JP4974762B2 - Color processing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to mapping an input color to an output color gamut.

  In recent years, with the spread of personal computers, an image is acquired by an image input device such as a digital camera or a color scanner, the image is displayed on an image display device such as a CRT display or a liquid crystal display, and the image is confirmed and the color is adjusted. Is done. Further, the confirmed image is output by an image output device such as an ink jet printer or an electrophotographic printer. In order to match the color of the image output by the image output device displayed on the image display device, it is necessary to correct the difference in the color reproduction range (hereinafter referred to as a color gamut) of each device. For this correction, a process called color gamut mapping is performed.

  Here, as a color gamut mapping technique, each pixel data of an input image (hereinafter referred to as an input color) is directed toward a focal point provided on an achromatic color axis in a perceptual color space such as a CIELAB color space or a CIELV color space. A mapping method (focusing method) is known.

In Patent Document 1, in a perceptual color space, a focal point provided on an achromatic color axis and an input color outside the output color gamut are connected by a straight line, and an intersection of the straight line and the output color gamut is calculated. Then, the input color outside the output color gamut is represented by the color space value of the output color space by mapping the input color to the intersection.
JP 2001-144975 A

  In Patent Document 1, the mapping destination of the input color depends on the input color, the focus, and the surface shape of the output color gamut. Depending on the position of the focal point, there has been a problem in that the input color after mapping has a significant reduction in saturation. For this reason, when an image is converted using this method, in particular, the saturation of a vivid color in the input image is abruptly reduced in the output image, resulting in degradation of image quality.

  An example of the mapping method according to Patent Document 1 is shown in FIG. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of an input color gamut and an output color gamut in the same hue as the input color, where the horizontal axis represents saturation and the vertical axis represents lightness. In FIG. 16, a black circle represents an input color, and a white circle represents a focal point provided on an achromatic color axis, and the input color is mapped to an intersection of a straight line connecting the input color and the focal point and the output color gamut surface. That is, the saturation of the input color after mapping is drastically reduced as compared with that before mapping.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems. A focus is provided in a direction that maintains the saturation of the input color, and the input color is mapped toward the focus, so that the saturation in the output image is achieved. The purpose is to reduce the decrease in degree.

In order to achieve the above object, a color processing apparatus according to the present invention is a color processing apparatus that maps an input color into an output color gamut, and is based on the output color gamut as a focus movement range according to the input color. Focus range calculation for calculating a line segment defined by a point having the same saturation as the maximum saturation point on the hue plane having the same hue as the input color in the output color gamut and a point located on the achromatic color axis A determination unit for determining whether the input color is present in the output color gamut from the line segment based on the input color and the line segment; and a result of the determination by the determination unit, When an input color is present outside the output color gamut from the line segment, a focus calculation unit that calculates an intersection point of a perpendicular line dropped from the input color perpendicular to the line segment and the line segment as a focus for the input color And the input using the calculated focus Mapping the output gamut; and a mapping unit.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the focus is set in a direction that maintains the saturation of the input color, and the input color is mapped toward the focus, thereby reducing the gradation in the output image and It is possible to reduce the saturation and to obtain a high-quality output image.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration for realizing the color processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a color processing apparatus. A data acquisition unit 101 acquires image data, input color gamut data, and output color gamut data. Reference numeral 102 denotes a perceptual color space value calculation unit that calculates a perceptual color space value (Lab value) from each pixel value (RGB value) of the image data acquired by the data acquisition unit 101. Reference numeral 103 denotes a focus range calculation unit that calculates a focus movement range from the white point, black point, and maximum saturation point (hereinafter referred to as Cusp) of the output color gamut data acquired by the data acquisition unit 101. Reference numeral 104 denotes a determination unit that determines whether or not to map the input color based on the focus range calculated by the focus range calculation unit 103. Reference numeral 105 denotes a focus calculation unit that calculates a focus for an input color that is determined to require mapping by the determination unit 104. Reference numeral 106 denotes a mapping unit that maps the input color based on the focus calculated by the focus calculation unit 105. A color space value calculation unit 107 converts the perceptual color space value mapped by the mapping unit 106 into a corresponding device RGB value. Reference numeral 108 denotes an output unit that outputs the image data converted into the device RGB values by the color space value calculation unit 107. Reference numeral 109 denotes an image data holding unit that holds image data read by the data acquisition unit 101. A color gamut data holding unit 110 holds color gamut data read by the data acquisition unit 101. Reference numeral 111 denotes a buffer memory for temporarily holding each piece of data being calculated.

