to store a plurality of long-exposure image frames and a plurality of short-exposure image frames acquired through a camera of the electronic device in a memory of the electronic device.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to check in real time a plurality of brightness distributions of pixels included in each of the plurality of single exposure image frames when the plurality of single exposure image frames are stored.

[0018] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to receive user input for image capture.

[0019] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to adjust a brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame based on a brightness distribution of the first short exposure image frame that was most recently stored before receiving the user input among the brightness distributions.

[0020] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to generate a high dynamic range (HDR) image based on a first long exposure image frame that was most recently stored before receiving the user input among the plurality of long exposure image frames and a first short exposure image frame whose brightness value has been adjusted.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device within a network environment according to one embodiment.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of generating an HDR image of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of generating an HDR image of an electronic device using a single-exposure image frame with an adjusted brightness value of the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of generating an HDR image of an electronic device using a single-exposure image frame with an adjusted brightness value of the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of obtaining a single-exposure image frame with a lowered exposure value of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an operation of dividing a single-exposure image frame into multiple regions for saturation region analysis of the single-exposure image frame of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a drawing for explaining the brightness distribution of a single-exposure image frame when the saturation region of the single-exposure image frame is uniform, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining the brightness distribution of a single-exposure image frame when the saturation area of ​​the single-exposure image frame is not uniform, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of generating an HDR image of an electronic device using a single-exposure image frame with adjusted brightness values ​​of the electronic device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device (101) within a network environment (100), according to one embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1 , in the network environment (100), the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (102) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or may communicate with at least one of the electronic device (104) or the server (108) via a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) via the server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), a memory (130), an input module (150), an audio output module (155), a display module (160), an audio module (170), a sensor module (176), an interface (177), a connection terminal (178), a haptic module (179), a camera module (180), a power management module (188), a battery (189), a communication module (190), a subscriber identification module (196), or an antenna module (197). In some embodiments, the electronic device (101) may omit at least one of these components (e.g., the connection terminal (178)), or may have one or more other components added. In some embodiments, some of these components (e.g., the sensor module (176), the camera module (180), or the antenna module (197)) may be integrated into one component (e.g., the display module (160)).

[0031] The processor (120) may, for example, execute software (e.g., a program (140)) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) and perform various data processing or operations. According to one embodiment, as at least a part of the data processing or operations, the processor (120) may store commands or data received from other components (e.g., a sensor module (176) or a communication module (190)) in a volatile memory (132), process the commands or data stored in the volatile memory (132), and store result data in a non-volatile memory (134). According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., a central processing unit or an application processor) or an auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that can operate independently or together with the main processor (121). For example, when the electronic device (101) includes the main processor (121) and the auxiliary processor (123), the auxiliary processor (123) may be configured to use less power than the main processor (121) or to be specialized for a given function. The auxiliary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121) or as a part thereof.

[0032] The auxiliary processor (123) may control at least a portion of functions or states associated with at least one component (e.g., a display module (160), a sensor module (176), or a communication module (190)) of the electronic device (101), for example, on behalf of the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as a part of another functionally related component (e.g., a camera module (180) or a communication module (190)). In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., a neural network processing unit) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing artificial intelligence models. The artificial intelligence models may be generated through machine learning. This learning can be performed, for example, on the electronic device (101) itself where the artificial intelligence model is executed, or can be performed through a separate server (e.g., server (108)). The learning algorithm can include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but is not limited to the examples described above. The artificial intelligence model can include multiple artificial neural network layers.The artificial neural network may be one of a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more of the above, but is not limited to the examples described above. In addition to, or alternatively to, a hardware structure, an artificial intelligence model may include a software structure.

[0033] The memory (130) can store various data used by at least one component (e.g., processor (120) or sensor module (176)) of the electronic device (101). The data can include, for example, software (e.g., program (140)) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory (130) can include volatile memory (132) or non-volatile memory (134).

[0034] The program (140) may be stored as software in the memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

[0035] The input module (150) can receive commands or data to be used in a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., a processor (120)) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The input module (150) can include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

[0036] The audio output module (155) can output audio signals to the outside of the electronic device (101). The audio output module (155) can include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver can be used to receive incoming calls. In one embodiment, the receiver can be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

[0037] The display module (160) can visually provide information to an external party (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The display module (160) may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling the device. According to one embodiment, the display module (160) may include a touch sensor configured to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of a force generated by the touch.

[0038] The audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa, convert an electrical signal into sound. According to one embodiment, the audio module (170) can acquire sound through the input module (150), output sound through the sound output module (155), or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)) (e.g., speaker or headphone) directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device (101).

[0039] The sensor module (176) can detect the operating status (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device (101) or the external environmental status (e.g., user status) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected status. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) can include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0040] The interface (177) may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device (101) with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102)). In one embodiment, the interface (177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

[0041] The connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0042] The haptic module (179) can convert electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration or movement) or electrical stimuli that a user can perceive through tactile or kinesthetic sensations. According to one embodiment, the haptic module (179) can include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

[0043] The camera module (180) can capture still images and videos. According to one embodiment, the camera module (180) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0044] The power management module (188) can manage power supplied to the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (188) can be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0045] A battery (189) may power at least one component of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the battery (189) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0046] The communication module (190) may support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102), electronic device (104), or server (108)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (190) may operate independently from the processor (120) (e.g., application processor) and may include one or more communication processors that support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may include a wireless communication module (192) (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). Among these communication modules, the corresponding communication module can communicate with an external electronic device (104) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (WiFi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These various types of communication modules can be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module (192) can verify or authenticate the electronic device (101) within a communication network such as the first network (198) or the second network (199) by using subscriber information (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (196).

[0047] The wireless communication module (192) can support 5G networks and next-generation communication technologies following the 4G network, such as NR access technology (new radio access technology). The NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)), minimization of terminal power and connection of multiple terminals (mMTC (massive machine type communications)), or high reliability and low latency (URLLC (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications)). The wireless communication module (192) can support, for example, a high-frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication module (192) can support various technologies for securing performance in a high-frequency band, such as beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large scale antenna. The wireless communication module (192) can support various requirements specified in the electronic device (101), an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (104)), or a network system (e.g., the second network (199)). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module (192) can support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for eMBB realization, a loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for mMTC realization, or a U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or 1 ms or less for round trip) for URLLC realization.

[0048] The antenna module (197) can transmit or receive signals or power to or from an external device (e.g., an external electronic device). In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include an antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as the first network (198) or the second network (199), may be selected from the plurality of antennas, for example, by the communication module (190). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and an external electronic device via the at least one selected antenna. In some embodiments, in addition to the radiator, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module (197).

[0049] In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may form a mmWave antenna module. In one embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on or adjacent a first side (e.g., a bottom side) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a designated high-frequency band (e.g., a mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna) disposed on or adjacent a second side (e.g., a top side or a side side) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving signals in the designated high-frequency band.

[0050] At least some of the above components can be interconnected and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., a bus, GPIO (general purpose input and output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), or MIPI (mobile industry processor interface)).

