JP2011070466A - Image selection control apparatus, camera and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image selection control apparatus that facilitates a procedure of uploading a captured image to a network; and to provide a camera and a program. <P>SOLUTION: The image selection control apparatus is configured to support posting an image stored in an image storage unit 22 to an image relevant site connected via a network and includes: a screen display control unit 11d displaying a screen for selecting a combination between an image relevant site and an image to be posted to the image relevant site; an input detecting unit 11e for detecting an instruction to the selection screen; and a selection unit 11b for comparing the kind of an image to be employed by the image relevant site, with the content of the posted image to select a proper combination of the image relevant site and the posted image, in accordance with the detected instruction to the selection screen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image selection control device, a camera, and a program. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image selection suitable for selecting an image to be posted on an image related site or an image to be attached to a blog from images taken by the camera. The present invention relates to a control device, a camera, and a program.

  In recent years, the network environment has been enhanced, and the data transfer speed has been increased. For this reason, images taken with a photographing device such as a digital camera are not only enjoyed by individuals, but are often used for posting on so-called blogs (Web Logs) or for image contests and image posting sites. Yes. There are also active seminars organized by rank to teach photography techniques and competitions for performance.

  In order to post a photographed image on a posting site or to enter a photo contest, the image is temporarily transferred from the photographing device to its own personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC), and the desired image related site (posting site) from the PC. , A contest, etc.), and a predetermined procedure must be performed on the PC according to the procedure of the image site. In addition, when attaching an image to a blog, once the image is transferred from the photographing device to the PC, the blog software is started, the desired image is attached to a predetermined blog, and transmitted to an external management server, etc. Various operations are required on the PC.

  In addition, the image may require processing such as image size conversion depending on the usage form. For example, if you are applying for a photo contest, the captured image is sent in a large data size, but if it is a normal blog, you need to resize the image size to about VGA (640 × 480 pixel screen resolution). . As described above, there are various procedures and restrictions to make a captured image available on a web (WEB) through a network.

  Various proposals have been made to more easily post images on a posting site. For example, Patent Document 1 describes various information necessary for posting on a sheet and describes necessary items. There has been proposed a system capable of transmitting a blog without having to perform a troublesome PC operation by reading a sheet with a specific reading device and transmitting the sheet to the outside. Also, in Patent Document 2, in order to be able to easily upload a blog to a bulletin board without a PC, information such as a blog creation and a transmission procedure to a server is stored in advance and can be used. A terminal has been proposed.

JP 2008-236702 A JP 2008-242567 A

  The number of image-related sites such as posting sites is increasing year by year, and even if you try to use multiple sites, it is not easy to manage them collectively because each site is independent. Also, in posting sites and photo contests, subjects are often limited to specific themes, such as animals, festivals, mountains, and the like. In recent photographing apparatuses such as cameras and PCs that can store an enormous number of images, it takes time to search for an application image from such images. Similarly, even in the case of a blog, it takes time to search for an image to be attached, and management is difficult.

  As described above, the number of usable image sites (posting sites and image contests) has increased, and the number of images to be handled has increased, and the procedure for uploading to the network has become complicated. A similar problem occurs when there are a plurality of image-based blog sites.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image selection control device, a camera, and a program that can simplify an operation procedure for uploading a captured image to a network. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image selection control apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is an image selection control for supporting image posting for posting an image stored in a storage unit to an image related site connected via a network. In the apparatus, a selection screen display control unit that displays a selection screen for selecting a combination of the image-related site and a posted image to be posted to the image-related site, an input detection unit that detects an instruction to the selection screen, According to the detected instruction on the selection screen, the type of the image recruited by the image-related site is compared with the content of the posted image, and a selection for selecting an appropriate combination of the image-related site and the posted image is selected. Part.

In the image selection control apparatus according to the second invention, in the first invention, the selection unit selects an image corresponding to a specific image-related site from the storage unit.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image selection control apparatus according to the first aspect, the selection unit selects an image corresponding to a specific image-related site from an image instructed by an operator in the storage unit. Choose from.

  In the image selection control apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect of the invention, the selection unit includes a subject determination unit that determines the type of a subject as the subject content in the image, and the selection unit Compares the type of subject by the subject determination unit and the type of image recruited by the image-related site, and selects an appropriate image for the image-related site.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image selection control apparatus according to the first aspect, the selection unit is suitable for an image instructed by an operator from among a plurality of image related sites that can be used as the image related site. Select an image-related site.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image selection control apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the selection unit includes a subject determination unit that determines the type of the subject as the content of the subject in the image, and the selection unit includes the instruction The type of the subject by the subject determination unit for the displayed image is compared with the type of image recruited by the image-related site, and an image posting site suitable for the instructed image is selected.

In the image selection control apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, when the image is a moving image, the selection unit selects an image related site for moving images from the image related sites.
In the image selection control apparatus according to the eighth invention, in the first invention, the selection screen display control unit displays the instructed image and the available image-related site on the same screen, and further uses them. Among the possible image related sites, the image related sites suitable for the designated image are distinguished and displayed.

A camera according to a ninth aspect includes the image selection control device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera capable of posting an image taken on an image related site selected from image related sites connected via a network. An information storage unit for storing site information including at least one of site login information, URL information, and a posting form, an operation unit for instructing a posted image from the captured images, and the posting A selection unit that determines the type of image subject and selects an image posting site suitable for the posted image from available image related sites, and the site information regarding the selected image related site together with the posted image. A communication control unit for transmission.

