JPH1127544A - Color management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To faithfully reproduce color on a CRT screen on a photographic print without the nud for performing CRT adjustment using special knowledge or equipment, when image data whose color is adjusted on the CRT screen is outputted as the photographic print. SOLUTION: Characteristics of a CRT 1 used for color adjustment by a customer is estimated from CRT reference data 7c selected by a CRT reference selecting means and CRT information 9 for indicating the estimated CRT characteristics is transferred to a photofinishing system 2 with the image data 3, whose color is adjusted by this system. In this case, a color conversion processing is performed by selecting a table which corresponds to a CRT among conversion tables prepared for each CRT based on the CRT information 9, and the image data 5 for printing is generated through a color conversion means 4 of the photofinishing system 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a digital photograph service for editing a digitized photographic image on a personal computer or the like and then outputting the edited photographic image as a photographic print. And a color management system that manages colors so that the appearance of the resulting photographic prints is the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a photofinishing system which reads a photographic image from a film, processes the image, and outputs the processed image as a photographic print. Usually, such a photofinishing system is provided with a CRT monitor for confirmation, and in many cases, actual output is performed after confirming the print finish on the CRT screen in advance.

Here, in order to check the finish of the print on the CRT screen, the system is adjusted in advance so that the appearance of the photographic image displayed on the CRT becomes the same as the appearance of the finally completed photographic print. Must be kept. In particular, since the impression of a photograph changes greatly depending on the color, the color displayed on the CRT and the printed color are always the same so that the color confirmed on the CRT screen is faithfully reproduced on the photo print. Must be.

[0004] However, since the characteristics of CRTs differ depending on the model, even if data processed in the same manner is displayed, the data does not always look the same. For this reason,
Conventionally, CRT characteristics are measured using a measuring device such as a spectral luminance meter in each print system, and the CRT is measured.
Adjustments were made by individually creating conversion tables so that the characteristics became standard characteristics.

[0005]

In recent years, personal computers and digital cameras have become widespread, and customers have come to output photographic images edited and processed on their own personal computers as photographic prints at photo service shops. . In this case, the customer edits the photographic image in expectation that the image of the photographic image displayed on the personal computer screen will be reproduced as a photographic print as it is. Therefore,
As with the photofinishing system CRT,
It is necessary that the appearance of the photographic image displayed on the CRT monitor of the personal computer be the same as the appearance of the finally completed photographic print.

However, unlike a CRT of a photofinishing system, a CRT monitor of a personal computer is managed by a customer, and therefore cannot normally be adjusted using a special measuring instrument such as a spectral luminance meter. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a color management system capable of faithfully reproducing an image displayed on a CRT screen as a photographic print without any special knowledge or adjustment using equipment. It is intended to provide.

[0008]

A color management system according to the present invention performs a color conversion process on display image data which has been color-adjusted so as to have a desired color on a screen of a color adjustment CRT. A color management system for creating print image data for reproducing a desired color on a photographic print, comprising: a reference print indicating a reference color;
A plurality of CRs for reproducing the reference colors shown in the reference print on a plurality of CRT screens having different characteristics from each other.
A CRT reference which displays the reference data for each T and the plurality of reference data for each CRT on the screen of the CRT for color adjustment, thereby enabling selection of CRT reference data whose displayed color is closest to the reference color. Selection means, and C corresponding to the CRT reference data selected by the CRT reference selection means.
CRT information storage means for storing RT characteristics as CRT information of the CRT for color adjustment, and a CRT information stored in the CRT information storage means for displaying an image for color adjustment on a screen of the CRT for color adjustment. CRT information providing means for providing data, and color conversion means for performing the color conversion process on the display image data based on CRT characteristics indicated by the CRT information provided to the display image data. It is characterized by the following.

That is, in the conventional system, the CRT is adjusted so that the CRT display image and the photographic print have the same appearance. On the other hand, according to the present invention, instead of performing the CRT adjustment, After recognizing how much the state (characteristics) of the CRT deviates from the standard state (the state in which the display image of the CRT becomes the same as the photographic print), the photofinishing system corrects the deviation. The color conversion is performed so as to make up for it.

A photograph service provider distributes reference prints and CRT-specific reference data to customers in advance. Customers,
A plurality of CRT-specific reference data is displayed on the CRT monitor of the personal computer, and is compared with the reference print to select the CRT-specific reference data having the closest appearance to the reference print. As described above, since the CRT-specific reference data is data that reproduces the reference color shown in the reference print on the screen of a predetermined CRT, the fact that the appearance is close to the reference print means that the CRT monitor of the personal computer is , Which has characteristics close to those of the CRT corresponding to the selected CRT-specific reference data. That is, the CRT reference selecting means can estimate the state of the CRT used by the customer for color adjustment, and by transmitting this to the photofinishing system as CRT information, the photofinishing system can perform color conversion based on the state of the CRT. Processing can be performed. That is, the deviation between the standard state of the CRT and the actual state is absorbed in the color conversion process, and the display image and the print image can be matched without adjusting the CRT.