[0051] According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) via a server (108) connected to a second network (199). Each of the external electronic devices (102 or 104) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations executed in the electronic device (101) may be executed in one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, when the electronic device (101) is to perform a certain function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may, instead of or in addition to executing the function or service itself, request one or more external electronic devices to perform the function or at least a part of the service. One or more external electronic devices that receive the request may execute at least a portion of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) may process the result as is or additionally and provide it as at least a portion of a response to the request. For this purpose, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used, for example. The electronic device (101) may provide an ultra-low latency service by using distributed computing or mobile edge computing, for example. In one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server (108) may be an intelligent server utilizing machine learning and / or a neural network. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) or the server (108) may be included in the second network (199).The electronic device (101) can be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

[0052] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of generating an HDR image of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] According to one embodiment, in operation 210, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may store a plurality of long exposure image frames and a plurality of short exposure image frames acquired through a camera (e.g., the camera module (180) of FIG. 1) in a memory (e.g., the memory (130) of FIG. 1).

[0054] In one embodiment, the electronic device can generate a high dynamic range (HDR) image using auto exposure bracketing (AEB) by alternating long exposure image frames and short exposure image frames. For example, the electronic device can acquire an HDR image using long exposure image frames and short exposure image frames.

[0055] In one embodiment, when a user input for image capture is received, the electronic device may operate in a zero shutter lag (ZSL) manner by synthesizing a single HDR image using some of the image frames stored in the memory. This may eliminate shutter lag, which is the delay time between pressing the shutter and capturing the image.

[0056] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may acquire long exposure image frames with a first exposure value through a camera, and short exposure image frames with a second exposure value lower than the first exposure value. According to one embodiment, the first exposure value and the second exposure value may be preset. For example, the first exposure value may be 0 EV (exposure value), and the second exposure value may be -3 EV.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may change the settings of the camera to acquire a plurality of short exposure image frames with a lower exposure value based on determining that the most recently acquired short exposure image frame, prior to receiving a user input for image capture, includes a set percentage of pixels having a set brightness value or greater. According to one embodiment, an area of ​​pixels having a set brightness value or greater among the short exposure image frames may be referred to as a saturation area. According to one embodiment, an area corresponding to the saturation area of ​​the short exposure image frame may also be a saturation area of ​​a long exposure image frame, and the electronic device may generate an HDR image by replacing the saturation area of ​​the long exposure image frame with the saturation area of ​​the short exposure image frame.

[0058] In one embodiment, the electronic device may change the camera settings to acquire a short exposure image frame with a lower exposure value if the most recently acquired short exposure image frame prior to receiving a user input contains a saturated area exceeding a set percentage. For example, if the short exposure image frame includes an area with a brightness value of 125 or greater in an area exceeding 5% of the total area, the electronic device may lower the exposure value of the short exposure image frame from -3 EV to -5 EV. In one embodiment, the electronic device may maintain the exposure value of the long exposure image frame at 0 EV.

[0059] In this way, by lowering the exposure value of the single-exposure image frame, it is possible to more easily analyze saturated areas that were difficult to analyze due to their brightness.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may store a plurality of short-exposure image frames acquired with a lower exposure value in memory after lowering the exposure value. According to one embodiment, the operation of lowering the exposure value of the short-exposure image frames will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 5.

[0061] In one embodiment, the above description describes that the exposure value of the single exposure image frame is lowered when the saturation area of ​​the single exposure image frame is greater than the set ratio, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the electronic device may obtain the single exposure image frame by setting the default setting of the exposure value of the single exposure image frame to a low exposure value (e.g., -5 EV).

[0062] According to one embodiment, an electronic device may display a plurality of long exposure image frames, excluding a plurality of short exposure image frames, as a preview screen on a display of the electronic device. By displaying only the long exposure image frames as a preview, a preview screen with the same brightness value can be provided even if the exposure value of the short exposure image frames is lowered.

[0063] According to one embodiment, in operation 220, when a plurality of single-exposure image frames are stored, the electronic device can check in real time a plurality of brightness distributions of pixels included in each of the plurality of single-exposure image frames.

[0064] According to one embodiment, when short exposure image frames and long exposure image frames are alternately acquired and stored, the electronic device can check in real time the brightness distribution of the short exposure image frames being stored each time the short exposure image frames are stored.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may determine the brightness distribution of a single exposure image frame by dividing the plurality of pixels of the single exposure image frame into a plurality of brightness ranges based on brightness values ​​of the plurality of pixels of the single exposure image frame and determining the number of pixels corresponding to each of the plurality of brightness ranges. For example, the electronic device may determine the brightness distribution in the form of a histogram in which the x-axis represents brightness in a plurality of ranges for each single exposure image frame and the y-axis represents the number of pixels having brightness values ​​included in each brightness range. According to one embodiment, the y-axis may be the number of pixels having brightness values ​​included in each brightness range, or may be a value obtained by accumulating values ​​corresponding to the brightness range in a value corresponding to the brightness range on the adjacent left side.

[0066] In one embodiment, the y-axis is described as the number of pixels, but is not limited thereto, and when a single-exposure image frame is divided into multiple patches each including a specific number of pixels, it may also be the number of patches having a brightness value included in each brightness range. The brightness value of a patch may be a representative value of the brightness values ​​of multiple pixels included in the patch. In one embodiment, the representative value may be an average of the brightness values ​​of the pixels, or may be a maximum value, a minimum value, or a most numerous value.

[0067] According to one embodiment, the operation of dividing a single-exposure image frame into multiple patches will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 6 below.

[0068] In one embodiment, the above description describes checking the brightness distribution for all pixels of a single-exposure image frame, but is not limited thereto, and the electronic device may check the brightness distribution for some pixels having a brightness value higher than a set brightness value of the single-exposure image frame. For example, the electronic device may check the brightness distribution only for a saturated region of the single-exposure image frame.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may check the brightness distribution of all stored short exposure image frames, but is not limited thereto, and may check the brightness distribution of one short exposure image frame per a set number of short exposure image frames among a plurality of stored short exposure image frames. For example, the electronic device may check the brightness distribution of one short exposure image frame per two or three short exposure image frames.

[0070] In one embodiment, the electronic device can further analyze the brightness distribution as well as objects, colors and / or details contained in the short exposure image frame using the short exposure image frame with a low exposure value.

[0071] In one embodiment, in operation 230, the electronic device may receive user input for image capture.

[0072] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may receive a touch input, voice input, or gesture input for pressing a shutter for HDR image capture, or may receive a command for HDR image capture from an external device via a communication module (e.g., the communication module (190) of FIG. 1).

[0073] In one embodiment, in operation 240, the electronic device can adjust brightness values ​​of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame based on a brightness distribution of the first short exposure image frame that was most recently stored before receiving the user input among the brightness distributions.

[0074] In one embodiment, the electronic device can determine whether to adjust a brightness value of a saturated region of a first short exposure image frame for HDR image generation based on whether a brightness distribution of a saturated region of the most recently stored first short exposure image frame is uniform prior to receiving a user input.

[0075] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may maintain the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame if the brightness value of the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame is uniform. For example, the electronic device may determine differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among a plurality of brightness ranges equal to or greater than a set brightness value, and may maintain the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame based on the differences being less than the set value. For example, if the amount of change in the y value of the cumulative histogram of brightness ranges having a brightness value equal to or greater than 72 and divided into 8 brightness value units changes by less than 15% with respect to the y value of the adjacent brightness range, the electronic device may determine that the brightness value of the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame is uniform.

[0076] In one embodiment, the electronic device can maintain the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame acquired with a low exposure value (e.g., -5 EV).