  An image selection control device according to an eleventh invention is a selection screen display for displaying a selection screen for selecting a combination of the blog and the attached image in the image selection control device for selecting an image attached to a blog. In accordance with the control unit, the input detection unit for detecting an instruction to the selection screen, and the detected instruction to the selection screen, the blog theme type and the image subject type are compared, and the blog A selection unit that selects a suitable image.

  A program according to a twelfth aspect of the invention is a program for causing a computer to execute to support image posting for posting an image stored in a storage unit to an image related site connected via a network. A step of displaying a selection screen for selecting a combination of an image-related site and a posted image to be posted to the image-related site, and a type of image recruited by the image-related site according to an instruction to the selection screen and the posting Comparing the contents of images and selecting an appropriate combination of the image-related site and the posted image.

  A program according to a thirteenth invention is a program for executing a computer to select an image attached to a blog, and displaying a selection screen for selecting a combination of the blog and the attached image. And detecting an instruction to the selection screen, and comparing the type of the blog theme with the type of subject of the image according to the detected instruction to the selection screen, and selecting an image suitable for the blog. Has steps.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an image selection control device that can simplify an operation procedure for uploading a captured image to a network. For example, even if there are various types of sites or there are many images, an appropriate combination is selected, so that a comfortable image posting environment can be realized.

According to the second invention, even if there are a large number of images, it is possible to easily find an image corresponding to an image-related site.
According to the third aspect, it is possible to easily find an image corresponding to the image-related site from among images selected by the operator.
According to the fourth aspect, since the subject is determined, it is possible to accurately select an appropriate image even for an image-related site where a subject of a specific genre recruits images.

According to the fifth aspect, it is easy to select a corresponding image-related site after determining an image first.
According to the sixth aspect, since the subject is determined, it is possible to accurately select an image-related site that recruits subject images of a specific genre appropriate for the content of the image.

According to the seventh aspect, in the case of a moving image, an image-related site appropriate for the moving image is selected, so that even in the case of a moving image, the image-related site can be selected accurately.
According to the eighth aspect, a suitable site and an unsuitable site can be easily identified among image related sites.

According to the ninth aspect of the invention, it is possible to provide a camera that can simplify the operation procedure of uploading a captured image to a network.
According to the tenth aspect, an image-related site can be selected from the camera and transmitted to the image-related site by the communication control unit.

According to the eleventh aspect, since an image suitable for the blog theme can be selected, it is possible to easily search for an image for attaching a blog.
According to the twelfth invention, an operation procedure for uploading a photographed image to a network can be easily performed in a computer such as a PC.
According to the thirteenth invention, an operation procedure for uploading a photographed image to a blog site via a network can be easily performed on a computer such as a PC.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention, a network, a contribution site, and the server of a blog. In the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows an image search screen and its use condition. It is a figure which shows the use condition in the case of selecting the image automatically in the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention. In the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows the use condition in the case of selecting the image suitable for a contribution site. In the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows the use condition when selecting the contribution site suitable for a single image. In the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows the use condition in the case of selecting the image suitable for a contribution site. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the reproduction | regeneration mode of the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the web selection screen A display of the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the web selection screen A display of the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the web selection screen B display of the camera concerning one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment will be described using a camera to which the present invention is applied according to the drawings. A camera 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a digital camera, has an imaging unit, converts a subject image into image data by the imaging unit, and converts the subject image into a main body based on the converted image data. Live view is displayed on the display unit placed on the back of the camera. The photographer determines the composition and the photo opportunity by observing the live view display. At the time of the release operation, the image data is recorded on the recording medium, and at the same time, information such as the shooting date / time and the shooting mode is recorded. The captured image recorded on the recording medium can be reproduced and displayed on the display unit when the reproduction mode is selected.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a camera 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Control unit (CPU: Central
The Processing Unit) 11 operates according to a control program stored in the program / data storage unit 12 and performs overall control of the camera 10. In the control unit 11, a communication control unit 11a, a selection unit 11b, a subject determination unit 11c, a screen display control unit 11d, and an input detection unit 11e are provided. Since 11a to 11e in the control unit 11 are a part of processing executed by the control program, they will be described as functional units included in the control unit 11.

  The communication control unit 11a controls the communication unit 23, which will be described later, and transmits the image selected by the selection unit 11b to a related image site such as a posting site via a PC or a mobile phone. In the case of an image attached to a blog, the text is once created on a PC or the like and then transmitted to the blog site.

  The selection unit 11b includes a subject determination unit 11c. The subject determination unit 11c includes a subject (image) based on information recorded on the image tag (header) such as the shooting date / time, the type of shooting scene, the shooting location, the presence / absence of a person, and the characteristics of the subject itself. Determine the type. The selection unit 11b includes a determination result by the subject determination unit 11c and an image related site such as a posting site stored in the program / data storage unit 12 to be described later for an image specified by the user or regarded as all specified. Compare the requested conditions and select an image or an image related site that meets the conditions. In other words, the selection unit 11b compares the type of the subject by the subject determination unit 11c and the type of the image recruited by the image related site, and selects an appropriate image for the image related site.

