METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY EXTRACTING IMAGE EFFECT COLOR AND RECOVERING ORIGINAL IMAGE COLOR

Abstract: The present invention relates to an effect color extracting method of an image and an image original color recovering method which are capable fo automatically extracting an effect color of an image pictured in accordance with an environment of a certain illumination and a color lens (or filter) and a feature of a camera, adjusting the extracted effect color and recovering an original image color of the image for thereby enhancing a performance of an image search. In the method for recovering an image color pictured based on a certain effect of an original color or other colors or an effect color in accordance with a feature of a camera and a surrounding environment of an object, an image color recovering method includes the steps of comparing all pixels of a frame of the image and a first critical value, obtaining an average hue value Hue_Ave with respect to the hues of the pixels each having a crominance smaller that the first critical value, computing a hue corresponding to the average hue value Hue_Ave, and determining the computed hue as an effect color, and compensating the image color affected by the effect color using the computed hue and adjusting the image color to an original color.

Description: METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY EXTRACTING IMAGE EFFECT COLOR AND RECOVERING ORIGINAL IMAGE COLOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 . Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image color extracting and recovering method, and a database generation and image searching method which are capable of automatically extracting an effect color of an image (which affects an original image color) pictured by a camera in accordance with an illumination condition and a color lens (or color filter) and a feature of the camera and processing the extracted effect color for thereby recovering an original image color. 2. Description of the Background Art Generally, an image color of an object pictured using a certain camera (for example a digital camera, a video camera, etc ) may have an original color of an object and different image colors in accordance with a surrounding environment of the object and and a feature of the camera. Namely, in the case that an object is pictured under an artificial illumination or pictured using a color filter mounted at the camera, an image color of an object pictured using the camera having different features according to a manufacturing company of the camera has a different color due to an effect with respect to the pictured image color For example, if a white color clothes (for example, a wedding dress) under a yellow illumination is pictured using the camera, the white color clothes has a yellow-white color Namely, the image color pictured using the camera has different image colors from those of the original image colors in accordance with the surrounding environment and the feature of the camera However, in the conventional image searching method, it is impossible to recover the original image color by correcting the image color which is different in accordance with the surrounding environment and the feature of the camera SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image color recovering method for extracting an effect color which affects a pictured image color and correcting the extracted color irrespective of a surrounding environment of an object and a feature of a camera for thereby recovering an original color of the image It is another object of the present invention to provide an image color automatic extracting method which is capable of extracting an effect color which affects a pictured image color irrespective of a surrounding environment of an object and a feature of a camera It is still another object of the present invention to provide an image database formation method which is capable of extracting an effect color which affects a pictured image color irrespective of a surrounding environment of an object and a feature of a camera, correcting the extracted color for thereby storing the image as an original color image It is still another object of the present invention to provide an image searching method which is capable of comparing an image obtained by extracting an effect color which affects a pictured image color irrespective of a surrounding environment of an object and a feature of a camera correcting the extracted color and an image stored in an image database and searching a generated image. To achieve the above object, there is provided an image color recovering method in a method for recovering an image color pictured based on a certain effect of an original color or other colors or an effect color in accordance with a feature of a camera and a surrounding environment of an object, which method includes the steps of comparing all pixels of a frame of the image and a first critical value, obtaining an average hue value Hue_Ave with respect to the hues of the pixels each having a crominance smaller than the first critical value, computing a hue corresponding to the average hue value Hue_Ave, and determining the computed hue as an effect color, and compensating the image color affected by the effect color using the computed hue and adjusting the image color to an original color. To achieve the above objects, there is provided an image color recovering method, in a method for extracting an effect color of an image affected by an effect color or any colors other than an original color owing to a feature of a camera and a surrounding environment of an object, which method includes the steps of: extracting a hue element of the pixels with respect to all pixels which form a frame of the image, generating a histogram with respect to the hue elements, and computing a maximum hue value Hue_Max based on the histogram; comparing the maximum hue value Hue_Max and a previously set first critical value, judging that there is an effect color which affects the image color when the maximum hue value Hue_Max is larger than a first critical value as a result of the comparison, dividing the image frame into grids, and generating the hue of each grid with respect to the grid having a crominance smaller than the second critical value among the grids; and judging a hue corresponding to the average hue value with respect to the hues generated based on the grids as an effect color of the image when a difference hue value Hue_Diff between the average hue value Hue_Ave and the maximum hue value