Field of the invention

The invention relates to a method for creating distorted portraits using a digital camera with a wire frame overlay and a digital camera utilizing the method. The invention relates also to a computer program product for realizing the method.

Background of the invention

Today, digital cameras are popular. In addition, other electronic devices, like cellu- lar terminals, can include a camera. The same electronic device can save taken pictures. However, the edition possibility of pictures is quite limited because digital cameras or cellular terminals do not have very many tools for editing. For example, the display and keyboard of the device are quite small and therefore they are not very practicable for editing pictures.

However, there are software tools by which pictures can be edited or distorted for example in a PC apparatus. A distorted picture means in this context a picture, which is edited in away, which makes it funnier than the original one. In this case, a PC comprises software by which the user can modify a picture, for example a portrait, utilizing keyboard or mouse of the PC. The software comprises some software-based tools, by which the original picture can be variously distorted by the user on selected areas of the picture.

It is also known from passport photo automats that a person can adjust one's face in a suitable position in the photo automat utilizing a wire frame overlay, which is located on a dichroic mirror, before a passport photo is taken. This guidance is in this context important because the whole face with hair must be included in the passport photo. However, the wire frame overlay is not utilized after that for example in editing work of the passport photo.

Summary of the invention

An object of the invention is to provide a new way to create a distorted portrait of a person in a digital camera.

The objects of the invention are achieved by a method where a digital camera is utilized with a wire frame overlay for an image photograph i.e. a portrait. The wire frame overlay is advantageously created by software according to the invention. When the camera application is opened, it is advantageously opened with the wire frame overlay according to the invention. The wire frame overlay can be used to aim and zoom the view so that the person's whole face matches with the wire frame overlay. The software also comprises ready-made templates by which certain part of the wire frame overlay is distorted in a determined way. When using a certain template to distort the wire frame overlay also the portrait tied to the wire frame overlay distorts in the same way.

An advantage of the invention is that a portrait of a person can be distorted easily already in a digital camera.

A further advantage of the invention is that ready-made templates make the distortion extremely easy. After template selection, the distorted image is ready. No fur- ther actions are necessary.

A further advantage of the invention is that it can be implemented to a camera that is integrated in a cellular terminal.

Another advantage of the invention is that the software utilized does not require a lot of memory.

The idea of the invention is as follows: A digital camera comprises also a software application according to the invention by which a wire frame overlay, which roughly depicts features, can be installed on the display of the camera before a picture is taken. With the wire frame overlay person's whole face can be aimed at and zoomed in on. After that, the user takes a face photograph. The portrait with wire frame overlay is saved as a master image. The master image can be distorted using templates, which are included in the software application according to the invention. The set of ready-made templates contain wire frame overlays distorted in different ways. For example the part of the wire frame overlay which corresponds to the eye area of the face, is widened or narrowed. First, the user of the camera selects from one of the templates advantageously using a suitable menu. When the user has selected a suitable template, it distorts the wire frame overlay and the master image, which is tied to it. However, the wire frame overlay is faded out from the portrait when it is shown after distortion on the display of the digital camera. If

the user accepts the impression, he or she can then save the distorted image for future use in the memory of the digital camera.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention is described in detail below. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which

Fig. 1 shows a schematical representation of a wire frame according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows an embodiment example of a master image according to the invention on a display of a cellular terminal;

Figs. 3a-c show three examples of distorted portraits;

Fig. 4 shows as an example the main functional blocks of a cellular terminal, where the method according to the invention can be used; and

Fig. 5 shows as an example a flow chart including main stages of the method according to the invention.

Detailed description

The invention is depicted by using a digital camera integrated in a cellular terminal as an example. The man skilled in the art can implement the invention also to other electronic devices than the cellular terminal.

Fig. 1 depicts a wire frame overlay 10 according to the invention. The wire frame overlay 10 is created by a software application according to the invention. It appears advantageously on the display of a digital camera by a special user command. The wire frame overlay 10 comprises advantageously three vertical segments of a line, references 101a, 101b and 101c, and four horizontal segments of a line, references 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d. It comprises also one vertical ellipse 103 indicating a skull, one horizontal ellipse 104 indicating the mouth area, one vertical ellipse 105 indicating the nose area and two horizontal ellipses, 106a and 106b, indicating the eye area. The wire frame overlay 10 is advantageously fixed in size when a user wants to take a portrait photograph. The photographer

can aim the face of the person to be photographed using the wire frame 10 according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows an example of how to use the wire frame overlay 10 when aiming the face of a woman 25 to the right place in a viewfinder 21 of a camera, which is inte- grated in a cellular terminal 20. The number keys 24 are advantageously used when giving a file name to a picture. Keys numbered by reference sign 22 are soft keys, which are used for example with menus shown on the display 21. Also one four-way key 23 is shown. In one advantageous embodiment of the invention the wire frame overlay 10 can be moved on the display 21 by using the four-way key 23.

