JPS5897050A - Photoengraving device for video image - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize a photoengraving device which is suited for lithographic printing and provides high image quality by extracting and storing the signals of desired image planes then correcting the deviations of said signals with time, removing noises and stressing contours. CONSTITUTION:Video signals are reproduced with a VTR2-1, VDR2-2, etc. and are supplied to an input device selecting part 3. In the part 3, a desired input device is selected and desired image planes are selected and are stored into eithere of frame memories 5, 6 which is not used. The stored and selected image planes are supplied to an image quality improving part 7 of an image signal processing and converting part. In the part 7, a time base corrector, a noise reducer, etc. are provided to prevent the generation of differences at the sampling start points of respective scanning lines and the number of sampling picture images, to suppress various kinds of noises and to stress contours, etc. thereby improving image quality. Thus the photoengraving device which is suited for lithographic printing and provides high image quality is realized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a video camera that creates color films and/or color separations of high-quality images from screens arbitrarily selected from continuous video signals such as television signals recorded on video tape or the like. This relates to a bud plate making device.

Due to the remarkable development and spread of video technology in recent years and changes in publishing trends due to the diversification of printed materials, it would be possible to use a predetermined screen from the serial film information recorded on video tapes for photographs, printed manuscripts, etc. You can expect the benefits of In other words, compared to the conventional method for photographers to shoot film using still cameras, this method frees them from constraints such as speed of reporting, photo opportunities, shutter sound, flashlight, and low brightness, and at the same time allows for the development of various needs. You can expect it. For example, you can create photographs or printing plate materials directly from video information recorded on video tapes, etc.
It becomes possible to create NT80 signals or RGB@ signals from movie film, slides, captions, etc. using a telecine device, and then directly create plate-making materials for printing, etc., making it possible to publish at a lower cost compared to conventional methods. .

However, when using video information recorded on a conventional videotape as a printed manuscript, it is necessary to set the videotape in a playback device, display a continuous film on a cathode ray tube in slow or stop playback, and observe the screen. After creating a film original by photographing a desired image with a still camera, color separation plates are created from the film original using a plate-making device such as a color scanner. Therefore, the resolution of the printed original depends on the resolution of the original image.

By the way, what about our country's color television broadcasts? ITSO
Regardless of the size of the television, it uses 525 scanning lines to form seven screens.

The image quality of the rounded and l-frames is extremely poor in terms of resolution, etc., compared to general color films. Furthermore, in the method of selecting a predetermined screen from a continuous video recording and shooting it with a still camera, in order to improve the quality of the image, the color characteristics and density range of the RGB phosphor and the color of the color film are used. Due to the mismatch between temperature, coloring material characteristics, and density range, there is a problem in that it is necessary to insert a special color temperature conversion filter in front of the camera and to adjust the hue, contrast, etc. of the color monitor. however,
It is not always possible to obtain a satisfactory color tone by making these corrections alone.

First, the number of scanning lines on a TV has a great effect on the quality of resolution, and when an image projected on a color cathode ray tube is photographed with an accurately focused camera, these scanning lines are clearly recorded as horizontal stripes on the film. Ru. The scanning lines recorded on this film are rounded during the plate-making process, which causes moiré, and a photographic technique is required to erase the scanning lines.

For example, to obtain a desired image from a continuous film with little movement, the scanning lines are usually erased by exposing several frames on seven sheets of film while playing or slowing down the film. Since the image cannot be erased completely, the focus of the photograph has been shifted slightly. However, this method has the drawback that it is difficult to accurately photograph the desired screen, and the screen may be blurred. Therefore, in order to obtain a desired visual sequence from a continuous visual sequence with large movements, it is necessary to perform stop playback. Normally, with a 574-inch VTR, in the case of stop playback, only the 1-field image signal is reproduced, and the vertical resolution of the 9-field signal is halved when it is projected on a cathode ray tube, and the shooting technique of scanning line erasure is even more difficult than in the former case. is required.