Hue_Max with respect to the hues generated from the grids is smaller than a third critical value. In the image database formation method according to the present invention, a certain image is received, and the inputted image is processed to have an original color by an image color recovering method or an image color automatic extracting method according to the present invention. In the present invention, the image searching method includes the steps of receiving a certain image and generating an image database for processing the inputted image to have an original color or storing the same based on a certain process, processing the currently inputted image by a certain process and generating an image having an original color, and comparing the current image processed to have an original color and an image stored in the image database. Additional advantages , objects and features of the invention will become more apparent from the description which follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein Figure 1 is a flow chart illustrating an image database generating method by recovering an original image color according to the present invention; and Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating an effect color automatic extracting method of an image according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 illustrates a method for generating a database by recovering an original image color according to the present invention which includes a step ST100 for inputting an image frame pictured by an image display apparatus, a step ST200 for extracting an effect color which affects an image color from the inputted image frame, a step ST300 for compensating the thusly extracted effect color to the image color, and a step ST400 for generating an image having an original image color and processing the same as a data and recording the data onto a certain recording medium. Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating an effect color automatic extracting method of an image according to the present invention. A hue element is extracted with respect to all pixels in an image frame, and a histogram is formed with respect to the hue element in Step ST10, and the maximum hue value Hue_Max of the formed hue element is computed in Step ST11. The thusly computed maximum hue value Hue_Max and a previously set first critical value are compared in Step ST12. As a result of the comparison, if the computed maximum hue value Hue_Max is smaller than the first critical value, it is assumed that there is not a color(image effect color) that a hue corresponding to the maximum hue value affects the image in Step ST24. If the computed maximum hue value Hue_Max is larger than the first critical value, it is assumed that there is an effect color that a hue corresponding to the maximum hue value Hue_Max affects the image, and the image is divided into a nxm number of cells (or grids) where n and m are certain integers) in Step ST13, and the a destination cell which will be searched with respect to the divided cell is set as a first cell in Step ST1 . The hue element with respect to the pixel which satisfies a condition that the chrominance of a destination cell is smaller than the second critical value is extracted, and a histogram is formed with respect thereto in Step ST 5, and the maximum hue Hue_Hi is computed based on the thusly formed histogram in Step ST16, and the computed maximum hue is stored into a certain memory set A in Step ST17. Next, the above-described routine is repeatedly performed with respect to all divided cells in Steps ST15 through ST19. When the maximum hue Hue_hi is generated with respect to all cells obtained by dividing one image frame and is stored into the memory A, an average hue value Hue_Ave with respect to the hue stored in the memory A is computed in Step ST20 Next, a hue difference value Hue_Diff between the computed average hue value Hue_Ave and the maximum hue value Hue_Max is computed in Step ST21. The hue difference value Hue_Diff and a previously set third critical value is compared in Step ST13. As a result of the comparison, if the hue difference value Hue_Diff is higher than the third critical value, it is judged that there is not an effect color which affects the image in Step ST24. In addition, if the hue difference value Hue_Diff is smaller than the third critical value, it is judged that there is an effect color which affects the image color. so that the hue corresponding to the average hue value Hue_Ave is recognized as an effect color of the image color in Step ST23 Therefore, in the effect color automatic extracting method of an image according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically extract an effect color of the inputted image Here, the difference value is computed by comparing the computed average hue value Hue_Ave and the maximum hue value Hue_Max may for the reason that since a possibility that an object having different hue values is positioned in one grid, the color of a certain object has a low chrominance in a state that the same is not affected by the hue of the entire effect colors and has a value which is different from the hue of the entire effect colors for thereby decreasing any effects of the average hue As described above, in the present invention, assuming that a certain hue affects the entire images, and an average hue value of all pixels of the image having a lower chrominance is a hue of the entire effect color, the image is uniformly divided into grids An average of the hue value of the image pixel having a lo ch r Qmιnance with respect to the divided gnds is computed, and then the average of the same is computed Thereafter, the effect color is automatically obtained based on an illumination or an effect of a color lens filter from a generated image and video data In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, one image frame is divided into grids for thereby extracting an effect color In another embodiment of the present invention, the image frame may not be divided into grids Namely, the first second and third critical values may be compared with respect to all pixels of the image frame for thereby extracting the effect color In addition, it is possible to search an image which is currently inputted from a previously formed database without a certain error using a method for extracting an effect color of an image, correcting the extracted color and recovering an original image color according to the present invention. Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as recited in the accompanying claims.