[0077] In this way, if the brightness value of the saturated area of ​​the first short-exposure image frame is uniform, the electronic device determines that there is a lot of content (e.g., objects, boundaries) within the saturated area, and by maintaining a low brightness, the content within the saturated area can obtain a clearer HDR image. For example, a case where there is a lot of content within the saturated area may include an image of an exterior area including multiple buildings.

[0078] According to one embodiment, the brightness distribution in the case where the brightness value of the saturated area of ​​the first single-exposure image frame is uniform will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 7 below.

[0079] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may adjust the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame when the brightness value of a saturated area of ​​the first short exposure image frame is not uniform and includes a large number of specific brightness values. For example, the electronic device may determine differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among a plurality of brightness ranges greater than a set brightness value, and increase the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame based on at least one of the differences being greater than the set value.

[0080] For example, if a portion having a brightness value of 120 or greater is 40% or greater of the entire first short exposure image frame, the electronic device can determine that the brightness value of the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame is not uniform.

[0081] In one embodiment, the electronic device may increase the brightness value of a first short exposure image frame acquired with a low exposure value (e.g., -5 EV).

[0082] In this way, if the brightness value of the saturated area of ​​the first short-exposure image frame is not uniform, the electronic device determines that there is little content (e.g., an object or a boundary) contained in the saturated area, and by increasing the brightness value, it can obtain an HDR image with reduced heterogeneity compared to areas outside the saturated area. For example, a case where there is little content contained in the saturated area may include a case where the image in the saturated area is the sky.

[0083] According to one embodiment, the brightness distribution in the case where the brightness value of the saturated area of ​​the first short exposure image frame is not uniform will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 8 below.

[0084] According to one embodiment, an operation of adjusting the brightness value of a first short exposure image frame based on the brightness distribution of a first short exposure image frame (or a short exposure image frame used in generating an HDR image) immediately before a user input for HDR image capture is received will be described below with reference to FIG. 3.

[0085] According to one embodiment, the electronic device can determine an amount of increase in brightness of the first short exposure image frame (or the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame) based on an area of ​​the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame, when the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame is not uniform.

[0086] In one embodiment, the electronic device may increase the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame by a first value based on a first range of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to a set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame. For example, the electronic device may increase the brightness of the first short exposure image frame by -4 EV if an area (or number) of pixels (or patches) having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to 120 is greater than or equal to 40% of the total area (or number).

[0087] In one embodiment, the electronic device may increase the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame by a second value greater than the first value based on a second range greater than the first range of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to a set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame. For example, the electronic device may increase the brightness of the first short exposure image frame by -3 EV if an area (or number) of pixels (or patches) having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to 120 is greater than or equal to 60% of the total area (or number).

[0088] In one embodiment, the electronic device can maintain the brightness of the first short exposure image frame at -5 EV if the area (or number) of pixels (or patches) having a brightness value of 120 or greater is less than 40% of the total area (or number).

[0089] In the above, the brightness of the first short exposure image frame is adjusted based on the brightness distribution of the first short exposure image frame, but this is not limited thereto, and according to one embodiment, the brightness of the first short exposure image frame may be adjusted only by the area (or ratio) of the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame. According to one embodiment, the exposure value of the stored first short exposure image frame may be -3 EV, which does not lower the exposure value.

[0090] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may reduce the brightness value of pixels having a brightness value greater than or equal to the set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame based on determining that the first short exposure image frame includes pixels having a brightness value greater than or equal to the set brightness value by a set percentage or more. For example, if the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame includes a saturated region greater than or equal to the set percentage, the electronic device may reduce the brightness of the first short exposure image frame from -3 EV to -4 EV. According to one embodiment, an operation of adjusting the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame based only on the percentage of the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame will be described below with reference to FIG. 9.

[0091] In one embodiment, in operation 250, the electronic device can generate an HDR image based on a first long exposure image frame that is most recently stored before receiving a user input among a plurality of long exposure image frames and a first short exposure image frame whose brightness value is adjusted.

[0092] In one embodiment, when the brightness is increased by the brightness distribution of the first short exposure image frame, the electronic device can generate an HDR image by replacing the saturated area of ​​the first long exposure image frame with the saturated area with increased brightness of the first short exposure image frame.

[0093] In one embodiment, when brightness is maintained by the brightness distribution of the first short exposure image frame, the electronic device can generate an HDR image by replacing the saturated area of ​​the first long exposure image frame with the saturated area of ​​the first short exposure image frame.

[0094] In one embodiment, when the brightness is reduced by a ratio of the saturated area of ​​the first short exposure image frame, the electronic device can generate an HDR image by replacing the saturated area of ​​the first long exposure image frame with the saturated area with reduced brightness of the first short exposure image frame.

[0095] In this way, in the AEB HDR structure, the exposure value of the single exposure image frame is applied to a lower value (e.g., -5 EV) than the existing value (e.g., -3 EV), and then the brightness distributions of the single exposure image frames are analyzed in advance and stored before shooting, and when a user input for shooting is received, the brightness value of the most recently acquired single exposure image frame is adjusted using the most recently acquired brightness distribution among the stored brightness distributions, thereby obtaining an HDR image with an optimized saturation area.

[0096] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of generating an HDR image of an electronic device using a single-exposure image frame with an adjusted brightness value of the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0097] According to one embodiment, in operation 301, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may execute an HDR function. For example, the electronic device may receive a user input for executing a function for acquiring HDR images through an execution screen of a camera application.

[0098] In one embodiment, in operation 302, the electronic device may acquire a long exposure image frame for use in HDR video via a camera (e.g., the camera module (180) of FIG. 1). In one embodiment, the exposure value of the long exposure image frame may be 0 EV.

[0099] In one embodiment, in operation 303, the electronic device may acquire a single exposure image frame for use in HDR video through a camera.

[0100] According to one embodiment, when the HDR function is executed, the electronic device can alternately acquire long exposure image frames and short exposure image frames and store them in a memory (e.g., memory (130) of FIG. 1) (e.g., buffer) even if no user input for shooting (e.g., touching a shutter button for capture, voice input for capture, or receiving a command for capture) is received.

[0101] In one embodiment, the exposure value of the short exposure image frame may be -3 EV, which is commonly used with long exposure image frames acquired at 0 EV, or -5 EV adjusted to a lower exposure value. In one embodiment, the lower exposure value (e.g., -5 EV) may be set to be used when the HDR function is executed, or may be adjusted based on the saturation area being above a set ratio.

[0102] According to one embodiment, in operation 304, the electronic device may display a preview screen. According to one embodiment, the electronic device may display long-exposure image frames as a preview screen on a display (e.g., the display module (160) of FIG. 1). In this way, since only long-exposure image frames are displayed as a preview screen, a preview screen without a sense of incongruity can be provided even if the exposure value of short-exposure image frames is lowered.

[0103] In one embodiment, in operation 305, the electronic device can perform real-time saturation analysis. In one embodiment, the electronic device can analyze saturation of short exposure image frames in real time by checking the brightness distribution for each short exposure image frame that is stored each time the short exposure image frames are acquired and stored. In one embodiment, the electronic device can analyze a saturation area having a brightness value greater than or equal to a set value of the short exposure image frame by analyzing the distribution of pixels having a brightness value greater than or equal to a set value of the short exposure image frame.

