CA2553150A1 - Image processing apparatus and method, image synthesizing system and method, image synthesizer and client computer which constitute image synthesizing system, and image separatingmethod - Google Patents

Abstract

To facilitate saving of image data and movement of an image. An original image is displayed on a screen of a display device. An area to be extracted (cut out) from the displayed original image is designated by a mouse. Image data of an area other than the designated area is changed to image data representing a specified color. Pixel image data and coordinate data representing pixels in the (designated) area excluding the area of the specified color are produced. Pairs of the pixel image data and the coordinate data is stored. Alternatively, a set of pixel image data and a set of coordinate data are respectively compressed, and compressed pixel image data and the compressed coordinate data are stored: To perform proper color correction (conversion) even when a user image is inlaid in a template image to produce a composite image. A position, in which the user image is to be inlaid, on the template image is defined by mask information. The template image and the mask information are correlated with each other. The user image is inlaid in the position, on the template image, defined by the mask information, to produce a composite image. Data representing the produced composite image and the corresponding mask information are transmitted from a client computer to an image synthesizer. In the image synthesizer, the mask information is referred to, to separate the template image and the user image from the composite image. The template image and the user image, which have been separated from each other, are individually subjected to color correction in the image synthesizer. The template image and the user image, which have been respectively subjected to the color correction, are resynthesized.