Digital image capture device having a panorama mode
A hand-held digital camera has a touch-sensitive display screen (“touch screen”) for image preview and user control of the camera, and a user-selectable panorama mode. Upon entering panorama mode the camera superimposes upon the touch screen a horizontal rectangular bar whose width and/or height are user-adjustable by interaction with the touch screen to select a desired horizontal sweep angle. After the sweep angle is set the camera automatically captures successive horizontally overlapping images during a sweep of the device through the selected sweep angle. Subsequently the camera synthesises a panoramic image from the successively captured images, the panoramic image having a width corresponding to the selected sweep angle.
1. An image capture device comprising:
a processor which executes one or more code instructions to cause:
displaying a bar of adjustable width and height for selecting a desired horizontal sweep angle;
based at least in part on a received user input indicating the desired horizontal sweep angle received prior to beginning an image capture, setting and displaying a set sweep angle of the image capture; and
based at least in part on the set sweep angle, capturing overlapping images corresponding to the set sweep angle.
2. The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the user input corresponds to a gesture on a touch sensitive device indicating a desired horizontal sweep angle.
3. The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the user input corresponds to a user adjusting one or more of a width or height on a touch sensitive device indicating the desired horizontal sweep angle.
4. The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the capturing overlapping images includes capturing successive overlapping images.
5. The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the capturing overlapping images is initiated when the image capture device begins rotation along the set sweep angle; and
the capturing overlapping images is terminated upon the image capture device completing rotation along the set sweep angle.
6. The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the code instructions further comprise instructions to cause:
generating a panoramic image from the overlapping images by synthesizing the overlapping images, the panoramic image having a panorama width or panorama height corresponding to the set sweep angle.
7. The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the code instructions further comprise instructions to cause:
cropping one or more of the overlapping images in a direction perpendicular to a direction of the set sweep angle to allow for movement of the image capture device during a sweep.
8. The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the code instructions further comprise instructions to cause:
setting a zoom mode on the image capture device; and
in response to setting the zoom mode on the image capture device, determining a start position for a sweep of the image capture device.
9. The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the code instructions further comprise instructions to cause:
responsive to receiving an audio command, setting a panorama mode on the image capture device.
10. The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the code instructions further comprise instructions to cause:
responsive to receiving an audio command, initiating the capturing overlapping images.
11. An image capture method comprising:
displaying a bar of adjustable width and height for selecting a desired horizontal sweep angle;
based at least in part on a received user input indicating the desired horizontal sweep angle received prior to beginning an image capture, setting and displaying a set sweep angle of the image capture; and
based at least in part on the set sweep angle, capturing overlapping images corresponding to the set sweep angle.
12. The image capture method of claim 11 , wherein the user input corresponds to a gesture on a touch sensitive device indicating a desired horizontal sweep angle.
13. The image capture method of claim 11 , wherein the user input corresponds to a user adjusting one or more of a width or height on a touch sensitive device indicating the desired horizontal sweep angle.
14. The image capture method of claim 11 , wherein the capturing overlapping images is initiated when a device begins rotation along the set sweep angle; and
the capturing overlapping images is terminated upon the device completing rotation along the set sweep angle.
15. The image capture method of claim 11 , further comprising:
generating a panoramic image from the overlapping images by synthesizing the overlapping images, the panoramic image having a panorama width or panorama height corresponding to the set sweep angle.
16. The image capture method of claim 11 , further comprising:
cropping one or more of the overlapping images in a direction perpendicular to a direction of the set sweep angle to allow for movement of a device during a sweep.
17. The image capture method of claim 11 , further comprising:
setting a zoom mode on a device; and
in response to setting the zoom mode on the device, determining a start position for a sweep of the device.
18. The image capture method of claim 11 , further comprising:
responsive to receiving an audio command, setting a panorama mode on a device, initiating the capturing overlapping images, or a combination thereof.
19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium on which instructions are stored which, when executed on a processing system, are configured for performing the method of claim 11 .
20. The image capture method of claim 11 , further comprising:
responsive to another user input corresponding to movement of a device along the set sweep angle, capturing the overlapping images corresponding to the set sweep angle.