In such cases, the resolution of color film is generally 1
Since it is after 0 films/IEI#, a photographing method is used that takes advantage of the resolution limit of color film. That is, the scanning lines are erased by photographing the desired image on the cathode ray tube in such a reduced size that the scanning lines cannot be distinguished. Therefore, originally thigI! Because the poor-quality video footage is shot on extremely small color film, the final print size is limited to between M1 and M7; anything larger than that cannot be expected to have any commercial value. 9. Workability becomes significantly worse when using small-sized color pages for page layout and enlarging printing.

Various O techniques have been proposed to eliminate the above-mentioned problems. For example, Tokukai Akira! r! -7#1 Publication No. 1 discloses a frame memory device, a means for sequentially reading out signals from the memory in synchronization with the scanning speed of the scanner, and an NT
Means to convert SO signal to RGB signal, RGB signal to Y
A television IJI plate making apparatus is disclosed in which a means for converting the signals into (yellow), M (magenta), 0 (cyan), and BKC (black) signals and supplying them to a scanner is configured online.

This device can effectively solve the above-mentioned problems, but since the time code is written directly onto the customer's videotape, the video player's slow playback, stop playback, etc. are repeated. This would shorten the life of the video recorder, and furthermore, the friction caused by the playback head of the video tape recorder would damage the customer's valuable video tapes. Moreover, in this device.

The rounding, videotape editing, and signal conversion processing operations, which are all online, cannot be performed independently if necessary, which poses problems in terms of workability and efficiency.

In addition, this device requires a time base corrector that electrically corrects image jitter and bleed-out, a noise reducer that removes noise other than the image signal, and a detail corrector that enhances the outline of the image. Since this is not mentioned, there is also a problem in terms of image quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a video image plate-making apparatus that obtains a high-quality image suitable for plate-making printing from a low-quality television signal.

The present invention is a video 1m plate-making apparatus that selects an arbitrary screen from a continuous video signal such as a television signal, performs extensive processing, and then creates a high-quality color film and/or color separation plate. an input unit comprising a storage device for extracting and storing a desired selected #JrTi signal from a continuous video signal from a signal source such as a video tag, a video disc, a telecine, a television, etc.; and a video video of the selected screen. The image quality improvement processing unit performs signal time shift correction, noise removal and edge enhancement processing included in the video signal, and converts into RGB signals by separating luminance and color signals suitable for improving image quality. A correction unit that can adjust each signal independently and performs color and gradation correction processing without disturbing the balance, and a correction unit that digitizes the RGB signals and records each RGB digital image information in the frame memory. , an image signal conversion processing section that includes an interpolation section that sequentially calls odd field scanning line information and even field scanning line information and interpolates the information between them by λ-dimensional interpolation, and this signal conversion processing section. An output unit that outputs each RGB signal subjected to image quality improvement processing to a color film creation device that creates a color film and/or a color scanner that creates high-quality color separation plates. It is.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. The input medium may be anything as long as it generates a video signal, such as videotape/-/, video disk, or DVD.
Tupee disk I-co, film or slide or tilt tube I-J.

Television radio waves 7-4c etc. can be considered. Also, videotagues, video disks, and floppy disks can contain not just one screen recorded, but a composite of several screens.

The input signals of these input media are vTR calls.

VDR Coco, Telecine Equipment Coco3. The signal is reproduced by the TV reception 1'1 coder and supplied to the input device switching section 3. In the input device switching unit 3, a desired input device 2 is selected by a switch on a panel of the control unit, and the desired screen is selected while viewing the screen on the display monitor.

This selection screen is displayed in the frame memory after being subjected to Mu/D conversion in the switching section 3. .

The side of B that is not used for subsequent processing, in FIG. 7, is stored in the frame memory j. Selection of frame memory is performed by the control section.

Next, the nine selected screens stored in the frame memo IJ-4 are supplied to the image quality improvement section 7 of the image signal processing and conversion section. At this time, the other frame memory j stores the next selection screen from the input device switching section J. Below, frame memory 7
, A are alternately switched in the manner described above. The image quality improvement unit 7 is provided with a digital time pace corrector, noise reducer, and detail corrector to improve the image quality of the selected image. time base collection p-h,
It is a rounding device that corrects the temporal deviation of the video signal, which is usually called jitter, and is used to store up to one of the nine errors in the frame memory 17, which causes temporal jitter. Prevent discrepancies in numbers. Noise reduction is used to improve image quality by suppressing various types of noise and emphasizing contours. The deterioration of the image quality is prevented, the change points of the image are emphasized by the detail corrector, and the outline enhancement process is performed to make the artist's skill clearer.

