Method and mobile terminal apparatus for displaying specialized visual guides for photography

1. A method for providing visual guides in a mobile terminal having a camera, the method comprising:

displaying a preview image, provided by the camera, on a screen;

detecting a guide request event generated from an input unit during the displaying of the preview image;

in response to the guide request event, generating a background guide image from a frame of a preview image;

displaying the generated background guide image over a preview image, the background guide image including at least one image tracing a silhouette of an object in the preview image;

in response to a zoom request event generated from the input unit, performing a zoom-in operation including enlarging the background guide image including the at least one image to substantially match zoom-in enlargement of the preview image; and

displaying the enlarged preview image and enlarged background guide image.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying of the background guide image over the preview image comprises displaying a foreground guide menu over the preview image along with the background guide image in response to the guide request event, the foreground guide menu comprising at least one item.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

detecting a touch input on the item of the foreground guide menu;

detecting a movement of the touch input from the item;

in response to the movement of the touch input, displaying and moving a foreground icon corresponding to the item; and

displaying the foreground icon at a point where the touch input was terminated.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

altering a size of the foreground icon; and

displaying the foreground icon having the altered size.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying information indicating that the preview image has matched the background guide image, if the preview image matches the background guide image.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

automatically detecting large-scale structures in a field of view of the camera; and

detecting one or more division areas for each large-scale structure and generating a boundary line between each of the one or more division areas to form at least one visual silhouette,

wherein the background guide image includes the at least one visual silhouette for each of the large scale structures.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

detecting a touch input specifying a configuration for the foreground icon;

altering the configuration of the foreground icon; and

displaying the foreground icon having the altered configuration.

8. A mobile terminal apparatus, comprising:

a camera;

a display unit;

an input unit for receiving input information;

memory comprising program instructions; and

at least one processor operatively coupled to memory and configured to:

control the display unit to display a preview image provided by the camera on the display unit,

detect a guide request event generated from the input unit during the displaying of the preview image,

generate a background guide image using a frame of a preview image in response to the guide request event,

control the display unit to display the background guide image over a preview image, the background guide image including at least one image tracing a silhouette of an object in the preview image,

in response to a zoom request event generated from the input unit, perform a zoom-in operation including enlarging the background guide image including the at least one image to substantially match zoom-in enlargement of the preview image, and

control the display unit to display the enlarged preview image and the enlarged background guide image.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor further comprises controlling the display to display a foreground guide menu over the preview image in response to the guide request event, the foreground guide comprising at least one item.

10. The mobile terminal apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the input unit comprises a touch panel installed in the display unit, the at least one processor further configured to:

detect a touch input on the item of the foreground guide menu;

detect a movement of the touch input from the item;

in response to the movement of the touch input, control the display unit to display movement of a foreground icon corresponding to the item; and

control the display unit to display the foreground icon at a point where the touch input was terminated.

11. The mobile terminal apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

alter a size of the foreground icon; and

control the display unit to display the foreground icon having the altered size.

12. The mobile terminal apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

control the display unit to display information indicating that the preview image has matched the background guide image, if the preview image matches the background guide image.

13. The mobile terminal apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

automatically detect large-scale structures in a field of view of the camera; and

detect one or more division areas for each large-scale structure and generating a boundary line between each of the one or more division areas to form at least one visual silhouette,

wherein the background guide image includes the at least one visual silhouette for each of the large scale structures.

14. The mobile terminal apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

detect a touch input specifying a configuration for the foreground icon;

alter the configuration of the foreground icon; and

control the display unit to display the foreground icon having the altered configuration.