<Operation in Color Processing Device 1>
The operation in the color processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the color processing apparatus.

  In step S1, the data acquisition unit 101 reads data necessary for image data conversion. The data to be read is image data, input color gamut data, and output color gamut data.

  The image data is stored in the image data holding unit 107. In the following description, it is assumed that the image data is sRGB color space data. However, the image data may be data in other RGB color space or Lab color space. The input color gamut data is stored in the color gamut data holding unit 110 and is a correspondence table describing pairs of Lab values corresponding to the respective color signal values of the device as shown in FIG. Further, the output color gamut data is stored in the color gamut data holding unit 108, and in the same manner as the input color gamut data, a pair of Lab values corresponding to each color signal value of the device as shown in FIG. 4 is described. It is a correspondence table. For example, printer color gamut data is generally created as follows. First, the color signal values R, G, and B of the printer are divided into several slices such as 9 slices or 17 slices, respectively, and the RGB values at the lattice points of each slice are input to the printer, and the color chart is printed on a predetermined sheet. Print. Next, the color chart is measured by a colorimeter to obtain an XYZ value and converted to a Lab value. The color gamut data can be created by storing the Lab value and the device RGB value acquired in this way as a pair.

  In step S2, the perceptual color space value calculation unit 102 calculates an XYZ value from each pixel value of the image data acquired in step S1, and calculates a Lab value from the XYZ value and the XYZ value of the white point. It should be noted that equations (1) to (4) are used for conversion from RGB values to XYZ values in the sRGB color space.

  In addition, Expressions (5) to (8) are used for conversion from XYZ values to Lab values. The XYZ value of D65 is used as the XYZ value of the white point when calculating the Lab value.

here,

  In step S3, the focal range calculation unit 103 calculates a focal range based on the output color gamut data acquired in step S1 and the Lab value of the input color calculated in step S2. Specific processing contents of the focal range calculation unit 103 will be described later.

  In step S4, the determination unit 104 determines whether the input color exists within the compression range or outside the range from the focus range calculated in step S3. Specific processing contents of the determination unit 104 will be described later.

  In step S5, the focus calculation unit 105 calculates a focus for the input color determined to be in the compression range in step S4. Specific processing contents of the focus calculation unit 105 will be described later.

  In step S6, the mapping unit 106 maps the input color determined to be in the compression range in step S4 based on the focus calculated in step S5. Specific processing contents of the mapping unit 106 will be described later.

  In step S7, the color space value calculation unit 107 calculates a color space value of the output device corresponding to the color value mapped in step S6, for example, an RGB value. The device color space value is calculated using, for example, an LUT that represents the relationship between the device color space value and the CIELAB value, a conversion matrix, or the like. When the LUT is used, conversion is performed using a known technique such as tetrahedral interpolation or cube interpolation.

  In step S8, the output unit 108 outputs the image data converted into the device RGB values in step S5.

<Operation in Focus Range Calculation Unit 103>
The operation of the focus range calculation unit 103 in step S3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing in the focal range calculation unit 103.

  In step S <b> 101, the focal range calculation unit 103 acquires the Lab value of the input color from the buffer memory 111. In step S102, the focus range calculation unit 103 acquires brightness values of the white point and black point of the output color gamut. In step S103, the focus range calculation unit 103 acquires the brightness value and the saturation value of Cusp of the output color gamut in the same hue as the input color acquired in step S101.

