Tint fill

To fill a connected area of a digital image is to change the color of all and only those pixels in the area. Fill algorithms for areas defined by sharp boundaries (e.g., a white area surrounded by a black curve) have been implemented at several color computer graphics installations. This paper presents an algorithm for the more difficult problem of filling areas with shaded boundaries (e.g., a white area surrounded by a curve consisting of several shades of gray). These images may arise from digitizing photographs or line drawings with a scanning video camera, or they may be generated by programs which produce antialiased line segments or dekink black-and-white images. When an area in such an image is to be filled with a new color, it is desirable to have the fill algorithm understand the shaded edges and maintain the shading with shades of the new color instead of the old. The tint fill algorithm presented here accomplishes this task. Its name arises from its ability to change only the tint (hue and saturation) of a pixel, leaving the value (blackness) unchanged. Although the algorithm was motivated by and is written in terms of color, it has a more general interpretation, which is also presented.