[0104] According to one embodiment, the operation of checking the brightness distribution of single-exposure image frames is the same as operation 220 of FIG. 2, and thus, a duplicate description will be omitted.

[0105] According to one embodiment, in operation 306, the electronic device may receive a user input for image capture. According to one embodiment, the operation of receiving the user input for image capture is identical to operation 230 of FIG. 2, and thus, a duplicate description will be omitted.

[0106] In one embodiment, in operation 307, the electronic device can determine whether the brightness distribution in the saturated region of the recently stored single-exposure image frame is uniform. In one embodiment, the electronic device can determine whether the brightness distribution in the saturated region is uniform by determining differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among a plurality of brightness ranges greater than a set brightness value.

[0107] According to one embodiment, if it is confirmed that the brightness distribution of the saturated region of the single exposure image frame is uniform (operation 307 - Yes), in operation 308, the electronic device can maintain the brightness value of the single exposure image frame. According to one embodiment, the electronic device can confirm that the brightness value of the saturated region of the first single exposure image frame is uniform if the differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among the plurality of brightness ranges are less than a set value.

[0108] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may maintain the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame if the brightness value of the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame is uniform. For example, if the brightness value is 72 or higher and the amount of change in the y value of the cumulative histogram of brightness ranges divided into 8 brightness value units changes by less than 15% with respect to the y value of the adjacent brightness range, the electronic device may determine that the brightness value of the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame is uniform.

[0109] In this way, if the brightness value of the saturated area of ​​the first short-exposure image frame is uniform, the electronic device determines that there is a lot of content (e.g., objects, boundaries) included in the saturated area, and by maintaining low brightness, the content included in the saturated area can obtain a clearer HDR image.

[0110] According to one embodiment, the brightness distribution in the case where the brightness value of the saturated area of ​​the first single-exposure image frame is uniform will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 7 below.

[0111] According to one embodiment, if it is determined that the brightness distribution of the saturated region of the short exposure image frame is not uniform (Operation 307 - No), in operation 309, the electronic device may adjust the brightness value of the short exposure image frame. According to one embodiment, the electronic device may determine that the brightness value of the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame is not uniform based on at least one of the differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among the plurality of brightness ranges being greater than or equal to a set value. For example, if a portion having a brightness value of 120 or greater is greater than or equal to 40% of the entire first short exposure image frame, the electronic device may determine that the brightness value of the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame is not uniform.

[0112] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may adjust the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame if the brightness value of the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame is not uniform and includes a large amount of a specific brightness value. According to one embodiment, the electronic device may increase the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame if the brightness value of the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame is not uniform.

[0113] In one embodiment, the electronic device may increase (e.g., to -4 EV or -3 EV) the brightness value of a first short exposure image frame acquired with a low exposure value (e.g., to -5 EV).

[0114] According to one embodiment, the electronic device can determine an amount of increase in brightness of the first short exposure image frame (or the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame) based on an area of ​​the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame, when the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame is not uniform.

[0115] In one embodiment, the electronic device may increase the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame by a first value based on a first range of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to a set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame. For example, the electronic device may increase the brightness of the first short exposure image frame by -4 EV if an area (or number) of pixels (or patches) having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to 120 is greater than or equal to 40% of the total area (or number).

[0116] In one embodiment, the electronic device may increase the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame by a second value greater than the first value based on a second range greater than the first range of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to a set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame. For example, the electronic device may increase the brightness of the first short exposure image frame by -3 EV if an area (or number) of pixels (or patches) having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to 120 is greater than or equal to 60% of the total area (or number).

[0117] In one embodiment, the electronic device can maintain the brightness of the first short exposure image frame at -5 EV if the area (or number) of pixels (or patches) having a brightness value of 120 or greater is less than 40% of the total area (or number).

[0118] In this way, if the brightness value of the saturated area of ​​the first short-exposure image frame is not uniform, the electronic device determines that there is little content (e.g., object, boundary) included in the saturated area, and by increasing the brightness value, it can obtain an HDR image with reduced heterogeneity compared to an area outside the saturated area.

[0119] According to one embodiment, the brightness distribution in the case where the brightness value of the saturated area of ​​the first short exposure image frame is not uniform will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 8 below.

[0120] In one embodiment, in operation 310, the electronic device may generate an HDR image using the most recently stored long exposure image frame and the short exposure image frame with the brightness value adjusted or maintained before receiving a user input for image capture. In one embodiment, the electronic device may generate the HDR image by replacing the saturated region of the first long exposure image frame with the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame with the brightness value maintained or adjusted.

[0121] In this way, in the AEB HDR structure, the exposure value of the single exposure image frame is applied to a lower value (e.g., -5 EV) than the existing value (e.g., -3 EV), and then the brightness distributions of the single exposure image frames are analyzed in advance and stored before shooting, and when a user input for shooting is received, the brightness value of the most recently acquired single exposure image frame is adjusted using the most recently acquired brightness distribution among the stored brightness distributions, thereby obtaining an HDR image with an optimized saturation area.

[0122] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of generating an HDR image of an electronic device using a single-exposure image frame with an adjusted brightness value of the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0123] Referring to FIG. 4, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may store long exposure image frames (410) and short exposure image frames (420) acquired through a camera (e.g., the camera module (180) of FIG. 1) in a memory (e.g., the memory (130) of FIG. 1). For example, the electronic device may pre-store the image frames (410, 420) in a memory (e.g., a buffer) to reduce shutter lag. According to one embodiment, the exposure value of the long exposure image frames (410) may be 0 EV (exposure value), and the exposure value of the short exposure image frames (420) may be -5 EV. In one embodiment, the exposure value of the short exposure image frame may be adjusted to -5 EV as the saturation area is above the set ratio, from -3 EV, which is typically used with long exposure image frames acquired at 0 EV, or set to be used when the HDR function is executed.

[0124] According to one embodiment, the electronic device can generate an HDR image (461) using an auto exposure bracketing (AEB) method by alternately using long exposure image frames (410) and short exposure image frames (420). For example, the electronic device can obtain an HDR image (461) by inputting a portion (411) of the long exposure image frames (410) and a portion (421) of the short exposure image frames (420) into an HDR engine (460) that synthesizes an HDR image.

[0125] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may identify and store in memory saturation region analysis information (430) of each single exposure image frame (420) whenever the single exposure image frames (420) are acquired or stored. According to one embodiment, the saturation region analysis information (430) may include a brightness distribution of the saturation region of each single exposure image frame.

[0126] According to one embodiment, when a user input (440) for image capture is received, the electronic device may operate in a zero shutter lag (ZSL) manner to synthesize a single HDR image using some (411, 421) of the image frames (410, 420) stored in the memory. This may eliminate shutter lag, which is a delay time between pressing the shutter and taking a picture. For example, when a user input (440) for image capture is received, the electronic device may generate an HDR image (461) using the most recently stored long-exposure image frame (411) and short-exposure image frame (421).

[0127] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may change (450) the brightness of the most recently stored short exposure image frame (421) based on the saturation region analysis information of the most recently stored short exposure image frame (421). For example, if the brightness of the saturation region of the most recently stored short exposure image frame (421) is uniform, the electronic device may maintain the brightness of the most recently stored short exposure image frame (421). According to one embodiment, if the brightness of the saturation region of the most recently stored short exposure image frame (421) is not uniform, the electronic device may increase the brightness of the most recently stored short exposure image frame (421).