  In step S104, the focus range calculation unit 103 calculates the end point of the focus range from the brightness value of the white point acquired in step S102 and the brightness value and saturation value of the Cusp of the output color gamut acquired in step S103.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the focus movement range is set inside the output color gamut. In the hue plane, two focus movement ranges are set. The focus movement range is indicated by a line segment defined by two end points. One end point defining the line segment exists on the achromatic color axis, and is set one by one for high lightness and low lightness. The other end point is set based on the output color value Cusp. Then, the above two line segments are set by connecting the end point set based on Cusp and the end point located at the high lightness or low lightness on the achromatic color axis. When the input color has a brightness higher than the brightness of Cusp, a line segment having an end point set to a high brightness is set as the focus range. On the other hand, when the input color has a lightness lower than that of Cusp, a line segment having an end point set to a low lightness is set as the focus range.

  One end point of the focus range is on the achromatic color axis, and the lightness value is a point represented by Expression (9).

L _Edge1 = (L _DstWhite -L _DstBlack ) × k + L _DstBlack equation (9)
Here, L _Edge1 represents the brightness value of one end point of the focal range. L _DstWhite represents the brightness value of the white point of the output color gamut, and L _DstBlack represents the brightness value of the black point of the output color gamut. The coefficient k is, for example, 0.8.

  The other end point of the focal range has a lightness value equal to the output color gamut Cusp and a saturation value corresponding to a predetermined ratio of the Cusp saturation value, for example, 80% of the Cusp saturation value. Let it be a point.

  In step S <b> 105, the focal range calculation unit 103 stores the coordinates of the end points calculated in step S <b> 104 and the input color coordinates as a set in the buffer memory 111. In this way, the end points and the input color are stored in one set in order to associate the focus range to be referred to when the input color is mapped with the input color.

  In step S <b> 106, the focal range calculation unit 103 determines whether the processing has been completed for all pixels of the image. If the process has not been completed for all pixels, the process returns to step S101. If the process has been completed for all pixels, the process ends.

  As described above, the focus range calculation unit 103 calculates the focus movement range from the brightness values of the white point and black point of the output color gamut and the brightness value and saturation value of Cusp.

<Operation in Determination Unit 104>
Next, operation | movement of the determination part 104 of step S4 is demonstrated in detail using FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing in the determination unit 104 according to the embodiment of this invention.

  In step S <b> 201, the determination unit 104 acquires the Lab value of the input color from the buffer memory 111.

  In step S <b> 202, the determination unit 104 acquires the coordinates of the end point of the focal range corresponding to the input color acquired in step S <b> 201 from the buffer memory 111.

  In step S <b> 203, the determination unit 104 assigns 0 to a compression flag that stores a determination result as to whether the input color is within or outside the compression range, and initializes it. When the compression flag is 0, it indicates that the input color is out of range.

  In step S204, the determination unit 104 determines whether the input color is in the compression range or out of the range from the input color acquired in step S201 and the end point of the focal range acquired in step S202. The case where the input color exists outside the range is when the input color is located outside the line segment connecting the two end points. That is, the lightness of the line segment in the same saturation as the input color is greater than the lightness of the input color. Therefore, if the saturation value of the input color is substituted into the expression representing the line segment, and the lightness of the line segment at that time is smaller than the lightness of the input color, it can be determined that the input color exists outside the range. As a result of the determination, if the input color is within the compression range, the process proceeds to step S205, and if it is out of the range, the process proceeds to step S206.

  In step S <b> 205, the determination unit 104 assigns 1 to the compression flag, and stores it in the buffer memory 111 as a set with the coordinates of the input color. Here, a value of 1 assigned to the compression flag indicates that the input color exists within the compression range.

  In step S206, the determination unit 104 determines whether or not the processing has been completed for all pixels of the image. If the process has not been completed for all pixels, the process returns to step S201, and if the process has been completed for all pixels, the process ends.

  As described above, the determination unit 104 determines whether the input color is in the compression range or out of the compression range from the end point of the input color and the focus range, and stores the determination result in the buffer memory 111.

