Red-eye filter method and apparatus

1. A digital image acquisition system having no photographic film, comprising a portable apparatus for capturing digital images, a flash unit for providing illumination during image capture, and a red-eye filter for detecting a region within a captured image indicative of a red-eye phenomenon, said detection being based upon a comparison of said captured image and at least one reference eye color characteristic,

wherein said at least one reference eye color characteristic comprises an eye color characteristic of a reference image of nominally the same scene taken without flash, and wherein the reference image comprises a preview image of lower pixel resolution than the captured image, the filter including programming code for matching the pixel resolutions of the captured and reference images by at least one of up-sampling the preview image and sub-sampling the captured image.

2. A system according to claim 1 , the filter including further programming code for aligning at least portions of the captured image and reference image prior to said comparison.

3. A system according to claim 2 , wherein the filter also includes a shape analyser so that the filter is configured to identify a region in the captured image having both a shape and color indicative of a red-eye phenomenon for subsequent comparison with the corresponding region in the reference image.

4. A system according to claim 2 , wherein the filter also includes a shape analyser to determine subsequent to said comparison whether a region designated as indicative of a red-eye phenomenon has a shape indicative of a red-eye phenomenon.

5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one reference eye color characteristic comprises an eye color characteristic of a reference image of nominally the same scene taken without flash, and the filter further including programming code for spatially aligning at least portions of the captured image and reference image prior to said comparison.

6. A system according to claim 5 , wherein the filter also includes a shape analyser so that the filter is configured to identify a region in the captured image having both a shape and color indicative of a red-eye phenomenon for subsequent comparison with the corresponding region in the reference image.

7. A system according to claim 5 , wherein the filter also includes a shape analyser to determine subsequent to said comparison whether a region designated as indicative of a red-eye phenomenon has a shape indicative of a red-eye phenomenon.

8. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the filter detects said region indicative of a red-eye phenomenon by identifying a region in the captured image at least having a color indicative of a red-eye phenomenon and comparing said identified region with the corresponding region in the reference image, the filter further designating said region as indicative of a red-eye phenomenon if said corresponding region does not have a color indicative of a red-eye phenomenon.

9. A system according to claim 8 , wherein the decision as to whether a region has a color indicative of a red-eye phenomenon is determined on a statistical basis as a global operation on the entire region.

10. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said digital image acquisition system is a camera is a combination of a digital camera and an external processing device.

11. A system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said red-eye filter is located in said external processing device.

12. A system according to claim 1 , further including a pixel modifier for modifying the color of the pixels within a region indicative of a red-eye phenomenon.

13. A system according to claim 1 , further including a pixel modifier for modifying the color of the pixels within a region indicative of a red-eye phenomenon.

14. A digital image acquisition system having no photographic film, comprising a portable apparatus for capturing digital images, a flash unit for providing illumination during image capture, and a red-eye filter for detecting a region within a captured image indicative of a red-eye phenomenon, said detection being based upon a comparison of said captured image and at least one reference eye color characteristic,

wherein the filter also includes a shape analyser so that the filter is configured to identify a region in the captured image having both a shape and color indicative of a red-eye phenomenon for subsequent comparison with stored information of characteristics of red eye phenomenon, and

wherein the at least one reference eye color characteristic is determined from a reference image of lower pixel resolution than the captured image, the filter including programming code for matching the pixel resolutions of the captured and reference images by at least one of up-sampling the reference image and sub-sampling the captured image.

15. A digital image acquisition system having no photographic film, comprising a portable apparatus for capturing digital images, a flash unit for providing illumination during image capture, and a red-eye filter for detecting a region within a captured image indicative of a red-eye phenomenon, said detection being based upon a comparison of said captured image and at least one reference eye color characteristic, wherein the filter also includes a shape analyser to determine subsequent to said comparison whether a region designated as indicative of a red-eye phenomenon has a shape indicative of a red-eye phenomenon, and wherein the at least one reference eye color characteristic is determined from a reference image of lower pixel resolution than the captured image, the filter including programming code for matching the pixel resolutions of the captured and reference images by at least one of up-sampling the reference image and sub-sampling the captured image.

16. A system according to claim 15 , wherein said digital image acquisition system comprises a digital camera.

17. A digital image acquisition system having no photographic film, comprising a portable apparatus for capturing digital images, a flash unit for providing illumination during image capture, and a red-eye filter for detecting a region within a captured image indicative of a red-eye phenomenon, said detection being based upon a comparison of said captured image and at least one reference eye color characteristic, wherein the filter also includes a shape analyser so that the filter is configured to identify a region in the captured image having both a shape and color indicative of a red- eye phenomenon for subsequent comparison with a reference eye shape characteristic and the reference eye color characteristic, respectively, and

wherein the at least one reference eye color characteristic is determined from a reference image of lower pixel resolution than the captured image, the filter including programming code for matching the pixel resolutions of the captured and reference images by at least one of up-sampling the reference image and sub-sampling the captured image.

18. A system according to claim 17 , further including a pixel modifier for modifying the color of the pixels within a region indicative of a red-eye phenomenon.