  The screen display control unit 11d causes the display unit 19 to display a selection screen for selecting a combination of an image-related site such as a posting site and a post image posted to the image-related site or an image attached to a blog. Take control. The selection screen will be described later with reference to FIGS. The input detection unit 11e detects an instruction to the operation unit 13, and the control unit 11 performs various controls according to the detection result. Further, an instruction to the selection screen is detected according to the touch position on the touch panel which is one of the operation units 13.

  A program and data storage unit 12, an operation unit 13, and a bus 25 are connected to the control unit 11. As described above, the program and data storage unit 12 stores a program executed by the control unit 11 and also stores various data. As various data, site information related to image-related sites such as a posting site and a blog site is stored. As this information, for example, the name of the image-related site, the theme name, the image size, the theme image of the blog is stored, and information for connection such as login information, URL information or a posting form of the image-related site is also included. It is remembered.

  The operation unit 13 detects operation states of various operation members for the user to give instructions to the camera. The various operation members include a power button, a release button, a tele / wide button for zooming, a cross button having up / down / left / right keys, an OK button, a mode switching button, and the like. In addition, a touch panel integrally formed on the front surface of the display unit 19 described later is provided, and this touch panel can detect the touch position when the user touches the screen of the display unit 19. In addition to the control unit 11, the imaging unit 15, SDRAM 16, image processing unit 17, display processing unit 18, compression / decompression unit 20, recording / playback unit 21, and communication unit 23 are connected to the bus 25.

  The imaging unit 15 includes a photographing lens for forming a subject image, an imaging element for converting the subject image into image data, a processing circuit thereof, a diaphragm and a shutter interposed in the optical path of the photographing lens, and the like. Including. The image data generated by the imaging unit 15 is output to the bus 25.

  An SDRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) is an electrically rewritable nonvolatile temporary storage memory, and is used for temporary storage of image data output from the imaging unit 15. The image processing unit 17 performs various kinds of images such as digital amplification (digital gain adjustment processing) of digital image data, white balance, color correction, gamma (γ) correction, contrast correction, live view display image generation, and moving image generation. Perform processing. The compression / decompression unit 20 is a circuit for compressing image data of still images and moving images temporarily stored in the SDRAM 16 by a compression method such as JPEG or TIFF, and decompressing the data for display. Note that image compression is not limited to JPEG or TIFF, and other compression methods can be applied.

  The display processing unit 18 causes the display unit 19 to display a live view display during shooting and a playback image during playback. When selecting an image such as a posted image, the display processing unit 18 causes the display unit 19 to display a selection screen generated by the screen display control unit 11d. The display unit 19 is connected to the display processing unit 18 and has a display such as a liquid crystal monitor or an organic EL disposed on the back surface of the main body. A predetermined image is displayed on the screen by the control of the display processing unit 18. The

  The recording / playback unit 21 stores the image data compressed by the compression / decompression unit 20 in the image storage unit 22 and reads out the image data of the captured image stored in the image storage unit 22. The read image data is expanded by the compression / expansion unit 20, and an image is reproduced and displayed on the display unit 19 based on the expanded image data.

  The image storage unit 22 is connected to the recording / playback unit 21 and is a recording medium for image data that can be built in or loaded into the digital camera body. In the tag (header) of the image data, shooting date / time, type of shooting scene, shooting location, presence / absence of a person, and the like are recorded. The shooting date and time is acquired based on date and time information by a clock unit (not shown), and the shooting location is acquired by a GPS or the like (not shown). The type of shooting scene is a shooting mode selected by the photographer at the time of shooting or a shooting mode automatically set by the camera. The presence or absence of a person is determined by a face detection unit (not shown) based on whether or not a face portion exists from the image, and is recorded.

  Next, the connection relationship between the camera 10 and the network and the posting site and the blog server will be described with reference to FIG. The camera 10 can be connected to the PC or the mobile phone 50 by USB connection or the like. The PC or mobile phone 50 can access the server A to the server E corresponding to each image related site via the network 60. In the description of the present embodiment, the server A 70 has the posting site A with the theme “cat”, the server B 71 has the posting site B with the theme “flower”, and the server C 72 has the moving image There is a posting site C, the server D73 has a posting site D for all images regardless of the theme, and the server E74 has a blog A with a theme of “mountains” and a blog B with a theme of “friends” Is assumed.

  Next, using FIG. 3 to FIG. 7, a selection screen will be used to explain how to select an image for posting and an image for attaching to a blog, and how to select an image suitable for an image-related site such as a posting site. . First, a method for selecting a posting site or a blog site suitable for one or a plurality of images designated from thumbnail display will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3A shows an image selection screen (sometimes referred to as a web selection screen A) displayed on the display unit 19. This image selection screen includes an image area 19a in which individual captured images are displayed as thumbnails. The menu area 19b. In the example shown in FIG. 3A, the image area 19a includes a still image (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12th image) and a moving image (3, 8th image). Image) is displayed.

  In the menu area 19b, a setting icon Mi1 for performing various settings of the camera 10, a web icon Mi2 for setting the web mode, a print icon Mi3 for printing a photographed image, and for communicating with a PC Four icons of the PC icon Mi4 are displayed. These icons are detected by the input detection unit 11e by touching the touch panel.

  In the display state of FIG. 3A, one of the captured images displayed as thumbnails is designated (the first image in the example in the figure), and tele / wide (T / W) When the button is operated, the screen is switched to a single image screen (sometimes referred to as a web selection screen B) as shown in FIG. When the T / W button is operated again in this display state, the thumbnail display selection screen shown in FIG.