<Operation in Focus Calculation Unit 105>
Next, the operation of the focus calculation unit 105 in step S5 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing in the focus calculation unit 105.

  In step S <b> 301, the focus calculation unit 105 acquires the Lab value of the input color from the buffer memory 111. In step S302, the focus calculation unit 105 acquires a compression flag corresponding to the input color acquired in step S301 from the buffer memory 111. When the flag is 1, that is, when the input color is within the compression range. In step S303, the process proceeds to step S303. On the other hand, if the flag is 0, that is, if the input color is out of range, the process proceeds to step S306.

  In step S303, the focus calculation unit 105 acquires from the buffer memory 111 the coordinates of the end points of the focus range corresponding to the input color acquired in step S301. In step S304, the focus calculation unit 105 calculates a focus from the input color acquired in step S301 and the end point of the focus range acquired in step S302. The focal point is an intersection of a line segment connecting both end points of the focal range and a perpendicular line drawn from the input color to the line segment.

  In step S305, the focus calculation unit 105 stores the focus calculated in step S304 in the buffer memory 111 as a set with the input color. In step S306, the focus calculation unit 105 determines whether the processing has been completed for all the pixels of the image. If the process has not been completed for all the pixels, the process returns to step S301. If the process has been completed for all the pixels, the process ends.

  As described above, the focus calculation unit 105 calculates the intersection point between the line segment connecting the two end points of the focus range and the perpendicular line drawn from the input color to the line segment, and stores the intersection point in the buffer memory 111 as the focus point. .

<Operation in Mapping Unit 106>
Next, the operation of the mapping unit 106 in step S6 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing in the mapping unit 106.

  In step S <b> 401, the mapping unit 106 acquires the Lab value of the input color from the buffer memory 111. In step S402, the mapping unit 106 acquires a compression flag corresponding to the input color acquired in step S401 from the buffer memory 111, and when the flag is 1, that is, when the input color is within the compression range. Advances to step S403. On the other hand, if the flag is 0, that is, if the input color is out of range, the process proceeds to step S406.

  In step S <b> 403, the mapping unit 106 acquires the focus corresponding to the input color acquired in step S <b> 401 from the buffer memory 111.

  In step S404, the mapping unit 106 calculates a coefficient of a linear equation connecting the input color acquired in step S401 and the focus acquired in step S403. Hereinafter, this straight line is referred to as a mapping axis. In step S405, the mapping unit 106 calculates an intersection between the mapping axis obtained in step S404 and the input color gamut surface. In step S406, the mapping unit 106 calculates the intersection between the mapping axis and the output color gamut surface as in step S405.

In step S407, the mapping unit 106 calculates the compression amount of the input color from the input color, the focus, the intersection of the input color gamut surface and the mapping axis, and the intersection of the output color gamut surface and the mapping axis. Input color compression is as follows: input color is P, mapping destination is P ', intersection of input gamut surface and mapping axis is C _S , intersection of output gamut surface and mapping axis is C _D , and focus is F When this is done, Equation (10) is satisfied.

  That is, the distance from the intersection of the input color gamut surface and the mapping axis to the focal point, the ratio of the distance from the input color to the focal point, the distance from the intersection of the output color gamut surface and the mapping axis to the focal point, and the mapping destination Compress so that the ratio of the distance from the point to the focal point is equal.

  Therefore, the compression amount can be calculated by the equation (11).

  In step S <b> 408, the mapping unit 106 calculates a mapping destination of the input color from the mapping direction obtained from the input color and focus and the compression amount obtained in step S <b> 407, and stores it in the buffer memory 111.

  In step S409, the mapping unit 106 determines whether or not processing has been completed for all pixels of the image. If the process has not been completed for all pixels, the process returns to step S401, and if the process has been completed for all pixels, the process ends.

