In-camera panorama stitching method and apparatus

1. A method, comprising:

a camera capturing a set of component photographs;

the camera stitching low-resolution versions of the component photographs into a low-resolution panorama;

the camera displaying the low-resolution panorama on a display of the camera, wherein the displaying is controlled by a foreground process responsive to activation of a control of the camera; and

the camera creating from the set of component photographs a high-resolution panorama that is higher in resolution than the low-resolution panorama, wherein the creating comprises stitching together images different from the low-resolution versions of the component photographs in a background process that is performed by the camera with a lower priority than the foreground process.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing the high-resolution panorama.

3. The method of claim wherein the component photographs are of the full native resolution of the camera.

4. The method of claim further comprising presenting the low-resolution panorama on the display responsive to a activation of a second control of the camera.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising, when the creating of the high-resolution panorama is incomplete at the time of the second control of the camera is activated, displaying a message on the display.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the message comprises a graphic indication showing progress of the creating of the high-resolution panorama.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each low-resolution component image version is at least 320 by 240 pixels in size.

8. A camera, comprising a display and logic unit, the logic unit configured to enable the camera to perform a method comprising:

capturing a set of component photographs;

stitching low-resolution versions of the component photographs into a low-resolution panorama;

displaying the low-resolution panorama on a display of the camera, wherein the displaying is controlled by a foreground process responsive to activation of a control of the camera;

and

creating from the component photographs a high-resolution panorama that is higher in resolution than the low-resolution panorama, wherein the creating comprises stitching together images different from the low-resolution versions of the component photographs in a background process that is performed by the camera with a lower priority than the foreground process.

9. The camera of claim 8 , wherein the logic unit comprises a microprocessor running a real-time multi-tasking operating system.

10. The camera of claim 8 , further comprising nonvolatile storage, and wherein the method further comprises storing the high-resolution panorama in the nonvolatile storage.

11. The camera of claim 8 , further comprising a second control controlling presentation of the low-resolution panorama on the display.

12. The camera of claim 11 , wherein

when the second control is activated before the stitching of the high-resolution panorama is complete, the method comprises displaying on the display a message indicating that the creating of the high-resolution panorama is in process.

13. The camera of claim 12 , wherein the message comprises a graphical indication showing progress of the creating of the high-resolution panorama.

14. The camera of claim 8 , comprising:

an image sensor; and

a memory.

15. A camera, comprising:

means for capturing a set of component photographs;

means for stitching low-resolution versions of the component photographs into a low-resolution panorama;

means for displaying the low-resolution panorama on a display of the camera, wherein the displaying is controlled by a foreground process responsive to activation of a control of the camera; and

means for creating from the set of component photographs a high-resolution panorama that is higher in resolution than the low-resolution panorama, wherein the creating comprises stitching together images different from the low-resolution versions of the component photographs in a background process that is performed by the camera with a lower priority than the foreground process.