[0128] According to one embodiment, the electronic device can generate an HDR image (461) by synthesizing the most recently stored long-exposure image frame (411) and the most recently stored short-exposure image frame (421) with adjusted or maintained brightness using an HDR engine (460).

[0129] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of obtaining a single-exposure image frame with a lowered exposure value of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0130] Referring to FIG. 5, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may acquire a short exposure image frame of a first exposure value in operation 501. For example, the first exposure value of the short exposure image frame may be -3 EV, which is commonly used with a long exposure image frame acquired at 0 EV.

[0131] In one embodiment, in operation 502, it may be determined whether the amount of the saturated area is greater than or equal to a set value. In one embodiment, the saturated area may include pixels having a brightness value greater than or equal to the set brightness value. In one embodiment, the amount of the saturated area may include the number, area, and / or proportion of pixels (or patches) having a brightness value greater than or equal to the set brightness value.

[0132] In one embodiment, if the amount of the saturated region is greater than or equal to the set value (operation 502 - yes), in operation 503, the electronic device can acquire a single exposure image frame of a second exposure value lower than the first exposure value.

[0133] In one embodiment, the electronic device may change the settings of the camera to acquire a short exposure image frame with a lower exposure value if the acquired short exposure image frame includes a saturated area exceeding a set percentage. For example, if the short exposure image frame includes an area with a brightness value of 125 or higher exceeding 5% of the total area, the electronic device may lower the exposure value of the short exposure image frame from a first exposure value of -3EV to a second exposure value of -5EV. In one embodiment, the electronic device may maintain the exposure value of the long exposure image frame at 0EV.

[0134] In one embodiment, if the amount of the saturated region is less than the set value (operation 502 - No), in operation 504, the electronic device may maintain the first exposure value.

[0135] In one embodiment, the electronic device may maintain the exposure value of the single exposure image frame at the first exposure value if the saturation area of ​​the acquired single exposure image frame is less than the set ratio.

[0136] In this way, by changing the exposure value of a single-exposure image frame according to the amount of the saturated area, an HDR image that more clearly expresses the content included in the saturated area can be obtained.

[0137] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an operation of dividing a single-exposure image frame into multiple regions for saturation region analysis of the single-exposure image frame of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0138] Referring to FIG. 6, an electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or a processor (120) of FIG. 1) may divide a single-exposure image frame (610) acquired through a camera (e.g., a camera module (180) of FIG. 1) into a plurality of patches (611) to check the brightness distribution of the single-exposure image frame (610). For example, the electronic device may divide the single-exposure image frame (610) into 16 x 16 patches (a total of 256 patches).

[0139] According to one embodiment, the electronic device can determine the brightness distribution of the single-exposure image frame (610) based on the representative value of each patch (611). According to one embodiment, the representative value may be an average of the brightness values ​​of the pixels included in each patch (611), or may be a maximum value, a minimum value, or a most numerous value.

[0140] In one embodiment, the electronic device may check the brightness distribution for the entire brightness range, or may check the brightness distribution only for a saturated region that is greater than a set brightness value.

[0141] According to one embodiment, the electronic device can obtain a brightness distribution in the form of a histogram, and can determine whether the brightness of a saturated region is uniform based on the brightness distribution.

[0142] According to one embodiment, examples of brightness distribution are described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 below.

[0143] FIG. 7 is a drawing for explaining the brightness distribution of a single-exposure image frame when the saturation region of the single-exposure image frame is uniform, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0144] Referring to FIG. 7, the first brightness distribution (710) may be a histogram showing the number of pixels (or patches) (y-axis) for each brightness range (x-axis).

[0145] According to one embodiment, the second brightness distribution (720) may be a cumulative histogram that accumulates the number of pixels (or patches) having a brightness in the corresponding brightness range by the number of pixels (or patches) on the left for each brightness range. The x-axis of FIG. 7 represents brightness ranges divided into 8 brightness value units, and the y-axis represents the number of patches each including a plurality of pixels.

[0146] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can determine whether the brightness value of a saturated region is uniform based on the number of patches having a brightness included in a plurality of brightness ranges (711, 721) greater than or equal to a set brightness value (e.g., 72) corresponding to the saturated region.

[0147] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may determine differences in y values ​​between adjacent brightness ranges among brightness ranges (711) corresponding to a saturated area in the first brightness distribution (710), and, based on the differences being less than a set value, determine that the brightness of the saturated area is uniform. According to one embodiment, the uniform brightness of the saturated area means that the brightness values ​​of patches (or pixels) are diverse, which may indicate that there is a lot of content (e.g., objects, boundaries) included in the saturated area. For example, a case where there is a lot of content included in the saturated area may include a case where the image of the saturated area is an exterior including several buildings.

[0148] According to one embodiment, the electronic device can determine that the brightness of the saturated region is uniform if the amount of change in the y value of the brightness ranges (721) corresponding to the saturated region in the second brightness distribution (720) changes within 15% with respect to the y value of the adjacent brightness range.

[0149] According to one embodiment, when the electronic device determines that the brightness value of the saturated region is uniform, it determines that there is a lot of content (e.g., an object, a boundary) included in the saturated region, and by maintaining low brightness, the content included in the saturated region can obtain a clearer HDR image.

[0150] FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining the brightness distribution of a single-exposure image frame when the saturation area of ​​the single-exposure image frame is not uniform, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0151] Referring to FIG. 8, the first brightness distribution (810) may be a histogram showing the number of pixels (or patches) (y-axis) for each brightness range (x-axis).

[0152] According to one embodiment, the second brightness distribution (820) may be a cumulative histogram that accumulates the number of pixels (or patches) having a brightness of the corresponding brightness range for the number of pixels (or patches) on the left for each brightness range. The x-axis of FIG. 8 represents brightness ranges divided into 8 brightness value units, and the y-axis represents the number of patches each including a plurality of pixels.

[0153] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can determine whether the brightness value of a saturated region is uniform based on the number of patches having a brightness included in a plurality of brightness ranges (811, 821) greater than or equal to a set brightness value (e.g., 72) corresponding to the saturated region.

[0154] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may determine differences in y values ​​between adjacent brightness ranges among brightness ranges (811) corresponding to a saturated region in the first brightness distribution (810), and, based on at least one of the differences being greater than or equal to a set value, determine that the brightness of the saturated region is not uniform. According to one embodiment, if the proportion of patches having brightness values ​​in a specific brightness range is greater than or equal to a specific proportion (e.g., 40%), the electronic device may determine that the brightness of the saturated region is not uniform. In the first brightness distribution (810) of FIG. 8, the number of patches having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to 88 and less than 126 is 0, and the number of patches having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to 127 exceeds 90, and therefore, the electronic device may determine that the brightness of the saturated region is not uniform.

[0155] In one embodiment, non-uniform brightness in a saturated region may mean that there are many patches (or pixels) with brightness within a specific brightness range, and that there is little content (e.g., objects, boundaries) contained within the saturated region. For example, a case where there is little content contained within the saturated region may include the case where the image within the saturated region is the sky.

