Image Color Palette Control for Faster Content Editing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing contents editing applications face usability challenges in selecting and matching colors, particularly when users aim to replicate the colors of actual items or objects, due to limited color palettes and time-consuming manual methods like RGB value input or dropper functions.

Innovation Solution

A contents editing application with an enhanced user interface that facilitates color palette selection by allowing users to easily set a color scheme that matches their intended colors, including features like a color palette display control and automatic color matching based on image analysis.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a limited color palette is provided in the contents editing application, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the adaptability to match actual item colors deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of color selectionVSAvoidcolor matching capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary color analysis on reference images to extract and store characteristic colors before the user needs them. When a user selects a reference image, the system has already processed the image to identify dominant colors, enabling immediate color palette generation without delays during the editing process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a copy of the color information from reference images by extracting dominant colors and generating a color palette that replicates the color scheme of the reference material. This allows users to work with copied color data rather than manually inputting RGB values or using dropper tools.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Manufacturing precision

If manual color selection methods (RGB input, dropper function) are used, then the manufacturing precision of color matching is improved, but the productivity and time efficiency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor matching precisionVSAvoidcolor selection speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service by automatically analyzing reference images and generating color palettes without requiring manual user intervention. The color extraction and palette generation happen automatically when the user selects a reference image, eliminating the need for manual RGB value input or repeated dropper tool usage while maintaining accurate color matching.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces manual mechanical operations (using dropper tools, typing RGB values) with automated image processing and color analysis algorithms. The computer vision and image processing capabilities automatically extract colors from reference images, substituting the manual mechanical process with an automated computational system that is both faster and equally precise.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If automatic color extraction from images is implemented, then the productivity and ease of operation are improved, but the measurement precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor scheme setup speedVSAvoidcolor extraction accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the dominant and characteristic colors from reference images rather than attempting to capture all possible colors. By focusing on the most significant colors (those that appear most frequently or have the highest saturation), the system achieves accurate color matching with fewer extracted colors, reducing the complexity of the measurement process while maintaining productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP4682830A1Information processing apparatus, method for controlling information processing apparatus, and storage medium
Publication Date: 2026.01.21 CANON KK
  • EP4682830A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4682830A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4682830A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium (104) storing a program which causes a computer to execute: obtaining (S1203) image data; and displaying (S1205), on a basis of that a specific color included in the obtained image data is automatically extracted, a first color palette (79) including a color object indicating the specific color, the specific color being at least one, but not all, of colors of a plurality of colors included in the obtained image data, wherein the displaying includes changing a color of editing target contents (73) to the specific color on a basis of that the color object indicating the specific color is selected in the first color palette.