Method, system, and software for signal processing using sheep and shepherd artifacts
View Patent ↗A method, system, and software are disclosed for improving the quality of a signal. A signal is converted to a digital representation and then segregated into separate data sets based on one or more properties of the data sets. Data sets exhibiting relatively more information associated with a selected property are designated as shepherd artifacts, and data sets exhibiting relatively less information associated with a selected property are designated as sheep artifacts. A representative shepherd artifact is then used to guide a representative sheep artifact, resulting in a guided artifact with enhanced signal properties. This process may be repeated for other categories of signal properties. The resulting guided artifacts may then be combined to form a processed signal with one or more enhanced properties having increased quality. The present invention finds particular application in photography and digital film processing, whereby the illustrated method may be used to improve image quality.
1. A method comprising:
obtaining a first set of information representing an artifact of an original signal to a first degree of quality;
obtaining a second set of information representing the artifact of the original signal to a second degree of quality different from the first degree of quality;
determining which of the first set of information and the second set of information represents the artifact of the original signal to a higher degree of quality and which represents the artifact of the original signal to a lesser degree of quality; and
altering the set of information representing the artifact of the original signal to a lesser degree of quality, based on the set of information representing the artifact of the original signal to a higher degree of quality, to enhance quality of the original signal.
2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein said altering includes performing a Fourier transform analysis on the first set of information and the second set of information.
3. The method as in claim 2 , wherein said altering further includes using a phase of the set of information representing the artifact to a higher degree of quality to adjust a phase of the set of information representing the artifact to lesser degree of quality.
4. The method as in claim 2 , wherein said altering further includes using a magnitude of the set of information representing the artifact to a higher degree of quality to adjust a magnitude of the set of information representing the artifact to lesser degree of quality.
5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are a digital representation of an analog image.
6. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are obtained using a scanner.
7. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are obtained using a digital camera.
8. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are obtained using a digital film development system.
9. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are a digital representation of an analog image.
10. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are a digital representation of an analog image.
11. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are obtained using a digital film development system.
12. A digital film development system comprising:
a film processing system, said film processing system including an image capturing station capable of obtaining sets of data representing a single image formed in film; and
a data processing system, said data processing system including:
a processor;
memory operably coupled to said processor; and
a program of instructions capable of being stored in said memory and executed by said processor, said program of instructions including instructions for:
obtaining a first set of information representing an artifact of the single image to a first degree of quality;
obtaining a second set of information representing the artifact of the single image to a second degree of quality different from the first degree of quality;
determining which of the first set of information and the second set of information represents the artifact of the single image to a higher degree of quality and which represents the artifact of the single image to a lesser degree of quality; and
altering the set of information representing the artifact of the single image to a lesser degree of quality, based on the set of information representing the artifact of the single image to a higher degree of quality, to enhance quality of the single image.
13. The digital film development system as in claim 12 , wherein said program of instructions includes instructions for performing a Fourier transform analysis on the first set of information and the second set of information.
14. The digital film development system as in claim 13 , wherein said program of instructions includes instructions for using a phase of the set of information representing the artifact to a higher degree of quality to adjust a phase of the set of information representing the artifact to lesser degree of quality.
15. The digital film development system as in claim 13 , wherein said program of instructions includes instructions for using a magnitude of the set of information representing the artifact to a higher degree of quality to adjust a magnitude of the set of information representing the artifact to lesser degree of quality.
16. A digital image tangibly embodied in a computer readable medium, said digital image generated from a single original image of a subject according to a method comprising:
obtaining a first set of information representing an artifact of the original image to a first degree of quality;
obtaining a second set of information representing the artifact of the original image to a second degree of quality different from the first degree of quality;
determining which of the first set of information and the second set of information represents the artifact of the original image to a higher degree of quality and which represents the artifact of the original image to a lesser degree of quality; and
altering the set of information representing the artifact of the original image to a lesser degree of quality, based on the set of information representing the artifact of the original image to a higher degree of quality, to enhance quality of the original image in order to generate said digital image.
17. The digital image as in claim 16 , wherein said altering includes performing a Fourier transform analysis on the first set of information and the second set of information.
18. The digital image as in claim 17 , wherein said altering further includes using a phase of the set of information representing the artifact to a higher degree of quality to adjust a phase of the set of information representing the artifact to lesser degree of quality.
19. The digital image as in claim 17 , wherein said altering further includes using a magnitude of the set of information representing the artifact to a higher degree of quality to adjust a magnitude of the set of information representing the artifact to lesser degree of quality.
20. The digital image as in claim 16 , wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are obtained using a scanner.
21. The digital image as in claim 16 , wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are obtained using a digital camera.
22. The digital image as in claim 16 , wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are obtained using a digital film processing system.
23. A method comprising:
illuminating an image;
recording one digital representation of the image;
selecting, from the one digital representation, a first set of information representing a portion of the image;
selecting, from the one digital representation, a second set of information representing the portion of the image, the second set of information being different from the first set of information;
generating, from one of the first set of information and the second set of information, a shepherd artifact representing an image artifact with a higher degree of quality;
generating, from the other of the first set of information and the second set of information, a sheep artifact representing the image artifact with a lesser degree of quality; and
altering the sheep artifact using the shepherd artifact to improve the degree of quality with which the sheep artifact represents the image artifact.
24. The method as in claim 23 , wherein said altering includes performing a Fourier transform analysis on the first set of information and the second set of information.
25. The method as in claim 24 , wherein said altering further includes using a phase of the set of information representing the artifact to a higher degree of quality to adjust a phase of the set of information representing the artifact to lesser degree of quality.
26. The method as in claim 25 , wherein said altering further includes using a magnitude of the set of information representing the artifact to a higher degree of quality to adjust a magnitude of the set of information representing the artifact to lesser degree of quality.
27. The method as in claim 23 , wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are obtained using a scanner.
28. A method of enhancing an original signal, comprising:
obtaining two sets of data from the original signal, one set being a plurality of shepard artifacts having relatively more information associated with a selected property of the original signal, and another set being a plurality of sheep artifacts having relatively less information associated with the selected property of the original signal;
selecting a representative shepard artifact from the plurality of shepard artifacts, and selecting a representative sheep artifact from the plurality of sheep artifacts; and
using the selected representative shepard artifact as a guide to alter the selected representative sheep artifact to enhance the original signal.
29. A method comprising:
obtaining a first set of information representing an artifact to a first degree of quality;
obtaining a second set of information representing the artifact to a second degree of quality different from the first degree of quality;
determining which of the first set of information and the second set of information represents the artifact to a higher degree of quality and which represents the artifact to a lesser degree of quality; and
altering only the set of information representing the artifact to a lesser degree of quality, based on the set of information representing the artifact to a higher degree of quality, to provide enhanced quality.
30. A digital image tangibly embodied in a computer readable medium, said digital image generated according to a method comprising:
obtaining a first set of information representing an artifact to a first degree of quality;
obtaining a second set of information representing the artifact to a second degree of quality different from the first degree of quality;
determining which of the first set of information and the second set of information represents the artifact to a higher degree of quality and which represents the artifact to a lesser degree of quality; and
altering only the set of information representing the artifact to a lesser degree of quality, based on the set of information representing the artifact to a higher degree of quality, to provide enhanced quality of said digital image.