[0156] According to one embodiment, the electronic device can determine that the brightness of the saturated region is not uniform if the second brightness distribution (820) includes a range in which the y-value variation of brightness ranges (821) corresponding to the saturated region changes by 15% or more with respect to the y-value of an adjacent brightness range. In the first brightness distribution (810) of FIG. 8, the number of cumulative patches having a brightness value of 88 or more and less than 126 is about 150, and as the number of cumulative patches having a brightness value of 127 or more exceeds 250, the y-value variation changes by 15% or more of 150, and therefore the electronic device can determine that the brightness of the saturated region is not uniform.

[0157] According to one embodiment, when the electronic device determines that the brightness value of the saturated area is not uniform, it determines that there is little content (e.g., an object, a boundary) included in the saturated area, and increases the brightness to obtain an HDR image with reduced heterogeneity compared to an area outside the saturated area.

[0158] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of generating an HDR image of an electronic device using a single-exposure image frame with adjusted brightness values ​​of the electronic device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0159] In one embodiment, in operation 901, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 or the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may execute an HDR function.

[0160] In one embodiment, in operation 902, the electronic device may acquire a long exposure image frame for use in HDR video via a camera (e.g., the camera module (180) of FIG. 1).

[0161] According to one embodiment, operations 901 and 902 are identical to operations 301 and 302 of FIG. 3, and thus, duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0162] In one embodiment, in operation 903, the electronic device may acquire a short exposure image frame for use in HDR video through a camera. In one embodiment, the exposure value of the short exposure image frame may be -3 EV, which is commonly used with long exposure image frames acquired at 0 EV.

[0163] According to one embodiment, in operation 904, the electronic device may display a preview screen. According to one embodiment, operation 904 is identical to operation 304 of FIG. 3, and thus, a duplicate description is omitted.

[0164] According to one embodiment, in operation 905, the electronic device can perform real-time saturation analysis. According to one embodiment, the electronic device can analyze saturation of short exposure image frames in real time by checking the brightness value for each short exposure image frame being stored each time the short exposure image frames are acquired and stored. According to one embodiment, the electronic device can analyze a saturated area having a brightness value greater than or equal to a set value of the short exposure image frame by analyzing pixels having a brightness value greater than or equal to a set value of the short exposure image frame. According to one embodiment, unlike operation 305 of FIG. 3, operation 905 may only analyze the amount (e.g., the number of pixels (or patches), the area, and / or the ratio) of the saturation area of ​​the short exposure image frame, and may not perform an operation of checking the brightness distribution.

[0165] According to one embodiment, in operation 906, the electronic device may receive a user input for image capture. According to one embodiment, operation 906 is identical to operation 306 of FIG. 3, and thus, a duplicate description is omitted.

[0166] In one embodiment, in operation 907, the electronic device may determine whether the amount of saturated area of ​​a recently stored single exposure image frame is greater than or equal to a set value.

[0167] In one embodiment, if the amount of the saturated region of the short exposure image frame is greater than or equal to a set value (operation 907 - Yes), in operation 908, the electronic device may reduce the brightness value of the short exposure image frame. In one embodiment, the electronic device may reduce the brightness value of the saturated region of the short exposure image frame.

[0168] In one embodiment, if the amount of saturated region of the single exposure image frame is less than the set value (operation 907 - No), then in operation 909, the electronic device can maintain the brightness value of the single exposure image frame.

[0169] In one embodiment, in operation 910, the electronic device may generate an HDR image using the most recently stored long exposure image frame and the short exposure image frame with the brightness value adjusted or maintained before receiving a user input for image capture. In one embodiment, the electronic device may generate the HDR image by replacing the saturated region of the first long exposure image frame with the saturated region of the first short exposure image frame with the brightness value maintained or adjusted.

[0170] In this way, by using a single-exposure image frame with a lowered brightness value when generating an HDR image in the AEB HDR structure, an HDR image with an optimized saturation area can be obtained.

[0171] The technical problems to be achieved in the present disclosure are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains.

[0172] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101) of FIG. 1) may include a camera (e.g., camera module (180) of FIG. 1), at least one processor (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1), and a memory (e.g., memory (130) of FIG. 1) that stores instructions that, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to perform the following operations.

[0173] According to one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to store a plurality of long exposure image frames (e.g., long exposure image frames (410) of FIG. 4) and a plurality of short exposure image frames (e.g., short exposure image frames (420) of FIG. 4) acquired through the camera in the memory (e.g., operation 210 of FIG. 2).

[0174] According to one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to, when the plurality of single exposure image frames are stored, check in real time (e.g., operation 220 of FIG. 2) a plurality of brightness distributions of pixels (e.g., saturated region analysis information of FIG. 4) included in each of the plurality of single exposure image frames.

[0175] According to one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to receive (e.g., operation 230 of FIG. 2) a user input for image capture (e.g., user input for image capture (440) of FIG. 4).

[0176] According to one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to adjust a brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame (e.g., operation 240 of FIG. 2 or change brightness (450) of FIG. 4) based on a brightness distribution of the first short exposure image frame most recently stored before receiving the user input among the brightness distributions.

[0177] According to one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to generate (e.g., operation 250 of FIG. 2) a high dynamic range (HDR) image (e.g., HDR image (461) of FIG. 4) based on a first long exposure image frame most recently stored before receiving the user input among the plurality of long exposure image frames and a first short exposure image frame with an adjusted brightness value.

[0178] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to divide the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame into a plurality of brightness ranges based on brightness values ​​of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame.

[0179] According to one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to determine the brightness distribution of the first short-exposure image frame by determining the number of pixels corresponding to each of the plurality of brightness ranges.

[0180] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to determine differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among a plurality of brightness ranges greater than or equal to a set brightness value.

[0181] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to maintain the brightness value of the first exposure image frame based on the differences being less than a set value.

[0182] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to divide the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame into a plurality of brightness ranges based on brightness values ​​of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame.

[0183] According to one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to determine the brightness distribution of the first short-exposure image frame by determining the number of pixels corresponding to each of the plurality of brightness ranges.

[0184] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to determine differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among a plurality of brightness ranges greater than or equal to a set brightness value.

[0185] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to increase the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame based on at least one of the differences being greater than or equal to a set value.

[0186] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to increase a brightness value of the first short exposure image frame by a first value based on a first range of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to the set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame.

[0187] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to increase a brightness value of the first short exposure image frame by a second value greater than the first value based on a second range being greater than the first range of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to the set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame.

[0188] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to change a setting of the camera to acquire a plurality of single exposure image frames with a lower exposure value based on determining that a most recently acquired single exposure image frame contains a set percentage of pixels having a set brightness value or greater, in a state in which the user input has not been received.

[0189] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to store the plurality of single-exposure image frames acquired with the low exposure value in the memory.

[0190] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to determine a brightness distribution of some pixels having a brightness value greater than or equal to a set brightness value of the first single-exposure image frame.

[0191] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may further include a display.

[0192] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to display the plurality of long exposure image frames, excluding the plurality of short exposure image frames, as a preview screen on the display.

[0193] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to determine a brightness distribution of one single exposure image frame per a set number of single exposure image frames among the plurality of single exposure image frames.

[0194] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to reduce a brightness value of pixels in the first short exposure image frame having a brightness value greater than or equal to the set brightness value based on determining that the first short exposure image frame includes a set percentage or more of pixels having a brightness value greater than or equal to the set brightness value.