  In the web selection screen A in FIG. 3A, the user selects an image of a posting candidate to the posting site or an attachment candidate when posting to the blog by touching (in the example of FIG. 3A, a thick frame) Next, when the user touches the web icon Mi2, the web selection screen A1 shown in FIG. 3C is displayed. The web selection screen A1 is a selection screen for determining an image suitable for a posting site or a blog site from designated candidate images.

  That is, on the web selection screen A1, image related sites such as posting sites and blog sites stored in advance in the program / data storage unit 12 are displayed as site icons 31 (in the illustrated example, the blog A, the blog). B, 6 types of posting site A to posting site D). A selection box 33 is displayed on the left side of each site icon 31, and three types of icons, an OK icon 35a, a back icon 35b, and an auto icon 35c, are displayed on the lower side of the screen. ing. The user touches a site icon 31 such as a posting site or blog site that is a transmission destination candidate, and a check is displayed in the selection box 33 for the posting site. In the illustrated example, the blog site B and the posting site C are selected.

  When the user selects a posting site or the like as a transmission destination and then touches the OK icon 35a, the web selection screen A2 as shown in FIG. In this screen, among the candidate images specified in FIG. 3A (in the example shown, the first, third, and fifth images), the posting sites and blog sites that are candidates specified in FIG. 3C are displayed. Images that meet the conditions are displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 3D, the first, third, and fifth images satisfy the condition for the blog site B, and the third image satisfies the condition for the posting site C (posting site). C accepts only moving images).

  If the image shown in FIG. 3D is OK to be transmitted (however, in the case of Blog B, further document creation is required), touching the transmission icon 35a causes the third image to be displayed. Is sent to the PC or the like to be sent to the posting site C, and the first, third and fifth images are selected as images to be attached when posting to the blog B and sent to the PC or the like. At the time of transmission, site information related to the selected image-related site is transmitted to the PC or the like together with the selected image.

  When the back icon 35b is touched in the state of the web selection screen A2 shown in FIG. 3D, the display state returns to FIG. Further, among the destination blog site and posting site in FIG. 3D, the site that is not desired to be transmitted can be canceled by touching the selection box 33. Also, the designation of the transmission candidate image shown in FIG. 3D can be canceled by touching the image. FIG. 3E shows a state where the designation is canceled by touching the fifth image. An image whose designation has been canceled can be easily understood by displaying it separately, for example, by reducing the brightness.

  Thus, in the web selection screen A, when a destination candidate site is selected for a previously designated image, an image that meets the conditions of the destination site is displayed as shown in FIG. The For this reason, even when there are various types of sites or there are many images, the user can easily check images that meet the conditions of the sites.

  In the selection screen shown in FIG. 3, the user designates a site as a transmission destination candidate. However, in the selection screen shown in FIG. 4, a site satisfying the condition is automatically displayed by designating an image. That is, on the selection screen A1 shown in FIG. 3C, when the auto icon 33c is touched instead of touching the OK icon 33a, the selection screen shown in FIG. 4A is displayed.

  On the selection screen shown in FIG. 4A, all site icons 31 and selection boxes 33 of the posting site and the blog site are displayed as in FIG. 3C. Here, in FIG. 3A, in addition to the first, third, and fifth images, the 15, 16, 17, and 21st images are also designated. If the auto icon 35c is further touched in this state, the screen is switched to the selection screen shown in FIG.

  In the selection screen shown in FIG. 4B, images satisfying the site conditions are displayed for each site. For example, in the illustrated example, for the blog site B, the first, third, and fifth images satisfy the condition, and for the posting site A, the 15, 16, and 17th images satisfy the condition.

  The user can select a site by touching the site to be transmitted in the state where the selection screen of FIG. 4B is displayed, and the selection box 33 is checked, and the selection is made. Can be confirmed. Further, after the site is selected, the site selection can be canceled by touching the site icon 31 again. In the example shown in FIG. 4B, posting site A and posting site C are selected. When the transmission icon 35d is touched in this state, the site information is transmitted to the PC or the like together with the image data so as to transmit the image to the selected site, in the illustrated example, the posting site A and the posting site C. If the selected site is a blog site, a sentence is once created on a PC or the like and then transmitted to the blog site.

  As described above, on the web selection screen shown in FIG. 4, sites that satisfy a condition for a predesignated image are displayed as shown in FIG. 4A, and further, images that satisfy the condition are also displayed in FIG. It is displayed as shown in. For this reason, even when there are various types of sites or there are many images, the user can easily check images that meet the conditions of the sites. In particular, in the web selection screen shown in FIG. 4, first, a site that meets the conditions is displayed, so that the user can select a site from among the sites.

  In the selection screens shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the candidate image was first specified and then the destination site was searched. However, in the selection screen shown in FIG. 5, without specifying the image first, By specifying a site, search for an image that fits the site. That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the web icon Mi2 is touched in a state where the individual thumbnail images displayed in the image area 19a are not selected, the selection screen shown in FIG. 5B is displayed. .

  In the state shown in FIG. 5B, when the user touches a site that is a transmission destination candidate, the selection box 33 is checked and selected. When selection of transmission destination candidates is completed and the auto icon 35c is touched, an image that satisfies the conditions of the selected site is displayed as shown in FIG. 5C. In the example shown in FIG. 5C, captured images (15th, 16th, and 17th images) that satisfy the conditions of the posting site A with the theme “cat” are displayed. If it is desired to redo the selection again, the back icon 35b is touched. If the selected photographed image is sufficient, the transmission icon 35d is touched next, and these images and site information are transmitted to a PC or the like so as to be transmitted to the posting site. In the case of a blog, an image is transmitted to the PC, and a blog posting sentence can be created.