19. A digital image acquisition system having no photographic film, comprising a portable apparatus for capturing digital images, a flash unit for providing illumination during image capture, and a red-eye filter for detecting red-eye phenomenon in a captured image based upon a comparison of said captured image and a reference image of nominally the same scene taken without flash, wherein the reference image is a preview image of lower pixel resolution than the captured image, the filter including means for matching the pixel resolutions of the captured and reference images by at least one of up-sampling the preview image and sub-sampling the captured image.

20. A system according to claim 19 , the filter further including means for aligning at least portions of the captured image and reference image prior to said comparison.

21. A system according to claim 20 , wherein the filter detects said red-eye phenomenon by identifying a region in the captured image having a color indicative of a red-eye phenomenon and comparing said identified region with the corresponding region in the reference image, the filter further designating said region as indicative of a red-eye phenomenon if said corresponding region does not have a color indicative of a red-eye phenomenon.

22. A system according to claim 19 , wherein the decision as to whether a region has a color indicative of a red-eye phenomenon is determined on a statistical basis as a global operation on the entire region.

23. A system according to claim 19 , wherein the filter detects said red-eye phenomenon by identifying a region in the captured image having a color indicative of a red-eye phenomenon and comparing said identified region with the corresponding region in the reference image, the filter further designating said region as indicative of a red-eye phenomenon if said corresponding region does not have a color indicative of a red-eye phenomenon.

24. A digital image acquisition system having no photographic film, comprising a portable apparatus for capturing digital images, a flash unit for providing illumination during image capture, and a red-eye filter for detecting a region within a captured image indicative of a red-eye phenomenon, said red eye filter comprising a falsing analyzer for processing the captured image around the region for details indicative of an image of an eye, and wherein the detecting is based upon a comparison of an eye grouping characteristic of said captured image and at least one reference eye grouping characteristic, and wherein the reference eye grouping characteristic is determined from a reference image of lower pixel resolution than the captured image, the filter including programming code for matching the pixel resolutions of the captured and reference images by at least one of up-sampling the reference image and sub-sampling the captured image.

25. A system according to claim 24 , wherein said at least one reference eye grouping characteristic comprises an eye grouping characteristic of a reference image of nominally the same scene taken without flash, and wherein the reference image is a preview image of lower pixel resolution than the captured image, the filter including programming code for matching the pixel resolutions of the captured and reference images by at least one of up-sampling the preview image and sub-sampling the captured image.

26. A system according to claim 25 , the filter including further programming code for aligning at least portions of the captured image and reference image prior to said comparison.

27. A system according to claim 26 , wherein the filter also includes a shape analyser so that the filter is configured to identify a region in the captured image having both a shape and grouping indicative of a red-eye phenomenon for subsequent comparison with the corresponding region in the reference image.

28. A system according to claim 26 , wherein the filter also includes a shape analyser to determine subsequent to said comparison whether a region designated as indicative of a red-eye phenomenon has a shape indicative of a red-eye phenomenon.

29. A method of detecting a red-eye phenomenon within a digital image acquired by a digital image acquisition device having no photographic film, the device comprising a portable apparatus for capturing digital images, and a flash unit for providing illumination during image capture, the method comprising identifying a region within a captured image indicative of a red-eye phenomenon including comparing said captured image and at least one reference eye grouping characteristic and processing the captured image around the region for details indicative of an image of an eye, and wherein the reference eye grouping characteristic is determined from a reference image of lower pixel resolution than the captured image, the filter including programming code for matching the pixel resolutions of the captured and reference images by at least one of up-sampling the reference image and sub-sampling the captured image.

30. A method according to claim 29 , wherein said at least one reference eye grouping characteristic comprises an eye grouping characteristic of a reference image of nominally the same scene taken without flash, and wherein the reference image is a preview image of lower pixel resolution than the captured image, the method further comprising matching the pixel resolutions of the captured and reference images including up-sampling the preview image or sub-sampling the captured image, or a combination thereof.

31. A method according to claim 30 , further comprising aligning at least portions of the captured image and reference image prior to said comparison.

32. A method according to claim 31 , further comprising analysing a shape so that the identifying comprises identifying a region in the captured image having both a shape and grouping indicative of a red-eye phenomenon for subsequent comparison with the corresponding region in the reference image.

33. A method according to claim 31 , further comprising analysing a shape to determine subsequent to said comparison whether a region designated as indicative of a red-eye phenomenon has a shape indicative of a red-eye phenomenon.

34. A method according to claim 29 , further comprising correcting the red eye phenomenon, comprising separating a red pupil color component from an iris color component of a pupil/iris pixel, and modifying the red pupil color component to a black component.

35. A digital image acquisition system having no photographic film, comprising a portable apparatus for capturing digital images, a flash unit for providing illumination during image capture, and a red-eye filter for detecting a region within a captured image indicative of a red-eye phenomenon, said detection being based upon a comparison of said captured image and at least one reference eye color characteristic,

wherein the filter also includes a grouping analyser so that the filter is configured to identify a region in the captured image having both a grouping characteristic and color indicative of a red-eye phenomenon for subsequent comparison with a reference eye grouping characteristic and the reference eye color characteristic, respectively, and

wherein the reference eye grouping or color characteristic, or both, is determined from a reference image of lower pixel resolution than the captured image, the filter including programming code for matching the pixel resolutions of the captured and reference images by at least one of up-sampling the reference image and sub-sampling the captured image.