When a portrait according to the invention has been taken the wire frame overlay 10 is tied to the face portrait 25 and this combination picture is saved as a master image according to the invention.

The master image can be distorted advantageously by a template, which is se- lected from various ready-made templates. The templates are distorted for example in the following way. The area of the mouth ellipse has been made wider or narrower. The end of the ellipse can be lifted up or lowered down. The same can be done also with the nose and eye areas. It is also possible to duplicate or triplicate for example eyes and then locate them one upon the other. Each of the tem- plates advantageously has a name, which depicts the distorted template.

Fig. 3a shows an example where the portrait has distorted in a way where there are three pairs of eyes one upon the other. The template, which causes this distortion, can be called for example "Alien".

Fig. 3b shows another example where the nose of the person has made longer. This template can be called for example "Cyrano".

Fig. 3c shows a third example of a distortion where the eyes of a woman have made larger and the mouth has been widened to give a more smiling appearance. This template can be called for example "Hollywood".

Figure 4 shows as an example block diagram of a cellular network terminal 40, where the method according to the invention can be utilized in a digital camera 47 integrated to the terminal 40. The terminal 40 shown in Fig. 4 uses the antenna 41 in transmitting and receiving signals to and from the cellular network serving the

terminal. The reference number 42 represents means for forming a receiver RX, with which the terminal 40 receives messages from the cellular network serving it. The receiver RX comprises prior art means for all received messages or signals.

The reference number 43 represents means for forming the transmitter TX of the cellular terminal 40. The transmitter means 43 perform all signal-processing procedures required in the operation with the cellular network serving it.

The cellular terminal 40 includes a control unit 44. It controls the operation of all main components of the cellular terminal 40. It controls also the cellular terminal's user interface Ul 46, which also can comprise a display unit capable of showing pictures, and the memory 45 belonging to the cellular terminal.

The cellular terminal comprises advantageously also a CCD-camera 47. Pictures taken by the camera 47 can be displayed on the display unit of the cellular terminal. The control unit 44 advantageously controls camera functions. If the user of the cellular terminal has given a command to use a wire frame overlay 10 accord- ing to the invention in taking a picture, the control unit 44 can attach the wire frame overlay to the viewfinder of the camera 47. The software realizing the wire frame overlay is saved advantageously in the memory 45. After the photography, the control unit 44 saves the picture as a master image in the memory 45 of the cellular terminal.

The software application according to the invention for distorting portraits is advantageously saved in the cellular terminal's 40 memory 45, wherefrom the control unit 44 of the terminal 40 then can retrieve templates for distorting the portrait. In addition, the distorted pictures are advantageously also saved in the memory 45.

Figure 5 shows as an exemplary flow diagram the main steps of a method accord- ing to the invention.

In phase 50, the user of the digital camera presses a key that sets the camera in photographic state. After that, advantageously a second selection is made in phase 51 where one specific photographic mode is selected. In this case, it means taking a portrait. Another possibility could be for example a landscape picture.

Next, the user can advantageously make a third selection. The options are firstly, to take a picture with a wire frame according to the invention, i.e. YES alternative, or secondly, to take a picture in a normal way, i.e. NO alternative. If NO alternative

is selected in phase 52, the process continues to phase 53 where a normal picture is taken. After that, the picture is saved in phase 54 into the memory of the digital camera and photography ends in phase 59. Advantageously the camera returns to a mode, which corresponds with the initial state, i.e. phase 50.

However, if in phase 52 YES alternative had been selected, it means that a wire frame according to the invention appears on the display of the digital camera. It also means that the user wants to maintain a possibility to distort the portrait somehow already in the camera.

Consequently, when a picture in phase 55 has been taken, it includes both the wire frame according to the invention and the portrait. This portrait with the wire frame is called a master image and it is advantageously saved in the memory of the digital camera. The distortion of the master image begins in phase 56. There the user advantageously selects one template from a wide selection of ready- made possibilities. In phase 57 the selected template distorts the selected master image. If the distorted image is funny enough it is saved in the in phase 58. The user can give a descriptive name to the picture, which helps him later to find the distorted picture again. In addition, this process ends in phase 59 where the funny picture is ready and advantageously saved in the cellular terminal.

In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the terminal selects randomly one template for distorting without any further user actions.

The steps of the method shown in figure 5 can be realized in the terminal by a software application according to the invention saved in the digital camera.

Of course the method steps according to figure 5 can be utilized in any electronic device with a user interface including a display and a camera. One example of a possible device is a cellular terminal with an integrated digital camera.

Some advantageous embodiments according to the invention were described above. The invention is not limited to the embodiments described. The inventional idea can be applied in numerous ways within the scope defined by the claims attached hereto.