Image Transparency Data Segmentation for Efficient Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image and video formats that support transparency require specialized hardware and software, are not widely supported, and consume abundant processing and memory resources, limiting their portability and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A method to transform source image data by separating color information and transparency information into distinct regions within the image, allowing for efficient storage and compression in formats that do not natively support transparency, such as H.264 and JPEG, enabling the use of widely supported codecs and reducing file sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If transparency information is stored using specialized formats (e.g., RGBA), then transparency support is improved, but portability and hardware compatibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image data into two distinct components: a first set of image data representing the visual content and a second set of image data representing the transparency information. This segmentation allows the transparency data to be stored separately from the main image data, enabling compatibility with standard image formats while preserving transparency information. The separated transparency data can be processed and applied during rendering without requiring specialized format support throughout the entire image processing chain.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts transparency information from the source image data and stores it as separate second image data. This extraction allows the transparency information to be removed from the main image stream, enabling the use of widely supported compression formats (H.264, JPEG) for the primary image data while maintaining transparency information in a compatible format that can be applied during the compositing process.
2Reliability
If transparency information is stored in specialized formats, then transparency quality is improved, but processing resources and memory consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
By extracting transparency information into separate second image data, the patent enables independent processing optimization. The main image data can be compressed using efficient standard formats (H.264, JPEG) while transparency data is processed separately, reducing the overall processing burden on specialized hardware and lowering memory requirements compared to storing full RGBA data for all pixels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies transparency information selectively only where needed in the image, rather than maintaining full transparency data for all pixels. This local quality approach processes and applies transparency effects only in regions where transparent elements are present, significantly reducing processing resources and memory consumption while maintaining transparency quality where required.
3Reliability
If transparency information is embedded in image data, then transparency functionality is improved, but file size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts transparency information into separate second image data that can be stored more efficiently. By separating transparency data from the main image data, the patent enables the use of highly efficient compression algorithms (H.264, JPEG) on the primary image content while storing transparency information in a more compact format, resulting in smaller overall file sizes compared to storing full RGBA data for all pixels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by storing transparency information only for regions where it is actually needed, rather than maintaining full transparency data for the entire image. This selective storage approach significantly reduces the quantity of data that needs to be stored and transmitted, decreasing file size while preserving transparency functionality where required.
Data Source
AI summary
Colour information and transparency information of pixels of a source image, which may be a partially transparent overlay image of a format that natively support transparency, are stored as a transformed image. The transformed image is of a format that does not natively support transparency. The transformed image has two disjoint regions, one storing the source color information and the other storing the source transparency information. The transformed image can be used as a representation of the overlay image when compositing with a base image.