  As described above, the web selection screen shown in FIG. 5 automatically searches for an image satisfying the conditions of the site without designating an image in advance, and displays it as shown in FIG. For this reason, even when there are various types of sites or there are many images, the user can easily check images that meet the conditions of the sites. In particular, in the web selection screen shown in FIG. 5, when a site is selected, an image that meets the conditions is displayed, which is very convenient when the destination site is determined.

  Next, selection using the web selection screen B will be described with reference to FIG. The selection using the web selection screen A described above is basically suitable for a plurality of images displayed as thumbnails. On the other hand, the selection using the web selection screen B is suitable for a single image as shown in FIG.

  When the web icon Mi2 is touched in the single image of the first image shown in FIG. 6A, the posting site and blog site stored in the program / data storage unit 12 are displayed as shown in FIG. 6B. , It is displayed superimposed on a single image. In the example shown in FIG. 6B, the site icons 31 of the blog site A, the blog site B, and the posting sites A to D are displayed around the first image.

  When the site selection icon 35e is touched in the state shown in FIG. 6B, the suitability of the site for the current image is displayed. Here, a site that is incompatible with the current image is indicated by a broken line. In the example shown in FIG. 6C, three sites, posting site A to posting site C, are shown by broken lines in order not to satisfy the conditions. In displaying an unsuitable site, in the present embodiment, it is indicated by a broken line. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a method that can be identified by the user, such as changing the display color or changing the shape of an icon. If it is, it will not be restricted to a broken line.

  In the state shown in FIG. 6C, the user can touch the desired site icon 31 in order to select a transmission destination. FIG. 6D shows a state where the blog site B is touched and selected as the transmission destination. In this state, if the transmission icon 35d is touched, the first (current) image is transmitted to the PC or the like together with the site information in order to post to the blog site B. A blog document is created on a PC or the like, an image is attached to the document, and the blog site is transmitted.

  In FIG. 6D, the first image is transmitted in association with the blog site B. However, when uploading to the blog site B, there are cases where it is desired to transmit an image in addition to the first image. Therefore, a case where an image is further added will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the state shown in FIG. 6D, when the image selection icon 35f is touched instead of touching the transmission icon 35d (see FIG. 7A), from among the captured images stored in the image storage unit 22, Images that satisfy the conditions for transmission to the blog site B are searched, and the searched images are displayed on the display unit 19. In the example shown in FIG. 7B, the first, fourth, seventh, ninth, and twentieth images are retrieved and displayed as photographed images that match the blog site B.

  However, since there are many cases where the user does not want to transmit all of the searched images to the blog site B, the user selects by selecting a captured image desired to be transmitted from the searched captured images. be able to. In the example shown in FIG. 7C, the selected captured images (first and seventh images) are displayed with a thick frame. When the selection is completed, the image can be transmitted in association with the blog site B by touching the transmission icon 35d.

  As described above, in the web selection screen B shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when a single image is selected, a site suitable for this image is automatically searched and displayed as shown in FIG. 6C. In addition, when a site is selected, an image that matches the selected site can be searched. For this reason, even when there are various types of sites or there are many images, the user can easily check images that meet the conditions of the sites. In particular, in the web selection screen shown in FIG. 6, when a single image is determined, a site that matches this image is displayed, which is very convenient when searching for a transmission destination when the image is determined. In addition, the web selection screen shown in FIG. 7 can search for an image suitable for the site, which is very convenient when it is desired to add more images.

  Next, operations for performing image selection and site selection on the web selection screen in the present embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. This flow is mainly executed by the control unit 11. Specifically, it is executed by the communication control unit 11a, the selection unit 11b, the subject determination unit 11c, the screen display control unit 11d, the input detection unit 11e, and the like.

  When the reproduction mode is entered, first, a thumbnail image is displayed (S11). In the present embodiment, the thumbnail display is set as the default screen when the playback mode is entered. In the thumbnail display, as shown in FIG. 3A, the captured images read from the image storage unit 22 are displayed in a list in a reduced size.

  Once the thumbnail image display has been performed, it is next determined whether or not there has been an instruction to switch between a single image and a thumbnail image (S12). Here, it is determined whether or not a T / W button as one of the operation units 13 has been operated. If the result of this determination is that there is an instruction to switch images, single image display is performed (S13). Here, as shown in FIG. 3B, only one image is displayed alone from among the thumbnail images.

  If a single image is displayed or if the result of determination in step S12 is that there is no image switching instruction, it is next determined whether or not there is an image feed instruction (S14). Since the image advance instruction is given to the left and right keys of the cross button, in this step, determination is made based on the operation state of the left and right keys. If the result of this determination is that an image advance instruction has been made, image switching is performed (S15). Here, if a single image is displayed, the next single image is read and displayed. If thumbnail images are displayed, the next group of thumbnail images is read and displayed.

  If image switching has been performed or if the result of determination in step S14 is that there has been no image feed instruction, it is next determined whether or not the menu icon has been pressed (touched) (S16). Here, the menu icons indicate the setting icon Mi1, the web icon Mi2, the print icon Mi3, and the PC icon Mi4, and it is determined whether any of these icons has been touched (S16).