[0195] In one embodiment, the instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, may cause the electronic device to generate the HDR image based on the first long exposure image frame and the first short exposure image frame of the reduced brightness value.

[0196] According to one embodiment, a method for controlling an electronic device may include storing a plurality of long exposure image frames and a plurality of short exposure image frames acquired through a camera of the electronic device in a memory of the electronic device.

[0197] According to one embodiment, a control method of an electronic device may include an operation of checking in real time a plurality of brightness distributions of pixels included in each of the plurality of single exposure image frames when the plurality of single exposure image frames are stored.

[0198] According to one embodiment, a method of controlling an electronic device may include receiving a user input for image capture.

[0199] According to one embodiment, a method of controlling an electronic device may include adjusting a brightness value of at least some of a plurality of pixels of a first short exposure image frame based on a brightness distribution of a first short exposure image frame that was most recently stored before receiving the user input among the brightness distributions.

[0200] According to one embodiment, a control method of an electronic device may include an operation of generating an HDR (high dynamic range) image based on a first long-exposure image frame that is most recently stored before receiving the user input among the plurality of long-exposure image frames and a first short-exposure image frame whose brightness value is adjusted.

[0201] According to one embodiment, the operation of checking the plurality of brightness distributions in real time may divide the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame into a plurality of brightness ranges based on brightness values ​​of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame.

[0202] According to one embodiment, the operation of checking the plurality of brightness distributions in real time can check the number of pixels corresponding to each of the plurality of brightness ranges.

[0203] In one embodiment, the operation of adjusting the brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first single-exposure image frame may determine differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among the plurality of brightness ranges greater than or equal to the set brightness value.

[0204] According to one embodiment, the operation of adjusting the brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame may maintain the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame based on the differences being less than a set value.

[0205] According to one embodiment, the operation of checking the plurality of brightness distributions in real time may divide the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame into a plurality of brightness ranges based on brightness values ​​of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame.

[0206] According to one embodiment, the operation of checking the plurality of brightness distributions in real time can check the brightness distribution of the first short-exposure image frame by checking the number of pixels corresponding to each of the plurality of brightness ranges.

[0207] In one embodiment, the operation of adjusting the brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first single-exposure image frame may determine differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among the plurality of brightness ranges greater than or equal to the set brightness value.

[0208] According to one embodiment, the operation of adjusting the brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame may increase the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame based on at least one of the differences being greater than or equal to a set value.

[0209] According to one embodiment, the operation of adjusting the brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame may increase the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame by a first value based on a first range of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to the set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame.

[0210] In one embodiment, the operation of adjusting the brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame may increase the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame by a second value greater than the first value, based on a second range greater than the first range of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to the set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame.

[0211] In one embodiment, the control method of the electronic device may further include changing a setting of the camera to acquire a plurality of single exposure image frames with a lower exposure value based on determining that the most recently acquired single exposure image frame prior to receiving the user input contains a set percentage or more of pixels having a set brightness value or higher.

[0212] According to one embodiment, the operation of storing the plurality of short-exposure image frames in the memory may store the plurality of short-exposure image frames obtained with the low exposure value in the memory.

[0213] According to one embodiment, the operation of checking in real time a plurality of brightness distributions of pixels included in each of the plurality of single-exposure image frames may check the brightness distribution of some pixels having a brightness value higher than a set brightness value of the first single-exposure image frame.

[0214] According to one embodiment, the control method of an electronic device may further include an operation of displaying the plurality of long exposure image frames, excluding the plurality of short exposure image frames, as a preview screen on a display of the electronic device.

[0215] According to one embodiment, the operation of checking in real time a plurality of brightness distributions of pixels included in each of the plurality of single exposure image frames may check the brightness distribution of one single exposure image frame per a set number of single exposure image frames among the plurality of single exposure image frames.

[0216] In one embodiment, the operation of adjusting the brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame may include reducing the brightness value of the pixels having a brightness value greater than or equal to the set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame based on determining that the first short exposure image frame includes a set percentage or more of pixels having a brightness value greater than or equal to the set brightness value.

[0217] According to one embodiment, the operation of generating the HDR image may generate the HDR image based on the first long exposure image frame and the first short exposure image frame of the reduced brightness value.

[0218] According to one embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing one or more programs may include instructions causing an electronic device to store a plurality of long-exposure image frames and a plurality of short-exposure image frames acquired through a camera of the electronic device in a memory of the electronic device.

[0219] According to one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to check in real time a plurality of brightness distributions of pixels included in each of the plurality of single exposure image frames when the plurality of single exposure image frames are stored.

[0220] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to receive user input for image capture.

[0221] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to adjust a brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame based on a brightness distribution of the first short exposure image frame that was most recently stored before receiving the user input among the brightness distributions.

[0222] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to generate a high dynamic range (HDR) image based on a first long exposure image frame that was most recently stored before receiving the user input among the plurality of long exposure image frames and a first short exposure image frame whose brightness value has been adjusted.

[0223] According to one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to divide the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame into a plurality of brightness ranges based on brightness values ​​of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame.

[0224] According to one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to determine the brightness distribution of the first short-exposure image frame by determining the number of pixels corresponding to each of the plurality of brightness ranges.

[0225] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to determine differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among a plurality of brightness ranges greater than or equal to a set brightness value.

[0226] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to maintain the brightness value of the first exposure image frame based on the differences being less than a set value.

[0227] According to one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to divide the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame into a plurality of brightness ranges based on brightness values ​​of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame.

[0228] According to one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to determine the brightness distribution of the first short-exposure image frame by determining the number of pixels corresponding to each of the plurality of brightness ranges.

[0229] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to determine differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among a plurality of brightness ranges greater than or equal to a set brightness value.

[0230] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to increase the brightness value of the first exposure image frame based on at least one of the differences being greater than or equal to a set value.

[0231] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to increase a brightness value of the first short exposure image frame by a first value based on a first range of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to the set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame.

[0232] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to increase a brightness value of the first short exposure image frame by a second value greater than the first value based on a second range greater than the first range of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to the set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame.

[0233] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to change a setting of the camera to acquire a plurality of single exposure image frames with a lower exposure value based on determining that a most recently acquired single exposure image frame in which the user input has not been received contains a set percentage of pixels having a set brightness value or greater.

[0234] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions causing the electronic device to store the plurality of single exposure image frames acquired with the low exposure value in the memory.

[0235] According to one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to determine a brightness distribution of some pixels having a brightness value greater than or equal to a set brightness value of the first single-exposure image frame.

[0236] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may further include a display.

[0237] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to display the plurality of long exposure image frames, excluding the plurality of short exposure image frames, as a preview screen on the display.

[0238] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to determine a brightness distribution of one single exposure image frame per a set number of single exposure image frames among the plurality of single exposure image frames.

[0239] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to decrease a brightness value of pixels in the first short exposure image frame having a brightness value greater than or equal to the set brightness value, based on determining that the first short exposure image frame includes a set percentage or more of pixels having a brightness value greater than or equal to the set brightness value.

[0240] In one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that cause the electronic device to generate the HDR image based on the first long exposure image frame and the first short exposure image frame with the reduced brightness value.

[0241] The effects that can be obtained from the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

[0242] Electronic devices according to the embodiments disclosed in this document may take various forms. Electronic devices may include, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or home appliances. Electronic devices according to the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the aforementioned devices.