  As described above, the mapping unit 106 calculates the mapping axis from the input color and the focal point, and the compression amount calculated from the intersection of the mapping axis, the input color gamut surface and the output color gamut surface, and the input color and the focal point. And the mapping destination of the input color is calculated based on the mapping direction.

  Through the above processing, the input color is mapped to the points illustrated in FIG. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an input color gamut and an output color gamut in the same hue as the input color, where the horizontal axis represents saturation and the vertical axis represents lightness. In FIG. 1, a line segment indicated by a dotted line indicates a moving range of the focus, and a point indicated by a white circle indicates an intersection with a perpendicular line dropped from the input color to the line segment, that is, a focus when the input color is mapped. A point indicated by a square, that is, a mapping destination of the input color, is calculated from the compression amount obtained by using the intersection of the focus and the input color and the input color gamut and the output color gamut.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by mapping the input color in the vertical direction with respect to the line segment set based on the output color gamut data, the input color is mapped to a point close to that before mapping. It is possible to reduce the saturation in the input color. Therefore, the output image can be reproduced with vividness close to that of the input image. In addition, according to the present embodiment, reduction in saturation is reduced, so that gradation collapse after mapping can be reduced.

  FIG. 9 shows a grid on the surface of the color gamut when grid points in the sRGB color space are mapped to the printer color gamut according to the prior art. In general, the color space of the additive color mixing system has higher brightness than the color space of the subtractive color mixing system, and the difference is particularly remarkable in Green and Cyan. Therefore, when the input color is mapped by the prior art, each grid point on the surface of the input color gamut is projected obliquely on the surface of the output color gamut. At this time, the smaller the angle formed between the straight line connecting each grid point and the focal point and the surface of the output color gamut, the more significant the decrease in the saturation of the input color. Become. For this reason, gradation collapse occurs in the vicinity of Cusp after mapping. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the input color is mapped in the vertical direction with respect to the set line segment, as shown in FIG. 10, the collapse of gradation on the surface of the color gamut can be reduced. In FIG. 10, the mesh shown on the ab plane represents a lattice on the surface of the color gamut after mapping by this method. The input color space and the output color space are the same as those in FIG.

  In addition, the present embodiment can prevent lightness from being deteriorated in the vicinity of the boundary of an area where the input color is faithfully maintained (hereinafter referred to as a maintenance area).

  In the prior art, the maintenance area is a distance obtained by multiplying a distance from the focal point to the intersection by a predetermined coefficient. Therefore, the distance from the focal point to the boundary of the maintenance area increases or decreases according to the shape of the output color gamut surface. Therefore, when the surface of the output color gamut has irregularities, as shown in FIG. 11, irregularities are also generated at the boundary of the maintenance area, and therefore the gradation of brightness near the boundary is deteriorated. For example, irregularities occur on the surface of the color gamut due to measurement errors and measurement errors of patches printed by the output device, and characteristics of color materials such as electrophotographic printers and printers using pigment ink.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the boundary of the maintenance area is defined by a line segment regardless of the shape of the output color gamut surface, thereby preventing the lightness gradation deterioration near the boundary as described above. be able to.

(Second embodiment)
Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration for realizing the color processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 2 denotes a color processing apparatus. Blocks that perform the same processing as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment, and description thereof is omitted.

  A determination unit 204 determines whether the input color calculated by the perceptual color space value calculation unit 102 exists inside or outside the output color gamut. Reference numeral 206 denotes a mapping unit that maps the input color based on the focus calculated by the focus calculation unit 105.

<Operation in Color Processing Device 2>
Next, the operation in the color processing apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the color processing apparatus of this embodiment. Steps that perform the same processing as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and description thereof is omitted.

  In step S24, the determination unit 204 determines whether the input color exists in the output color gamut or outside the output color gamut. Specific processing contents of the determination unit 204 will be described later.

  In step S26, the mapping unit 206 maps the input color onto the output color gamut surface toward the focal point calculated in step S5. Specific processing contents of the mapping unit 206 will be described later.

