Face tracker and partial face tracker for red-eye filter method and apparatus

1. A portable digital image capturing device having no photographic film, comprising:

a flash for providing illumination during image acquisition;

an optical system including a lens and an image sensor for capturing a main digital image;

a half-face tracker for identifying only one or more half-face regions within a series of one or more relatively low resolution reference images, and predicting an approximate location of said one or more half-face regions within the main digital image;

a half-face analyzer for determining one or more half-face regions in the vicinity of the approximate location within the main digital image predicted by the half-face tracker, each half-face region including only one eye and one or both of only a half nose or only a half mouth region; and

a red-eye filter for modifying an area within the main digital image indicative of a red-eye phenomenon based on an analysis of the one or more half-face regions within the main digital image, each including at least one half-face region predicted by the half-face tracker.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein said red-eye filter is adapted based on a type of at least one of said one or more half-face regions identified within the digital image.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the analysis is performed at least in part for determining said area.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the analysis is performed at least in part for determining said modifying.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least one half-face region within the digital image is not among said one or more half face regions identified within the digital image that are analyzed.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein said analysis is performed in part on a full resolution half-face region and in part on a subsample resolution of at least one different half-face region.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein said modifying the area is performed on a full resolution of at least one-half-face region within the digital image.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein said red-eye filter comprises a plurality of subfilters.

9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a pixel locator for locating pixels having a color indicative of the red-eye phenomenon;

a shape analyzer for determining if a grouping of at least a portion of the pixels located by the pixel locator comprise a shape indicative of the red-eye phenomenon; and

a pixel modifier for modifying the color of the pixels within the grouping.

10. The device of claim 9 , further comprising a falsing analyzer for further processing the digital image in a vicinity of the grouping for details indicative of an eye, and for enabling the pixel modifier in response thereto.

11. The device of claim 9 , further comprising an exposure analyzer for determining if the digital image was acquired in a condition indicative of the red-eye phenomenon.

12. A method of capturing and processing within a portable device a digital image including one or more half-face regions not exhibiting any red eye defect, comprising:

acquiring a series of one or more relatively low resolution reference images;

identifying only one or more half-face regions within the one or more relatively low resolution reference images each including only one eye and one or both of only a half nose or only a half mouth region;

predicting an approximate location of each of the one or more half-face regions within a main digital image based on the identifying;

capturing the main digital image with a portable device that includes a lens and an image sensor;

providing flash illumination during the capturing of the main digital image with the portable device;

determining and analyzing one or more half-face regions each in a vicinity of an approximate location within the main digital image based on the predicting, each including said only one eye and said one or both of only a half nose or only a half mouth region, within the main digital image, while foregoing within the main digital image analysis of at least one other half face region not including an eye; and

modifying an area within the at least one half face region that is determined to be indicative of a red-eye phenomenon based on said analyzing.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising adapting the modifying based on a type of said at least one partial face region.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising determining said area based at least in part on the analyzing.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising determining said modifying based at least in part on the analyzing.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein said analyzing is performed in part on a full resolution half-face region and in part on a subsample resolution of at least one different half-face region.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein said analyzing is performed on a subsample representation of at least one half-face region.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein said subsample representation comprises a subsample resolution representation.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein said modifying the area is performed on a full resolution of at least one half-face region within the image.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein the analyzing and modifying comprise:

locating pixels having a color indicative of the red-eye phenomenon;

determining if a grouping of at least a portion of the pixels located by the pixel locator comprise a shape indicative of the red-eye phenomenon; and

modifying the color of the pixels within the grouping.

21. One or more processor-readable storage devices having code embedded therein for programming a processor to perform a method of capturing and processing within a portable device a digital image including one or more half-face regions not exhibiting any red eye defect, the method comprising:

analyzing a series of one or more relatively low resolution reference images;

identifying only one or more half-face regions within the one or more relatively low resolution reference images each including only one eye and one or both of only a half nose or only a half mouth region;

predicting an approximate location of each of the one or more half-face regions within a main digital image based on the identifying;

capturing the main digital image with a portable device that includes a lens and an image sensor;

providing flash illumination during the capturing of the main digital image with the portable device;

determining and analyzing one or more half-face regions each in a vicinity of an approximate location within the main digital image based on the predicting, each including said only one eye and said one or both of only a half nose or only a half mouth region, within the main digital image, while foregoing within the main digital image analysis of at least one other half face region not including an eye; and

modifying an area within the at least one half face region that is determined to be indicative of a red-eye phenomenon based on said analyzing.

22. The one or more processor-readable storage devices of claim 21 , wherein the method further comprises adapting the modifying based on a type of said at least one half-face region.

23. The one or more processor-readable storage devices of claim 21 , wherein the method further comprises determining said area based at least in part on the analyzing.

24. The one or more processor-readable storage devices of claim 21 , wherein the method further comprises determining said modifying based at least in part on the analyzing.

25. The one or more processor-readable storage devices of claim 21 , wherein said analyzing is performed in part on a full resolution half-face region and in part on a subsample resolution of at least one different half-face region.

26. The one or more processor-readable storage devices of claim 21 , wherein said analyzing is performed on a subsample representation of at least one half-face region.

27. The one or more processor-readable storage devices of claim 26 , wherein said subsample representation comprises a subsample resolution representation.

28. The one or more processor-readable storage devices of claim 21 , wherein said modifying the area is performed on a full resolution of at least one half-face region within the image.

29. The one or more processor-readable storage devices of claim 21 , wherein the analyzing and modifying comprise:

locating pixels having a color indicative of the red-eye phenomenon;

determining if a grouping of at least a portion of the pixels located by the pixel locator comprise a shape indicative of the red-eye phenomenon; and

modifying the color of the pixels within the grouping.