System and method for image collage editing
A system and method for a system and method for implementing an image collage editing software tool implemented in a networked computing environment. Collage is a feature area within an online image editing service that allows users to create a composite image from multiple images. This composite image, generally known as a ‘collage’, can be created with a variety of predefined designs/patterns, as well as user specified number of columns and/or user specified number of rows. Users are allowed a wide array of flexibility on the design of their collage, as a result of the unique user-interface design of the collage feature. The collage area is an in-browser, web-based solution for creating any composite image from multiple images.
1. A computing system, comprising:
a client computer having a display that displays an image collage in an image window, wherein the image collage comprises a plurality of images, wherein the plurality of images comprises at least a first image and a second image; and
a server computer having an image editing application for executing thereon, wherein the server is in communication with the client computer via a network, and wherein the server computer receives a user-specified manipulation instruction from the client computer; and
wherein upon receiving the user-specified manipulation instruction from the client computer the server computer invokes an image collage manipulation at the server computer and subsequently alters the image collage displayed in the image window at the client computer based on the manipulation instruction; and
wherein the user-specified manipulation instruction comprises a desired manipulation of the image collage displayed in the image window at the client computer; and
wherein the server is configured to determine whether the user-specified manipulation instruction is related to manipulating a single image in context of the image collage, or whether the manipulation instruction is related to manipulating a plurality of images in the context of the image collage; and
upon determining that the user-specified manipulation instruction is related to manipulating a single image in the context of the image collage, the server performs the desired manipulation from the user-specified manipulation instruction with regard to the single image; and
upon determining that the user-specified manipulation instruction is related to manipulating a plurality of images in the context of the image collage, the server performs the desired manipulation on the plurality of images from the user-specified manipulation instruction according to a predetermined set of collage editing rules; and
wherein the user-specified manipulation instruction comprises a manipulation instruction selected from the group consisting of a free movement of a selected image within the image window once the selected image has been placed in the image collage, a creation of a new column or a new row within the image collage, an adjustment of a size of adjacent images in the image collage, a selection of a color of a frame of the image collage, and a selection of a style of a frame the image collage.
2. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the server computer or the client computer stores a previous user-specified manipulation instruction associated with at least one image of the image collage.
3. The computing system of claim 2 , wherein the first image is stored at the client computer and the second image is stored at the server computer.
4. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the user-specified manipulation instruction comprises a manipulation of the first image that affects a parameter of the second image in the collage or a manipulation of the first image that is independent of the second image.
5. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the user-specified manipulation instruction comprises a layout of a template for an image collage, wherein the layout of the template is not predefined and is provided based on a selection of attributes of the layout made by a user.
6. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the user-specified manipulation instruction comprises a layout of a template for the image collage, and wherein the template comprises a template selected from the group including: a grid, a side-by-side, a big and little, a jigsaw, a bulletin board, a social network, an L-shape, and a frame.
7. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the server receives a user-specified instruction to perform a placement of a single image within the image collage, wherein the placement of the single image is independent of other images of the image collage.
8. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the image collage comprises a user specified number of columns or a user specified number of rows.