Claims: What is claimed is- 1. In a method for recovering an image color of an object affected by other colors or an effect color in accordance with a feature of a camera and a surrounding environment of the object, an image color recovering method, comprising the steps of: comparing all pixels of a frame of the image and a first critical value, obtaining an average hue value Hue_Ave with respect to the hues of the pixels each having a crominance smaller than the first critical value, computing a hue corresponding to the average hue value Hue_Ave, and determining the computed hue as an effect color; and compensating the image color affected by the effect color using the computed hue and adjusting the image color to an original image color. 2. The method of claim 1 , wherein in said adjusting step, when the chrominance of the pixels is below a second critical value, the chrominance is remov an when the chrominance is above the second critical value the *~" ι ι element of the effect color is subtracted from the hue of the image color for thereby adjusting the image color. 3. The method of claim 1 , wherein in said effect color extracting method, the image frame is divided into grids, and an average hue value with respect to the colors of the grids each having a chrominance smaller than the "second critical value with respect to all grids, computing a hue corresponding to the average hue value, and determining the computed hue as an effect color. 4 The method of claim 3, wherein in said adjusting step, when the chrominance of the grid is below a third critical value, the chrominance is removed, and when the chrominance is above the third critical value, the hue element of the effect color is subtracted from the hue of the image color for thereby adjusting the image color 5 In a method for extracting an effect color of an image affected by an effect color or any colors other than an original color owing to a feature of a camera and a surrounding environment of an object, an image color extracting method, comprising the steps of extracting a hue element of the pixels with respect to all pixels which form a frame of the image, generating a histogram with respect to the hue elements, and computing a maximum hue value Hue_Max based on the histogram, comparing the maximum hue value Hue_Max and a previously set first critical value, judging that there is an effect color which affects the image color when the maximum hue value Hue Max is !ar n er than a first critical value as a result of the comparison, dividing the image frame into grids, and generating the hue of each grid with respect to the grid having a crominance smaller than the second critical value among the grids, and judging a hue corresponding to the average hue value with respect to the hues generated based on the grids as an effect color of the image when a difference hue value Hue_Dιff between the average hue value Hue_Ave and the maximum hue value Hue_Max with respect to the hues generated from the grids is smaller than a third critical value 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising a step for comparing the maximum hue value Hue_Max and a previously set critical value and judging that there is not an effect color which affects the image color when the maximum hue value Hue_Max is smaller than the first critical value as a result of the comparison. 7. The method of claim 5, wherein said step for generating a hue of each grid includes the steps of: dividing the image grid into a nx m number (n and m represent integers) of grids when the maximum hue value Hue_Max is above the first critical value; extracting a hue element with respect all grids which satisfy a condition that the chrominance of each divided grid is smaller than a second critical value and forming a histogram with respect to the extracted hue element; and generating the maximum hue Hue_Hi as a hue of a corresponding grid based on the histogram. R T cs mothriH nf rl aim *_ fi irthor ι r.rηr .ri cir .n q ctoπ for jι iHπi n th at there is not an effect color which affects the image color when a difference hue value Hue_Diff between the average hue value Hue_Ave and the maximum hue value Hue_Max with respect to the hues generated from the grids is larger than the third critical value. 9. The method of claim 1 , wherein in said image database generation method, a certain image is received, and the inputted image is processed to have an original color based on a certain process. 10 In an image database generation method, an image database generation method comprising the steps of receiving an image, obtaining an effect color of the inputted image, and storing the effect color of each image as each image information 11 An image search method compπng the steps of receiving a certain image and generating an image database for processing the inputted image to have an original color and storing the same based on a certain process, processing the currently inputted image by a certain process and generating an image having an original color, and comparing the current image processed to have an original color and an image stored in the image database 12 An image search method comprising the steps of, receiving a certain image, obtaining an effect hue of the inputted image, stoπng the effect hue of each image as an image information and generating an image database, processing the currently inputted image and generating an effect color, compensating an original color of the currently inputted image using the generated effect color and comparing the inputted image which is compensated to the original color and the image stored in the image database

Inventors: KIM HYEON JUN, LEE JIN SOO, KIM, HYEON, JUN, LEE, JIN, SOO
Applicants: LG ELECTRONICS INC, LG ELECTRONICS INC.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: G06T1
IPC codes: G06F17, G06T1, G06T5, G06T7, H04N1, H04N9