<Operation in Determination Unit 204>
Next, operation | movement of the determination part 204 of step S24 is demonstrated in detail using FIG. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing processing in the determination unit 204.

  In step S <b> 501, the determination unit 204 acquires the Lab value of the input color from the buffer memory 111. In step S502, the determination unit 204 assigns 0 to a flag for storing a determination result of whether the input color exists in the output color gamut or outside the color gamut, and initializes the flag. When the flag is 0, it represents that the input color exists in the color gamut. In step S503, the determination unit 204 determines whether the input color is in the output color gamut or out of the range. As a result of the determination, if the input color is outside the output gamut, the process proceeds to step S504, and if it is within the color gamut, the process proceeds to step S505. In step S <b> 504, the determination unit 204 assigns 1 to the flag, and stores it in the buffer memory 111 as a set with the coordinates of the input color. Here, the value 1 assigned to the flag represents that the input color exists outside the output color gamut. In step S505, the determination unit 204 determines whether the processing has been completed for all the pixels of the image. If the process has not been completed for all the pixels, the process returns to step S501. If the process has been completed for all the pixels, the process ends. As described above, the determination unit 204 determines whether the input color is in the output color gamut or outside the output color gamut, and stores the determination result in the buffer memory 111.

<Operation in Mapping Unit 206>
Next, operation | movement of the mapping part 206 of step S26 is demonstrated in detail using FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing processing in the mapping unit 206.

  In step S <b> 601, the mapping unit 206 acquires the Lab value of the input color from the buffer memory 111. In step S602, the mapping unit 206 acquires a flag corresponding to the input color acquired in step S601 from the buffer memory 111. If the flag is 1, that is, if the input color is out of the output color gamut. The process proceeds to step S603. On the other hand, if the flag is 0, that is, if the input color is within the output color gamut, the process proceeds to step S606.

  In step S <b> 603, the mapping unit 206 acquires a focus corresponding to the input color acquired in step S <b> 601 from the buffer memory 111. In step S604, the mapping unit 206 calculates a coefficient of an equation of a straight line (mapping axis) connecting the input color acquired in step S601 and the focal point acquired in step S603. In step S605, the mapping unit 206 calculates the intersection between the mapping axis obtained in step S604 and the output color gamut surface. In step S606, the mapping unit 206 rewrites the data in the buffer memory 111 using the intersection calculated in step S605 as the mapping destination of the input color.

  In step S607, the mapping unit 206 determines whether or not processing has been completed for all pixels of the image. If the process has not been completed for all the pixels, the process returns to step S601. If the process has been completed for all the pixels, the process ends.

  As described above, the mapping unit 206 calculates the mapping axis from the input color and focus, and calculates the mapping destination of the input color based on the intersection and mapping direction between the mapping axis and the output color gamut surface.

  As described above, according to the technique described above, by mapping the input color in the vertical direction with respect to the line segment set based on the output color gamut data, the input color is mapped to a point close to that before mapping. It is possible to reduce the saturation in the input color. Therefore, the output image can be reproduced with vividness close to that of the input image.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the processing has been described on the assumption that the input image is expressed in sRGB (IEC 61966-2-1). However, the input to the color processing device in the present invention is not limited to sRGB. Any color space is acceptable.

  In the above embodiment, the color gamut data is held in advance in the color gamut data holding unit 110. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be read from the outside together with the input image by the input means, or the color gamut data holding unit 110 holds a plurality of color gamut data in advance, and the color gamut data corresponding to the input from the outside is obtained. You may make it pass to the data acquisition part 101. FIG.

  In the above embodiment, the CIELAB color space has been described. However, other perceptual color spaces such as CIEUV, CIECAM97s, and CIECAM02 may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the focus movement range is defined by two line segments, but may be defined by one line segment. For example, the high brightness may be mapped by the same method as in the above embodiment, and the low brightness portion may be mapped within the output color gamut while maintaining the brightness. Thus, the method of the above embodiment may be used according to the color gamut. An appropriate mapping method may be used in accordance with the relationship between the input color gamut and the output color gamut in each color gamut.

