Automated Image Selection for Composite Photos

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users, particularly the bride and groom, face difficulties in creating and sending composite images using a large number of high-quality images from a wedding reception, as existing systems do not facilitate easy selection and arrangement of images featuring specific individuals.

Innovation Solution

An image processing system that acquires a composite image, analyzes its content, specifies individuals, allows designation of persons, and creates a new composite image using images where the designated persons appear, incorporating importance information and comments, and optionally includes associated motion pictures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a large number of high-quality images are acquired from multiple users for creating a composite image, then the image quality and variety improve, but the difficulty of selecting and arranging images featuring specific individuals increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage qualityVSAvoidease of image selection

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual image selection and arrangement operations with automated image processing techniques. The system automatically identifies individuals in images, extracts relevant images featuring designated persons, and arranges them into composite images without requiring manual intervention, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining high image quality and improving ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables automatic self-service functionality where the image processing apparatus autonomously performs image selection, identification, and arrangement tasks. By incorporating automated individual identification and image extraction capabilities, the system serves itself to create composite images without human assistance, thus improving operational ease while preserving image quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Productivity

If automated image arrangement is performed without individual identification, then processing speed improves, but the ability to create personalized composite images focusing on specific individuals deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidpersonalization capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by performing individual identification and image extraction automatically during the image processing workflow. The system pre-identifies individuals in uploaded images, pre-extracts images featuring specific persons, and prepares them for arrangement, thereby maintaining high processing speed while enabling personalized composite image creation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary mechanism in the form of automated individual identification technology that bridges the gap between bulk image processing and personalized output. This intermediary automatically identifies and tags images containing specific individuals, allowing the system to maintain high processing speed while preserving the ability to create personalized composite images featuring designated persons.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If manual selection of images featuring specific persons is required, then image accuracy improves, but the time and effort required for image processing increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage selection accuracyVSAvoidimage processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual image selection operations with automated image processing systems that use individual identification technology. The system automatically identifies individuals in images, extracts relevant images featuring designated persons, and arranges them into composite images, thereby maintaining high selection accuracy while eliminating the time and effort associated with manual selection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS10783355B2Image processing system, image processing method, program, and recording medium

Publication Date: 2020.09.22 FUJIFILM CORP

AI summary

In an image processing system, an image processing method, a program, and a recording medium, a person specifying section specifies a plurality of persons appearing in a first composite image owned by a first user. A designated person receiving section receives designation of one or more persons as designated persons among the plurality of persons appearing in the first composite image. An image specifying section specifies images, in which the designated persons appear, from a first image group owned by the first user. A composite image creation unit creates a second composite image using the images in which the designated persons appear.