System and method for adjusting color data of pixels in a digital image

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 , wherein generating a red-enhanced value for each pixel comprises: categorizing each pixel in the image as a non-red pixel or a red pixel; assigning a minimum red-enhanced value to each non-red pixel; and calculating a red-enhanced value for each red pixel, wherein the red-enhanced value represents a degree of redness of the pixel.

Claim 4

The method of claim 2 , wherein the color values of the pixels of the image comprise the values for red, green and blue components, and wherein: each pixel having a red component value exceeding both the green component value and the blue component value by first and second predetermined thresholds, respectively, is categorized as a red pixel; and each remaining pixel is categorized a non-red pixel.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is a portion of an original image.

Claim 6

The method of claim 4 , wherein the image is a user-selected portion of the original image.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the color values comprises: identifying pixels in the image corresponding to an iris area of an eye affected by the red-eye effect; determining a color value of the iris pixels; and adjusting the color value of each red-eye pixel to approach the color value of the iris pixels.

Claim 8

The method of claim 6 , wherein determining the color value of the iris pixels comprises using a color value of a default color.

Claim 9

The method of claim 7 , wherein the default color is selected by a user.

Claim 12

The method of claim 9 , wherein identifying a red-eye area comprises: identifying as a red-eye area an area of the image having a ring-shaped region of weak-color-background pixels surrounding a circular-shaped region of red-eye pixels.

Claim 13

The method of claim 10 , further comprising: convolving a plurality of ring-shaped outer filters with the weak-color-enhanced values to create one or more ring filter values, each of the one or more ring filter values corresponding to a pixel region having a specific size and shape; convolving a plurality of circular-shaped inner filters with the red-enhanced values to create one or more red filter values, each of the one or more red filter values corresponding to a pixel region having a specific size and shape; and using the ring filter values and the red filter values to identify a red-eye area in the image.

Claim 14

A computer program product stored on a machine-readable medium for adjusting color values of pixels of an image to reduce a red-eye effect, the product comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to: generate a red-enhanced value for each pixel in the image, wherein the red-enhanced value of a pixel represents the degree of redness of the pixel; convolve a plurality of spatial filters with the red-enhanced values to create one or more red filter values, each of the one or more red filter values corresponding to a pixel region having a specific shape and size; identify a pixel region having a shape and size defined by at least one of the plurality of spatial filters as a red-eye pixel region if the corresponding red filter value exceeds a predetermined threshold; and adjusting the color values of the red-eye region to reduce the red-eye effect.

Claim 15

A computer program product stored on a machine-readable medium for adjusting color values of pixels of an image to reduce a red-eye effect, the product comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to: generate a red-enhanced value for each pixel in the image, wherein the red-enhanced value of a pixel represents the degree of redness of the pixel; convolve a plurality of spatial filters with the red-enhanced values to create one or more red filter values, each of the one or more red filter values corresponding to a pixel region having a specific shape and size; identify a pixel region having a shape and size defined by at least one of the plurality of spatial filters as a red-eye pixel region if the corresponding red filter value exceeds a predetermined threshold; and adjusting the color values of the red-eye region to reduce the red-eye effect.

Claim 16

The product of claim 12 , wherein generating a red-enhanced value for each pixel comprises: categorizing each pixel in the image as a non-red pixel or a red pixel; assigning a minimum red-enhanced value to each non-red pixel; and calculating a red-enhanced value for each red pixel, wherein the red-enhanced value represents a degree of redness of the pixel.

Claim 17

The product of claim 13 , wherein the color values comprise values for red, green and blue components, and wherein: each pixel having a red component value exceeding both the green component value and the blue component value by first and second predetermined thresholds, respectively, is categorized as a red pixel; and each remaining pixel is categorized a non-red pixel.

Claim 18

The product of claim 12 , wherein the image is a portion of an original image.

Claim 19

The product of claim 15 , wherein the image is a user-selected portion of the original image.

Claim 20

The product of claim 12 , wherein adjusting the color values comprises: identifying pixels in the image corresponding to an iris area of an eye affected by the red-eye effect; determining a color value of the iris pixels; and adjusting the color value of each red-eye pixel to approach the color value of the iris pixels.

Claim 21

The product of claim 17 , wherein determining the color value of the iris pixels comprises using a color value of a default color.

Claim 22

The product of claim 18 , wherein the default color is selected by a user.

Claim 23

A computer program product stored on a machine-readable medium for identifying a red-eye area in an image, the product comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to: generate a red-enhanced value for each pixel in the image; generate a weak-color-enhanced value for each pixel in the image; convolve an inner filter with the red-enhanced values to create a red filter value corresponding to a pixel region having a specific shape and size defined by the inner filter; convolve an outer spatial filter with the weak-color-enhanced values to create a weak-color filter value corresponding to a pixel region having a specific shape and size defined by the outer filter; and identify a red-eye area having a shape and size defined by at least one of the inner filter and the outer filter using both the red-enhanced values and the weak-color-enhanced values of the pixels.

Claim 24

A computer program product stored on a machine-readable medium for identifying a red-eye area in an image, the product comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to: generate a red-enhanced value for each pixel in the image; generate a weak-color-enhanced value for each pixel in the image; convolve an inner filter with the red-enhanced values to create a red filter value corresponding to a pixel region having a specific shape and size defined by the inner filter; convolve an outer spatial filter with the weak-color-enhanced values to create a weak-color filter value corresponding to a pixel region having a specific shape and size defined by the outer filter; and identify a red-eye area having a shape and size defined by at least one of the inner filter and the outer filter using both the red-enhanced values and the weak-color-enhanced values of the pixels.

Claim 25

The product of claim 20 , wherein identifying a red-eye area comprises: identifying as a red-eye area an area of the image having a ring-shaped region of weak-color-background pixels surrounding a circular-shaped region of red-eye pixels.

Claim 26

The product of claim 21 , further comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to: convolve a plurality of ring-shaped outer filters with the weak-color-enhanced values to create one or more ring filter values, each of the one or more ring filter values corresponding to a pixel region having a specific size and shape; convolve a plurality of circular-shaped inner filters with the red-enhanced values to create one or more red filter values, each of the one or more red filter values corresponding to a pixel region having a specific size and shape; and use the ring filter values and the red filter values to identify a red-eye area in the image.