IP Library Granted Patent US 9,948,909
Granted Patent B2
US 9,948,909 · App. 15/199,760 · Granted Apr 17, 2018

Apparatus and a method for modifying colors of a focal stack of a scene according to a color palette

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,948,909
App. No.
15/199,760
Granted
Apr 17, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention generally relates to COLOR transfer between two images. COLOR transfer is a known technic consisting in modifying the COLORs of a source image by applying the COLOR palette of an example image without changing the source image structure. A lot of COLOR transfer method are known which consist in transferring COLORs between two images, however, those methods do not preserve the quality of the bokeh in areas of an images that are not in focus at a given depth. This results in a navigation in the depth dimension that is not smooth. It is proposed to modify the COLORs of a focal stack of a scene according to a COLOR palette by propagating the COLORs of the pixels in focus in different layers of the reCOLORed focal stack to the layers of the reCOLORed focal stack located behind the layer wherein a considered pixel is in focus.

Claims (15)

1. An apparatus for modifying COLORs of a focal stack of a scene according to a COLOR palette comprising a processor configured to:

apply the COLOR palette to an all-in-focus image generated from said focal stack,

estimate the COLOR of a not-in-focus pixel in a layer of a reCOLORed focal stack generated from the obtained reCOLORed all-in-focus image of the scene depending on a COLOR and on a position in said reCOLORed focal stack of at least one pixel in focus in at least one layer of said reCOLORed focal stack.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to store, during the generation of the all-in-focus image, a position in the focal stack of a layer wherein a pixel is in focus.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to generate the reCOLORed focal stack by putting a pixel of the reCOLORed all-in-focus image back into the layer of the reCOLORed focal stack wherein said pixel is in focus.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to propagate the COLOR of a pixel in focus in a layer of the reCOLORed focal stack to the other layers of the reCOLORed focal stack by computing a convolution of said pixel in focus with a kernel.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein, when a pixel is in focus in a layer of the reCOLORed focal stack, the processor is configured to associate the COLOR of said pixel in the reCOLORed all-in-focus to said pixel in focus in said layer of the reCOLORed focal stack.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the processor is configured to estimate the COLOR of a pixel in a layer of said reCOLORed focal stack wherein said pixel is not in focus by computing a weighted average of the COLORs associated to said pixel in other layers located before said layer in the reCOLORed focal stack.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the weights used in the computation of the weighted average are inversely proportional to a distance in the reCOLORed focal stack between the layer in which the COLOR to be associated to the pixel is computed and the layer wherein said pixel is in focus.

8. A method for modifying COLORs of a focal stack of a scene according to a COLOR palette comprising: applying the COLOR palette to an all-in-focus image generated from said focal stack, estimating the COLOR of a not-in-focus pixel in a layer of a reCOLORed focal stack generated from the obtained reCOLORed all-in-focus image of the scene depending on a COLOR and on a position in said reCOLORed focal stack of at least one pixel in focus in at least one layer of said reCOLORed focal stack.

9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising generating the reCOLORed focal stack by pulling a pixel of the reCOLORed all-in-focus image back into the layer of the reCOLORed focal stack wherein said pixel is in focus.

10. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising propagating the COLOR of a pixel in focus in a layer of the reCOLORed focal stack to the other layers of the reCOLORed focal stack by computing a convolution of said pixel in focus with a kernel.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising estimating the COLOR of a pixel in a layer of said reCOLORed focal stack wherein said pixel is not in focus by computing a weighted average of the COLORs associated to said pixel in other layers located before said layer in the reCOLORed focal stack.

12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the weights used in the computation of the weighted average are inversely proportional to a distance in the reCOLORed focal stack between the layer in which the COLOR to be associated to the pixel is computed and the layer wherein said pixel is in focus.

13. Non-transitory storage medium carrying instructions of program code for executing the method modifying COLORs of a focal stack of a scene according to a COLOR palette according to claim 8 , when said program is executed on a computing device.

Assignments (3)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE RECEIVING PARTY NAME FROM INTERDIGITAL CE PATENT HOLDINGS TO INTERDIGITAL CE PATENT HOLDINGS, SAS. PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 47332 FRAME: 511. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Feb 28, 2024
From: THOMSON LICENSING
To: INTERDIGITAL CE PATENT HOLDINGS, SAS
Reel/Frame 066703/0509 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 26, 2018
From: THOMSON LICENSING
To: INTERDIGITAL CE PATENT HOLDINGS
Reel/Frame 047332/0511 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 17, 2017
From: DEMOULIN, VINCENT; SABATER, NEUS
To: THOMSON LICENSING
Reel/Frame 041288/0088 →