Patent Document ID: 20030011612
Application ID: 09900564
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. A method for converting an input digital color image having a set of possible input colors to an output digital color image having a set of palette colors, the number of palette colors being less than the number of possible input colors, wherein the set of palette colors is determined based on the distribution of colors in the input digital image boosted by a distribution of important colors contained in the input digital image, comprising the steps of: a) determining the distribution of colors in the input digital color image; b) detecting regions of important colors in the input digital color image; c) boosting the distribution of colors in the input digital color image in response to the detected regions of important colors; d) determining the set of palette colors to be used in the formation of the output digital color image responsive to the boosted distribution of colors; and e) forming the output digital color image by assigning each color in the input digital color image to one of the colors in the set of palette colors.