  If any of the menu icons is touched as a result of the determination in step S16, it is next determined whether or not the web icon has been pressed (touched) (S17). Here, the input detection unit 11e determines whether the web icon Mi2 has been touched. If the result of this determination is not a web icon, processing such as printing is performed (S18). Here, it is determined which of the setting icon Mi1, the print icon Mi3, and the PC icon Mi4 has been touched, and processing corresponding to the touched icon is performed.

  If the result of determination in step S17 is that the web icon has been touched, it is next determined whether or not thumbnail images are to be displayed (S19). Here, it is determined whether the display on the display unit 19 is a thumbnail image display as shown in FIG. 3A or a single image display as shown in FIG.

  If the result of determination in step S19 is thumbnail image display, the web selection screen A is displayed, and processing according to the input on this selection screen is performed (S20). Here, the web selection screen A shown in FIG. 3C is displayed, and processing corresponding to the input on this screen is performed. The detailed flow of the web selection screen A display will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  If the result of determination in step S19 is not thumbnail image display, the web selection screen B is displayed and processing according to the input on this selection screen is performed (S21). Here, a web selection screen B shown in FIG. 6B is displayed, and processing corresponding to the input on this screen is performed. The detailed flow of the web selection screen A display will be described later with reference to FIG.

  If the process in step S18, S20, or S21 is performed, or if the result of determination in step S16 is that the menu icon has not been depressed, it is next determined whether or not a power-off operation has been performed (S22). ). Here, it is determined whether or not an off operation has been performed by a power button that is one of the operation units 13. If the result of this determination is that power-off operation has not been performed, processing returns to step S12. On the other hand, if the power-off operation has been performed, the playback mode is terminated.

  Next, detailed operation of the subroutine of the web selection screen display A in step S20 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the subroutine for displaying the web selection screen A is entered, first, the web screen A1 is displayed (S31). Here, the web selection screen A1 shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether an image has been selected on the thumbnail image screen (S32). Here, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the thumbnail image is displayed, it is determined whether or not at least one photographed image has been selected by touch. If the result of this determination is that an image has been selected, it is next determined whether or not an automatic selection instruction has been made (S33). Here, it is determined whether or not the auto icon 35c has been touched and an automatic selection instruction has been made.

  If the result of determination in step S33 is that automatic selection has been made, the desired site is then manually selected (S34). If there is a posting site or blog site that the user wants to transmit, it is touched. Therefore, here, it is determined whether the screen of the display unit 19 is touched by the input detection unit 11e. Determine which icon was touched. When touched, the corresponding selection box 33 is checked.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not back pressing (touch) has been performed (S35). Here, it is determined whether or not the back icon 35b is touched. If the result of this determination is that there is a back press, the flow returns to the original flow. On the other hand, if there is no back depression, it is next determined whether or not an OK depression (touch) has been made (S36). Here, it is determined whether or not the OK icon 35a is touched. As a result of this determination, if there is no OK depression, the process returns to step S33.

  If the result of determination in step S36 is that there has been an OK depression, next, the combination of the selected site and image is displayed on the web screen A2 (S37). Here, for the site selected in step S34, combinations of photographed images that satisfy the conditions of the selected site are displayed on the web selection screen A2 shown in FIG.

  Once the web screen A2 is displayed in step S37, it is next determined whether or not a correction instruction has been issued (S41). Since the correction instruction on the web screen A2 is performed by touching the site or image to be unchecked as described in FIG. 3E, here, it is determined whether or not such a touch has been made. Do. If a correction instruction is given as a result of this determination, correction is performed according to the instruction (S42).

  If correction has been performed or if the result of determination in step S41 is that there has been no correction instruction, it is next determined whether or not transmission push (touch) has been performed (S43). Since transmission is performed by touching the transmission icon 35d, it is determined in this step whether or not this icon has been touched.

  If the result of determination in step S43 is that transmission has been depressed, transmission is next carried out (S44). Here, the communication control unit 11a controls the communication unit 23 to transmit image data and site information to a PC or the like in advance when transmitting to a designated posting site or blog site. A PC or the like transmits to a posting site or a blog site according to image data and site information. When the transmission in step S44 is performed, the original flow is restored.

  If the result of determination in step S43 is that there has been no transmission depression, next, as in step S35, it is determined whether or not back depression has been performed (S45). If the result of this determination is that there has been no back depression, processing returns to step S41. On the other hand, if there is back pressing, the process returns to step S31.

  If the result of determination in step S33 is that an automatic selection instruction has been made, next, subject determination of the selected image is performed (S51). Here, the captured image determined to have been selected in step S32 is determined based on the data recorded in the tag portion of the image data. Subsequently, a web destination suitable for the selected image is selected (S52). Here, a web destination suitable for the selected image is selected based on the information on each site stored in the program / data storage unit 12 and the result of subject determination performed in step S51.

  Next, a site suitable for the selected image is displayed on the web screen A2 (S53). Here, for the site selected in step S52, a site suitable for the selected image is displayed on the web selection screen shown in FIG. 4B. When the site is displayed, the process proceeds to step S41 described above.

  If the result of determination in step S32 is that no image has been selected on the thumbnail image screen, it is assumed that all images have been selected (S61, see FIG. 10). Since no specific image is selected, it is assumed here that all images have been selected. Next, it is determined whether or not the site has been manually selected (S62). In FIG. 5B described above, the user can select a posting site or a blog site by touching. In this step, it is determined whether or not this selection has been made.