At this time, the selection by the CRT reference selecting means is C
It may be performed once every RT. As a result, the CRT information stored in the CRT information storage means is automatically added to all the image data to be processed as print targets.

The color adjusting device of the present invention specifically refers to a customer's personal computer (including various programs executed on the personal computer). That is, the color adjustment device of the present invention is a color adjustment unit that performs color adjustment of image data on a screen of a color adjustment CRT, a reference print indicating a reference color, and a reference color indicated in the reference print. By displaying a plurality of CRT-specific reference data respectively reproduced on a plurality of CRT screens having different characteristics and displaying the plurality of CRT-specific reference data on the color adjustment CRT screen, the displayed color is adjusted to the reference value. CRT reference selection means for selecting CRT reference data closest to the color, and a CRT corresponding to the CRT reference data selected by the CRT reference data.
CRT information storage means for storing the characteristics of the color adjustment CRT as CRT information of the color adjustment CRT, and adding the CRT information stored in the CRT information storage means to the image data color-adjusted on the screen of the color adjustment CRT. And CRT information providing means for performing the operation.

Further, the color conversion apparatus of the present invention is realized as a function of a photofinishing system of the color management system. That is, the color conversion apparatus according to the present invention comprises: an image data capturing unit that captures display image data color-adjusted so as to have a desired color on a screen of a color adjustment CRT; CRT information capturing means for capturing CRT information indicating the characteristics of the color adjustment CRT; and performing color conversion processing on the display image data based on CRT characteristics indicated by the CRT information added to the display image data. By applying
Color conversion means for creating print image data for reproducing the desired color on a photographic print.

[0014]

According to the color management system of the present invention, CRT characteristics used by a customer for color adjustment are estimated from CRT reference data selected by CRT reference selection means, and CRT information indicating the estimated CRT characteristics is obtained. Is transferred together with the color-adjusted image data to a device installed in a service store such as a photo printer, and the device at the service store determines, based on the CRT information, how much the CRT used by the customer is out of the standard state. The color conversion process is performed using a conversion table suitable for the CRT of the customer.

[0015] For this reason, even a general customer who does not have the knowledge, skills, or measuring equipment necessary for adjusting the CRT can use the CRT.
Compare the displayed image on the screen with the reference print to find one C
Only by selecting the RT reference data, the CRT display image and the photographic print can be easily matched.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a color management system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a system of the present invention. The color management system according to the present invention is a digital photo service in which a photo image edited and processed by a personal computer is output as a photo print 6 by a photo finishing system 2 of a photo service store, and an image of a photo image displayed on a screen of a CRT 1 of the personal computer. Is a system that manages colors so that is reproduced as a photo print 6 as it is.

In general, the appearance of colors is determined by photographic printing and CR.
T is different. That is, when one piece of image data is displayed as it is on a CRT and output as a photo print, the completed photo print does not always match the image of the photo image viewed on the screen of the CRT. For this reason, the normal photofinishing system 2 is provided with a color conversion means 4 for performing color conversion processing on the image data so that the color of the photographic image on the CRT screen can be faithfully reproduced on the photographic print. I am giving.

However, the appearance of colors differs depending on the type of CRT. That is, for example, if one image data is CR
When displayed on T1a, it may appear bluish, and when displayed on CRT1b, it may appear reddish. This difference is caused by color temperature or monitor
This is caused by the difference in characteristics.

Therefore, in the color management system of the present invention, the CRT information 9 indicating the CRT characteristic is attached to the image data 3 and passed to the photofinishing system, so that the color conversion means 4 of the photofinishing system 2 allows the color conversion means 4 of the CRT characteristic. In consideration of the above, different color conversion processes can be performed.

That is, as shown in FIG.
The image data 3a color-adjusted on the screen 1a includes a CRT 1a
CRT information 9a indicating the characteristics or model of the CRT 1a is added, and the color conversion means 4 selects a conversion table A suitable for the characteristics of the CRT 1a and performs color conversion. Similarly, CRT information 9b is added to the image data 3b color-adjusted on the screen of the CRT 1b, and the color conversion means 4 performs color conversion on the image data 3b using the conversion table B.

As described above, by performing different conversion processes according to the individual CRT characteristics, the print image data 5 is generated. Here, in both the case where the CRT 1a is used and the case where the CRT 1b is used, if the adjustment is made so that the appearance becomes the same color, the obtained print image data 5 becomes the same. By creating a photographic print 6 from the print image data 5, a CR
The image of the photographic image displayed on the screen of T1a or CRT1b and the image of the photographic print 6 can be matched.

Here, the CRT information 9 may be, for example, information indicating the manufacturer and model of the CRT, or information indicating specific values of the monitor γ and the color temperature. Below, CR
A method for creating T information will be described with reference to FIG.