  In the above embodiment, when calculating the brightness value of the end point on the achromatic axis of the focus range, the coefficient k is set to 0.8. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an arbitrary value such as 0.7 or 0.9 is used. A value may be used. Furthermore, as shown in Expression (12), a predetermined ratio with respect to the maximum brightness of the output color gamut may be used as the brightness value.

  In the above embodiment, the brightness of one end point of the focus range is set to be equal to Cusp of the output color gamut. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the brightness is set in a range where the end point exists in the output color gamut. May be.

  In the above embodiment, the saturation of one end point of the focal range is the saturation corresponding to 80% of the saturation of Cusp of the output color gamut. However, the saturation is not limited to this, and may be 70% or 90%. The saturation may be set according to the desired color reproduction.

  In the first embodiment, the compression amount of the input color is calculated to be a constant compression amount regardless of the distance from the focal point, but is not limited thereto. The compression amount may be calculated using a non-linear function in which the compression amount increases as the distance from the focal point increases and the compression amount decreases as the distance decreases.

  Note that the present invention can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, and a printer), and a device (for example, a copying machine and a facsimile device) including a single device. You may apply to.

  Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus stores the storage medium. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading out and executing the program code for realizing the above-described flowchart stored in (1). In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

  As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, or the like is used. be able to.

The figure which shows the mapping of an input color on the saturation-lightness plane in the color processing apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a color processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow of processing in the color processing apparatus 1. The figure which shows the example of the preservation | save format of color gamut data. The figure which shows the flow of a process in the focus range calculation part 103. The figure which shows the flow of the process in the determination part 104. FIG. The figure which shows the flow of a process in the focus calculation part. The figure which shows the flow of a process in the mapping part. The figure which shows the example of the conventional mapping on ab plane. The figure which shows the example of a mapping on ab plane. The figure which shows the example of the mapping by a prior art in case there exists an unevenness | corrugation in the output color gamut surface on a L * -C * plane. The block diagram which shows the structure of the color processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of processing in the color processing apparatus 2. The figure which shows the flow of the process in the determination part 204. FIG. The figure which shows the flow of a process in the mapping part. The figure which shows the example of the conventional mapping on the L * -C * plane.

Claims (5)

A color processing device that maps an input color into an output color gamut,
Based on the output color gamut, as a moving range of the focus according to the input color, a point having the same saturation as the maximum saturation point in the hue plane having the same hue as the input color in the output color gamut, and an achromatic color axis A focal range calculation means for calculating a line segment defined by the point located above,
A determination unit that determines whether the input color is present in the output color gamut from the line segment based on the input color and the line segment;
As a result of the determination by the determination unit, when the input color exists outside the output color gamut from the line segment, an intersection of the perpendicular line dropped from the input color perpendicular to the line segment and the line segment is input to the input color. A focus calculation unit that calculates the focus for the color;
A color processing apparatus comprising: a mapping unit that maps the input color to an output color gamut using the calculated focus.   The color processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the points defining the line segment is obtained from a white point and a black point of the output color gamut.   The color processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mapping pastes an input color outside the output color gamut onto a surface of the output color gamut.   A program stored in a storage medium so as to be readable by a computer in order to realize the color processing apparatus according to claim 1 using the computer. A color processing method for mapping an input color into an output color gamut,
Based on the output color gamut, as a moving range of the focus according to the input color, a point having the same saturation as the maximum saturation point in the hue plane having the same hue as the input color in the output color gamut, and an achromatic color axis Calculate the line segment defined by the point located above,
Based on the input color and the line segment, determine whether the input color is present in the output color gamut from the line segment,
As a result of the determination by the determination unit, when the input color exists outside the output color gamut from the line segment, an intersection of the perpendicular line dropped from the input color perpendicular to the line segment and the line segment is input to the input color. Calculated as the focus on color,
A color processing method, wherein the input color is mapped to an output color gamut using the calculated focus.

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