Patent ID: 7075683
Filing Date: 2006-07-11
Classification: G06F,G11B,H04N

Abstract:
1. An image processing system comprising: calculating means for calculating a degree of similarity from among a plurality of image frames of dynamic image data; determining means for determining scene-change frames based on the degree of similarity calculated by said calculating means; dynamic image preparation means for performing automatic editing and preparation of a digest dynamic image of the dynamic image data by merging a specified duration of frames having a low degree of similarity with an immediately preceding frame or some preceding frames on receipt of instructions to prepare a dynamic digest such that the prepared digest dynamic image has a length according to a length designated by a user detecting means for detecting blank scenes; and exception processing means for performing exception processing in which an initial image frame after exclusion of a blank scene detected at the beginning of the dynamic image by said detecting means is deemed a scene-change frame, wherein said exception processing means also performs exception processing in which a final image frame after exclusion of a blank scene detected at the end of the dynamic image by said detecting means is deemed a scene-change frame, wherein when a time duration for each scene-change frame of two scenes in close proximity is less than the specified duration, frame information from a scene-change frame of the first scene and frame information through a frame from the scene-change frame of the second scene are treated as the result of merging of the scene-change frames of the two scenes into one scene whose duration is equal to the specified duration, wherein when the duration of the scene-change frame of the second scene to be merged falls within a specified duration of the scene-change frame of the first scene, all the frame information of the scene-change frame of the second scene are merged with the scene-change frame of the first scene, and wherein when a mode has been indicated which provides a target duration for the completed digest dynamic image, a digest having a duration in the vicinity of the target duration is prepared by first finding all of the scene-change frames of the dynamic image, and then performing processing for merging scenes into the digest, preferentially beginning with scenes whose scene-change frame has a low degree of similarity to the immediately preceding frame or some preceding frames.