Image Processing Apparatus for Inclusive Photo Album Layout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for creating photo albums automatically exclude photographs taken on dates with a small number of images, resulting in these photos not being laid out in the album.
Innovation Solution
An image processing method and apparatus that automatically selects and lays out images in an album by categorizing images based on photographing date and time, and scoring images for suitability in the layout, ensuring that images from all date groups are included.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If photographs are divided into groups based on capture dates and only groups with a large number of photographs are used as evaluation targets, then the evaluation process becomes more efficient and manageable, but photographs from groups with a small number of photographs are excluded from the album layout
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of excluding groups with small numbers of photographs, the invention inverts the approach by setting a lower threshold for including such groups in the evaluation process. This ensures that photographs from all date groups, regardless of quantity, have a chance to be selected for the album layout.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameter of group selection criteria by adjusting the threshold for the number of photographs required for group evaluation. This parameter change allows groups with fewer photographs to be included in the evaluation, preventing information loss while maintaining manageable evaluation scales.
2Loss of information
If all photographs from all date groups are included as evaluation targets, then comprehensive image selection is achieved, but the complexity of the evaluation process increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the evaluation process into distinct stages: first dividing photographs into date-based groups, then evaluating groups that meet the threshold criteria, and finally selecting individual photographs from evaluated groups. This segmentation manages complexity while maintaining comprehensive selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies partial action by not evaluating all groups uniformly, but rather selecting groups based on a threshold criterion. This partial evaluation approach reduces process complexity while still achieving comprehensive image selection from the included groups.
Data Source
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AI summary
An image processing apparatus includes an identifying means (1105) identifying, based on a photographing date and time of each item of image data of an image data group, a photographing period of the image data group, a dividing means (1105) dividing the identified photographing period into a plurality of photographing sections, a selection means (1108) selecting image data from an image data group corresponding to a target photographing section, and a generation means (212) generating a layout image by arranging an image based on the selected image data, wherein the selection means repeats selection of image data by setting an unselected photographing section as a next target photographing section to select a number of items of image data corresponding to a set number to be selected from the image data group, and wherein the number of photographing sections is determined according to the set number.