  If the result of determination in step S62 is that a site has not been manually selected, it is considered that all sites have been selected (S63). Since no site has been selected, it is assumed here that all sites have been selected. If it is considered that all sites have been selected, or if the result of determination in step S62 is that the site has not been manually selected, it is next determined whether or not an automatic selection instruction has been made (S64). Here, it is determined whether or not the auto icon 35c has been touched.

  If the result of determination in step S64 is that automatic selection has been made, next, subject determination for all images is performed (S66). Here, subject determination is performed on all images stored in the image storage unit 22 based on information stored in the header. Subsequently, an image suitable for an available website is selected (S67). Here, for each available website stored in the program / data storage unit 12, an image that satisfies the condition is selected.

  Next, a site suitable for the selected image is displayed on the web screen A2 (S68). Here, on the web selection screen as shown in FIG. 4B, the image selected in step S67 is displayed for each available site. When the site is displayed, the process proceeds to step S41 described above.

  If the result of determination in step S64 is that an automatic selection instruction has not been made, it is next determined whether or not back pressing (touch) has been performed (S65). If the result of this determination is that back pressing has not been made, processing returns to step S62. On the other hand, when the back pressing is performed, the flow returns to the original flow.

  In this way, in the subroutine of the web selection screen A display, an image suitable for the posting site or blog site is searched from the thumbnail image screen, and the posting site or blog site suitable for the selected (or all selected) image. Can be searched and displayed.

  Next, detailed operation of the subroutine of the web selection screen display B in step S21 will be described with reference to FIG. When the subroutine for displaying the web selection screen B is entered, first, a site icon is displayed around the image (S71). Here, as shown in FIG. 6B, the site icon 31 is superimposed and displayed around the single image.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not site selection has been pressed (touched) (S72). Here, it is determined whether or not the site selection icon 35e has been touched. If the result of this determination is that site selection has not been depressed, it is next determined whether or not back depression (touch) has been performed (S73). Here, it is determined whether or not the back icon 35b is touched. If the result of this determination is that back pressing has not been made, processing returns to step S71. On the other hand, if the back is pressed down, the process returns to the original flow.

  If the result of determination in step S72 is that site selection has been pushed down, then a site suitable for the image is selected (S81). When the site selection icon 35e is touched on the selection screen shown in FIG. 6B, the selection unit 11b compares the information stored in the tag of the single image with the conditions of the available site, and creates a single image. Choose the right site.

  Subsequently, the suitability site is displayed in an identifiable manner based on the selection result in step S81 (S82). Here, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), an unrecognizable site is displayed by a broken line so that it can be identified. Next, it is determined whether or not a site has been selected (S83). Since the user touches if there is a site desired to be transmitted, it is determined here whether or not there is a touched site.

  If the result of determination in step S83 is that there is a site selection, it is next determined whether or not additional image selection has been pushed down (S84). When the user wants to add an image in addition to a single image, the user touches the image selection icon 35f. Here, it is determined whether or not this icon has been touched.

  If the result of determination in step S84 is that there has been no additional image selection pressing, it is next determined whether or not transmission pressing has been performed (S85). When the user transmits a single image to the selected site on the selection screen shown in FIG. 6D, the user touches the transmission icon 35d. Here, determination is made as to whether or not the transmission icon 35d has been touched. I do.

  If the result of determination in step S85 is that there is a transmission push, transmission is performed S (86). Here, the communication control unit 11a controls the communication unit 23 to transmit image data and site information to a PC or the like in order to transmit a single image to a designated posting site or blog site. When sending, return to the original flow.

  If the result of determination in step S85 is that there has been no transmission pressing, it is next determined whether or not back pressing has been performed (S87). Here, it is determined whether or not the back icon 35d is touched. If the result of this determination is that there is a back press, the flow returns to the original flow. On the other hand, if there is no back depression, the process returns to step S72.

  If the result of determination in step S84 is that additional image selection has been pressed, subject image determination is next carried out (S91). Here, an image that matches the posting site or blog site selected in step S83 is selected from the photographed images stored in the image storage unit 22 by subject determination.

  Subsequently, the additional selection image is displayed (S92). Here, the additional image selected in step S91 is displayed on the screen shown in FIG. Next, an additional image is selected (S93). As shown in FIG. 7C, the user selects an image to be transmitted to the posting site or the blog site, and here, the touched image is selected as an additional image.

  Once the additional image has been selected, it is next determined whether or not transmission has been pressed (S94). Here, it is determined whether or not the transmission icon 35d has been touched. If the result of determination in step S94 is that transmission has been depressed, transmission is next performed (S95). Here, the communication control unit 11a controls the communication unit 23 to transmit image data and site information to a PC or the like in order to transmit a single image and an additional image to a designated posting site or blog site. When sending, return to the original flow.

  If the result of determination in step S94 is that there has been no transmission pressing, it is next determined whether or not back pressing has been performed (S96). Here, it is determined whether or not the back icon 35b is touched. If the result of this determination is that there is a back press, the flow returns to the original flow. On the other hand, if there is no back depression, the process returns to step S72.

  As described above, in the subroutine of the web selection screen B display, a posting site or a blog site is searched from the screen of a single image, and additional images suitable for this site are searched based on the searched site, and these are displayed. can do.

