Navigating digital images using detail-in-context lenses

1. A method comprising:

constructing an appearance of a lens by a data processing system for display of a selected region of an image to magnify the selected region of the image in comparison with a portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens; and

constructing a zoomed-in view of the image by the data processing system by increasing magnification of the portion of the image outside the appearance of the lens successively as an animation until the magnification of the portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens corresponds with the magnification of the selected region of the image within the appearance of the lens at which point the appearance of the lens is no longer displayed.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the constructing of the appearance of the lens is performed in response to receipt of a signal that indicates that the selected region of the image is to be selected; and

the constructing of the zoomed-in view is performed in response to receipt of a signal indicating that the displaying of the appearance of the lens is to be replaced by the zoomed-in view.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the constructing of the zoomed-in view includes moving the image on a display to center the appearance of the lens on the display.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the zoomed-in view is displayed simultaneously with the moving of the image on the display.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the appearance of the lens remains stationary for display as the zoomed-in view is displayed.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the magnification of the selected region of the image stays constant as the zoomed-in view is displayed.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the constructing of the appearance of the lens includes magnifying the selected region at a scale greater than the portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the appearance of the lens includes a shoulder region that surrounds a focal region to provide a transition between a magnification of the focal region and the portion of the image outside the appearance of the lens.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the appearance of the lens is of a fisheye lens.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a signal at a data processing system to zoom-out from a magnified view of an image; and

displaying an animation by the data processing system in response to the receiving, the animation including an appearance of a lens for a region of the magnified view of the image having a magnification that remains constant as a magnification of a portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens is decreased.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the displaying includes moving the image on a display to center the appearance of the lens on the display.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the appearance of the lens remains stationary on a display for the displaying.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the displaying includes magnifying the region at a scale greater than the portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the appearance of the lens includes a focal region that corresponds to the region and a shoulder region that surrounds the focal region to provide a transition between the magnification of the focal region and the portion of the image outside the appearance of the lens.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the transition is continuous.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the appearance of the lens is of a fisheye lens.

17. An article of manufacture including a computer-readable medium device having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a data processing system, causes the data processing system to perform operations comprising:

displaying an appearance of a lens for a selected region of an image to magnify the selected region of the image in comparison with a portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens; and

displaying an animation that includes increasing magnification of the portion of the image outside the appearance of the lens until the magnification of the portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens corresponds with the magnification of the selected region of the image within the appearance of the lens at which point the appearance of the lens is no longer displayed.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17 , wherein:

the displaying the appearance of the lens is performed in response to receipt of a signal that indicates that the selected region of the image is to be selected; and

the displaying of the animation is performed in response to receipt of a signal indicating that the displaying of the appearance of the lens is to be replaced by the animation.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17 , wherein the displaying of the animation includes moving the image on a display to center the appearance of the lens on the display.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 17 , wherein the appearance of the lens remains stationary on a display as the displaying of the animation is performed.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 17 , wherein the magnification of the selected region of the image stays constant as the displaying of the animation is performed.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 17 , wherein the selected region is magnified at a scale greater than the portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens as the displaying of the appearance of the lens is performed.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 17 , wherein the appearance of the lens includes:

a focal region that includes the selected region having the magnification; and

a shoulder region that surrounds the focal region to provide a transition between the magnification of the focal region and the portion of the image outside the appearance of the lens.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 17 , wherein the appearance of the lens is of a fisheye lens.

25. An article of manufacture including a computer-readable medium device having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a data processing system, causes the data processing system to display an animation including an appearance of a lens for a region of a magnified view of an image having a magnification that remains constant as a magnification of a portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens is decreased.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25 , wherein the display of the animation includes moving the image on a display to center the appearance of the lens on the display.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 25 , wherein the appearance of the lens remains stationary on a display as the animation is displayed.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 25 , wherein the region is magnified at a scale greater than the portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens as the animation is displayed.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 25 , wherein the appearance of the lens includes a focal region that corresponds to the region and a shoulder region that surrounds the focal region to provide a transition between the magnification of the focal region and the portion of the image outside the appearance of the lens.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 25 , wherein the appearance of the lens is of a fisheye lens.

31. A method comprising:

constructing an animation by a data processing system, the animation including an appearance of a lens for a region of a magnified view of an image having a magnification that remains constant as a magnification of a portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens is decreased; and

causing display of the animation by the data processing system.

32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the causing of the display of the animation includes moving the image on a display to center the appearance of the lens on the display.

33. The method of claim 31 , wherein the causing of the display of the animation is performed such that the appearance of the lens remains stationary.

34. The method of claim 31 , wherein the region is magnified at a scale greater than the portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens as the animation is displayed.

35. The method of claim 31 , wherein the appearance of the lens includes a focal region that corresponds to the region and a shoulder region that surrounds the focal region to provide a transition between the magnification of the focal region and the portion of the image outside the appearance of the lens.

36. The method of claim 31 , wherein the appearance of the lens is of a fisheye lens.