[0243] The embodiments of this document and the terminology used herein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, each of the phrases "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" can include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase among those phrases, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish one component from another, and do not limit the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as "coupled" or "connected" to another (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0244] The term "module" used in the embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimum unit or part of such a component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0245] One embodiment of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program (140)) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., an internal memory (136) or an external memory (138)) readable by a machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)). For example, a processor (e.g., a processor (120)) of the machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)) may call at least one instruction among the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one called instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily on the storage medium.

[0246] According to one embodiment, the method according to one embodiment disclosed in the present document may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play Store™) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0247] According to one embodiment, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and arranged in other components. According to one embodiment, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to one embodiment, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Claims

1. In electronic devices, camera; at least one processor; and When executed individually or collectively by at least one processor, the electronic device causes: Store a plurality of long exposure image frames and a plurality of short exposure image frames acquired through the above camera in the memory, When the above multiple single exposure image frames are stored, multiple brightness distributions of pixels included in each of the multiple single exposure image frames are confirmed in real time, Receive user input for image capture, Adjusting the brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame based on the brightness distribution of the first short exposure image frame most recently stored before receiving the user input among the brightness distributions, An electronic device comprising a memory storing instructions for generating an HDR (high dynamic range) image based on a first long-exposure image frame most recently stored before receiving the user input among the plurality of long-exposure image frames and a first short-exposure image frame with adjusted brightness values.

2. In paragraph 1, The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: Based on the brightness values ​​of the plurality of pixels of the first short-exposure image frame, the plurality of pixels of the first short-exposure image frame are divided into a plurality of brightness ranges, By checking the number of pixels corresponding to each of the plurality of brightness ranges, the brightness distribution of the first single exposure image frame is confirmed, Check the differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among multiple brightness ranges greater than the set brightness value, An electronic device that maintains the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame based on the above differences being less than a set value.

3. In paragraph 1, The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: Based on the brightness values ​​of the plurality of pixels of the first short-exposure image frame, the plurality of pixels of the first short-exposure image frame are divided into a plurality of brightness ranges, By checking the number of pixels corresponding to each of the plurality of brightness ranges, the brightness distribution of the first single exposure image frame is confirmed, Check the differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among multiple brightness ranges greater than the set brightness value, An electronic device that increases the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame based on at least one of the above differences being greater than or equal to a set value.

4. In paragraph 3, The above instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: Based on the number of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to the set brightness value of the first short-exposure image frame being in the first range, the brightness value of the first short-exposure image frame is increased by a first value, An electronic device that increases the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame by a second value greater than the first value based on the number of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than the set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame being in a second range greater than the first range.

5. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: In a state where the above user input is not received, changing the settings of the camera to acquire multiple single exposure image frames with a lower exposure value based on confirming that the most recently acquired single exposure image frame contains a set percentage or more of pixels with a set brightness value or higher, An electronic device that stores the plurality of single-exposure image frames obtained with the low exposure value in the memory.

6. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: An electronic device that checks the brightness distribution of some pixels having a brightness value higher than a set brightness value of the first single exposure image frame.

7. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 6, including display; The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: An electronic device that displays the plurality of long exposure image frames, excluding the plurality of short exposure image frames, as a preview screen on the display.

8. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 7, The above instructions, when individually or collectively executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: An electronic device that checks the brightness distribution of one single exposure image frame per a set number of single exposure image frames among the above multiple single exposure image frames.

9. In paragraph 1, The above instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to: Based on confirming that the first short exposure image frame includes pixels having a set brightness value or higher in a set ratio or more, reducing the brightness value of the pixels having a brightness value or higher in the first short exposure image frame, An electronic device that generates the HDR image based on the first long exposure image frame and the first short exposure image frame with the reduced brightness value.

10. In a method for controlling an electronic device, An operation of storing a plurality of long exposure image frames and a plurality of short exposure image frames acquired through a camera of the electronic device in a memory of the electronic device; An operation of checking in real time multiple brightness distributions of pixels included in each of the multiple single exposure image frames when the multiple single exposure image frames are stored; An action to receive user input for image capture; An operation of adjusting the brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame based on the brightness distribution of the first short exposure image frame most recently stored before receiving the user input among the brightness distributions; and A control method of an electronic device, comprising: an operation of generating an HDR (high dynamic range) image based on a first long-exposure image frame that is most recently stored before receiving the user input among the plurality of long-exposure image frames and a first short-exposure image frame whose brightness value is adjusted; 11. In paragraph 10, The operation of checking the above multiple brightness distributions in real time is as follows: Based on the brightness values ​​of the plurality of pixels of the first short-exposure image frame, the plurality of pixels of the first short-exposure image frame are divided into a plurality of brightness ranges, Check the number of pixels corresponding to each of the above multiple brightness ranges, An operation of adjusting the brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first single-exposure image frame is, Check the differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among multiple brightness ranges greater than the set brightness value, A control method of an electronic device for maintaining the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame based on the above differences being less than a set value.

12. In paragraph 10, The operation of checking the above multiple brightness distributions in real time is as follows: Based on the brightness values ​​of the plurality of pixels of the first short-exposure image frame, the plurality of pixels of the first short-exposure image frame are divided into a plurality of brightness ranges, By checking the number of pixels corresponding to each of the plurality of brightness ranges, the brightness distribution of the first single exposure image frame is confirmed, An operation of adjusting the brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first single-exposure image frame is, Check the differences in the number of pixels between adjacent brightness ranges among multiple brightness ranges greater than the set brightness value, A control method of an electronic device for increasing the brightness value of the first short-exposure image frame based on at least one of the above differences being greater than or equal to a set value.

13. In paragraph 12, An operation of adjusting the brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first single-exposure image frame is, Based on the number of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than or equal to the set brightness value of the first short-exposure image frame being in the first range, the brightness value of the first short-exposure image frame is increased by a first value, A control method of an electronic device that increases the brightness value of the first short exposure image frame by a second value greater than the first value based on the number of pixels having brightness values ​​greater than the set brightness value of the first short exposure image frame being in a second range greater than the first range.

14. In any one of paragraphs 10 to 13, In a state where the user input is not received, an operation of changing the settings of the camera to acquire a plurality of single exposure image frames with a lower exposure value based on confirming that the most recently acquired single exposure image frame contains a set percentage or more of pixels having a set brightness value or higher; further comprising; The operation of storing the above multiple single exposure image frames in the memory is: A control method of an electronic device for storing the plurality of single-exposure image frames obtained with the low exposure value in the memory.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are: Store a plurality of long exposure image frames and a plurality of short exposure image frames acquired through a camera of the electronic device in the memory of the electronic device, When the above multiple single exposure image frames are stored, multiple brightness distributions of pixels included in each of the multiple single exposure image frames are confirmed in real time, Receive user input for image capture, Adjusting the brightness value of at least some of the plurality of pixels of the first short exposure image frame based on the brightness distribution of the first short exposure image frame most recently stored before receiving the user input among the brightness distributions, A recording medium including instructions for generating an HDR (high dynamic range) image based on a first long-exposure image frame most recently stored before receiving the user input among the plurality of long-exposure image frames and a first short-exposure image frame with adjusted brightness values.

Images