  As described above, in one embodiment of the present invention, in accordance with instructions given by the user on the web selection screen, the types of images and the contents of captured images that are recruited by image-related sites such as posting sites and blog sites Are selected, and an appropriate combination of the image-related site and the photographed image is selected. For this reason, it is possible to easily perform an operation procedure for uploading a photographed image to the network.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, transmission from the camera 10 to an image-related site such as a posting site or a blog site is performed via a device such as a PC or a mobile phone. However, if the posting site or the like can be accessed directly from the camera 10, there is no need to go through a PC or the like.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, a user's instruction is input with a touch panel on the selection screen. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is of course possible to input a user instruction using an operation member such as a cross button. Further, part or all of the part described in the software process may be replaced with a hardware process.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, an example in which the image selection control device is applied to a camera has been described. However, it is not necessary to have a shooting function, and a device such as a PC in which image data is installed in a storage unit It may be. In the case of a device such as a PC, it is only necessary to directly access a posting site or a blog site.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the digital camera is used as the photographing device. However, the camera may be a digital single lens reflex camera or a compact digital camera, such as a video camera or a movie camera. It may be a camera for moving images, or may be a camera built in a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a game device, or the like. In any case, it suffices to have a storage unit for storing captured images.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, you may delete some components of all the components shown by embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Camera, 11 ... Control part (CPU), 11a ... Communication control part, 11b ... Selection part, 11c ... Subject judgment part, 11d ... Screen display control part, 11e. ..Input detection unit, 12 ... program / data storage unit, 13 ... operation unit, 15 ... imaging unit, 16 ... SDRAM, 17 ... image processing unit, 18 ... display processing , 19 ... display unit, 19 a ... image area, 19 b ... menu area, 20 ... compression / expansion part, 21 ... recording / playback part, 22 ... image storage part, 23.・ Communication unit 25 ... bus 31 ... site icon 33 ... selection box 35a ... OK icon 35b ... back icon 35c ... auto icon 35d ... send Icon, 35e ... Site selection icon, 35 ... Image selection icon, 50 ... PC / cell phone, 70 ... Server A, 71 ... Server B, 72 ... Server C, 73 ... Server D, 74 ... Server E , Mi1 ... setting icon, Mi2 ... web icon, Mi3 ... print icon, Mi4 ... PC icon

Claims (13)

In an image selection control apparatus for supporting image posting for posting an image stored in a storage unit to an image related site connected via a network,
A selection screen display control unit for displaying a selection screen for selecting a combination of the image related site and a post image to be posted to the image related site;
An input detection unit for detecting an instruction to the selection screen;
In accordance with the detected instruction on the selection screen, the type of the image recruited by the image-related site is compared with the content of the posted image, and an appropriate combination of the image-related site and the posted image is selected. A selection section;
An image selection control device comprising:   The image selection control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects an image corresponding to a specific image-related site from the storage unit.   The image selection control device according to claim 2, wherein the selection unit selects an image corresponding to the specific image-related site from images instructed by an operator in the storage unit. . The selection unit includes a subject determination unit that determines the type of the subject as the content of the subject in the image,
The selection unit compares the type of subject by the subject determination unit and the type of image recruited by the image-related site, and selects an appropriate image for the image-related site. The image selection control apparatus according to claim 3.   The image selection according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects an image related site suitable for an image instructed by an operator from a plurality of image related sites that can be used as the image related site. Control device. The selection unit includes a subject determination unit that determines the type of the subject as the content of the subject in the image,
The selection unit compares the type of subject by the subject determination unit for the designated image with the type of image recruited by the image-related site, and selects an image posting site suitable for the designated image. 6. The image selection control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the selection is performed.   2. The image selection control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the image is a moving image, the selection unit selects an image-related site for moving image from the image-related sites.   The selection screen display control unit displays the designated image and the available image-related site on the same screen, and further, an image-related site suitable for the designated image among the available image-related sites. The image selection control device according to claim 1, wherein the image selection control device displays the images separately.   A camera comprising the image selection control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. In a camera that can post images taken to an image-related site selected from image-related sites connected via a network,
An information storage unit for storing site information including at least one of login information, URL information, and a posting form of the photographed image and the image-related site;
An operation unit for instructing a posted image from the captured images,
A selection unit for determining the type of subject of the posted image and selecting an image posting site appropriate for the posted image from available image-related sites;
A communication control unit that transmits the site information related to the selected image-related site together with the posted image;
A camera comprising: In an image selection control device for selecting an image attached to a blog,
A selection screen display control unit for displaying a selection screen for selecting a combination of the blog and the attached image;
An input detection unit for detecting an instruction to the selection screen;
A selection unit that compares the type of the blog theme with the type of subject of the image according to the detected instruction to the selection screen, and selects an image suitable for the blog;
An image selection control device comprising: In a program for executing a computer to support image posting for posting an image stored in a storage unit to an image-related site connected via a network,
Displaying a selection screen for selecting a combination of the image related site and a post image to be posted to the image related site;
According to the instruction to the selection screen, comparing the type of image recruited by the image-related site and the content of the posted image, and selecting an appropriate combination of the image-related site and the posted image,
A program to be executed by a computer. In a program for running a computer to select an image attached to a blog,
Displaying a selection screen for selecting a combination of the blog and the attached image;
Detecting an instruction to the selection screen, comparing the type of the blog theme with the type of subject of the image in accordance with the detected instruction to the selection screen, and selecting an image suitable for the blog. ,
A program to be executed by a computer.