The service provider provides a plurality of CRT-specific reference data 7 and one reference print 8 to the customer in advance. The reference print 8 is desirably a print including all colors that can be reproduced in a photographic print, but may be a sample photograph such as a landscape image or a person snap. On the other hand, the CRT-specific reference data 7 is data representing the same image as the image recorded on the reference print 8, and one data is prepared for each CRT having different characteristics. Each data has been subjected to image processing so that when displayed on each CRT, the data is displayed in a color closest to the reference print 8. Although the characteristics of the CRT are strictly different for each individual, the CRT-specific reference data may be prepared by preparing several values obtained by classifying each characteristic value with a predetermined width.

For example, when providing a medium such as a PhotoCD to a customer, the CRT-specific reference data 7 is
Record on toCD and provide to customers with reference prints. The customer sets the PhotoCD on a personal computer and activates a program for creating CRT information to create CRT information. Here, the program for creating CRT information is to display the above-mentioned reference data 7 for each CRT on the CRT 1 of the personal computer and to allow the customer to select one of them.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the CRT-specific reference data 7a to 7d are displayed on the CRT screen, and the customer compares the data with the reference print 8 and selects the data which is most visible. For example, if the color temperature of the CRT of the customer's personal computer is 66
00 degrees, when the monitor γ is 2.1, the appearance of the CRT-specific reference data 7c becomes the closest. When the customer selects this with a mouse or a keyboard, the program creates CRT information 9 based on the selection input and stores it in a memory or a disk.

Thereafter, in this personal computer, the CRT information 9 stored here is always attached to the image data 3 when the photo print order processing is performed. That is,
When the customer adjusts the color of the image data 3 on the CRT screen using the editing and processing software, and records this along with the order information on a medium such as MO or Zip by using the function of the order processing software, the above-mentioned memory is used. Memorized C
The RT information 9 is attached to the processed image data 3 as, for example, a part of the header information. Similarly, when ordering by transferring image data and order information to the photofinishing system 2 via a network, CRT information 9 is attached to the image data 3.

The color conversion means 4 of the photofinishing system 2 has one printing color conversion table for each of the CRT-specific reference data, and selects a corresponding one from the tables based on the CRT information 9. Thus, the image data 5 for printing is generated by performing an optimal color conversion process on each image data. By outputting this on a photographic printer, the color imaged by the customer on the CRT screen can be reproduced on the photographic print 6.

The image data handled by the color management system of the present invention is not necessarily limited to a photographic image read from a film. For example, a photographic image directly taken on a personal computer by a digital camera or an image published on the WWW And so on.

In the present invention, a plurality of reference data for each CRT is prepared as a sample for one reference print.
On the other hand, it goes without saying that a color management system that prepares a plurality of CRT-specific reference prints can easily be considered.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a color management system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a CRT reference selecting unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 CRT 2 Photofinishing system 3 Display image data 4 Color conversion means 5 Print image data 6 Photo print 7 CRT reference data 8 Reference print 9 CRT information

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A printing apparatus for performing color conversion processing on display image data color-adjusted to have a desired color on a screen of a color adjustment CRT to reproduce the desired color on a photographic print. What is claimed is: 1. A color management system for creating image data, comprising: a reference print indicating a reference color; and a plurality of CRs each of which reproduces the reference color indicated in the reference print on a plurality of CRT screens having different characteristics.
Displaying the plurality of reference data for each T and the plurality of reference data for each CRT on the screen of the CRT for color adjustment, thereby enabling selection of CRT reference data whose displayed color is closest to the reference color.
T reference selecting means; and CRT characteristics of the CRT for color adjustment corresponding to the CRT reference data selected by the CRT reference selecting means.
CRT information storage means for storing as T information; CRT information addition means for applying the CRT information stored in the CRT information storage means to display image data color-adjusted on the screen of the color adjustment CRT; A color management system comprising: a color conversion unit that performs the color conversion process on the display image data based on CRT characteristics indicated by CRT information assigned to the display image data. 2. A color adjustment means for performing color adjustment of image data on a screen of a color adjustment CRT, a reference print indicating a reference color, and a plurality of reference colors indicated in the reference print, the plurality of reference colors having different characteristics. Multiple CRs reproduced on the screen of the CRT
Displaying the plurality of reference data for each T and the plurality of reference data for each CRT on the screen of the CRT for color adjustment, thereby enabling selection of CRT reference data whose displayed color is closest to the reference color.
T reference selecting means; and CRT characteristics of the CRT for color adjustment corresponding to the CRT reference data selected by the CRT reference selecting means.
CRT information storage means for storing as T information; and CRT information providing means for providing CRT information stored in the CRT information storage means to image data color-adjusted on the screen of the color adjustment CRT. A color adjusting device, comprising: 3. An image data fetching means for fetching display image data color-adjusted so as to have a desired color on a screen of a color adjustment CRT, and said color adjustment device provided to said display image data. CRT
CRT information capturing means for capturing CRT information indicating the characteristics of: CRT information capturing means for performing color conversion processing on the display image data based on CRT characteristics indicated by CRT information added to the display image data, A color conversion device comprising: color conversion means for creating print image data for reproducing a desired color on a photographic print.