After this processing, the selected image signal is sent to the image quality improvement section 7.
After being subjected to system conversion, the signal is sent to the RGB decoder 10 in FIG. 1, where the HTSO signal is converted into an RGB signal. Since this decoder performs Y10 separation using a comb filter, it is possible to obtain an l1iif& signal with excellent resolution and color tone. The signal separated into RGB signals is
RGB display gray monitor l via gradation correction unit/λ
1 with l! I can understand it. A corrector and a display unit are connected to the gradation correction unit/J, and by manual operation for each of the RGB signals, the contrast correction, parallel movement of the gradation, 2-light area, middle area, or shadow area can be adjusted. #111 etc. can be adjusted, and the correction results are displayed on the RGB display gray monitor II at any time. Note that since it is also displayed on the selection surface at:display monitor t, tone corrections can be made as necessary while comparing with the RGB display monitor // displaying the result of the tone correction. In addition, by inserting a cursor signal to the corrector and display/Jyosho seishi ji fl, the video level at any point of the still image displayed on the RGB display monitor 7 can be changed to the video white. The comparative value for the signal reference value of 0.7 V can be numerically displayed on the corrector and display@ti tv display. In addition, KG according to 1 must 11
The situation in which gradation correction has been applied to each B signal and the setting position information of the correction device and the gradation correction knob of the display/J can be printed out from the printer/4'. Further, when using each R, G%B output of an RGB camera without using a videotape, it is possible to use each output by directly inputting each output to the gradation correction section 1. R, with modifications as necessary.
When the correction is completed, the G and B still image signals are scanned in real time via the M/D converter built in the gradation correction section by pressing the correction completion instruction switch on the console above the control section. Converted to @741 pixel digital signal, RS
The G and B signals are recorded in the frame memory 16 corresponding to each signal, and the RGB recording of one screen is completed. If the R, G, B video information has been digitized in advance, that digital data can be used to
It is possible to input directly into . Next, the corrected R, G, and B still image information recorded in the frame memory 76 is transferred to the scanning line interpolation section 17 corresponding to each signal by 1247 minutes. In addition, frame memory/
In A, even field information and odd field information are stored in different addresses and constitute a static mgIl frame, so the information is transferred to the scanning line interpolation section 17.
The signals for the scanning lines are read out alternately in the order of the odd and even field scanning lines in ascending order of numbers. Here, the scanning method is switched from the interlaced method to the sequential method, and this switching can prevent bearing, which is a drawback of the interlaced method, and prevent the image quality from deteriorating. The number of scanning line signals transferred to the scanning line interpolation unit 17 is equal to the number of television scanning lines j! This is the signal for Hirore's original work, which is obtained by subtracting the number of scanning lines that will be scanned during the graphics/king period. The scanning line interpolation unit 17 performs interpolation calculations to increase the number of scanning lines from are to l, which is approximately 3 times as many, so that a portion of the scanning lines overlap during exposure, so that each line is treated as a separate line. Ii! Make it impossible to work. In addition, the interpolation effect can also increase the solving power.In the interpolation calculation according to the present invention, the point at which a new pixel is to be set, that is, the interpolation point, is determined by considering the contribution rate of surrounding pixels. It is constructed so that the dual-beam tone-neighbor method, bilinear method, and Kinny-Bic convolution method can be selected by changing the switch a. The nearest neighbor method uses the data of nine adjacent pixels as pixel data at the interpolation point, and is suitable for images converted to λ values, while the bilinear method uses interpolation assuming that the data between scanning lines changes linearly. The method determines the pixel data of a point and is suitable for images with many intermediate tones.The cubic convolution method determines the pixel data of the interpolation point from the correlation of pixel data around the interpolation point, and is suitable for any image. This interpolation calculation requires 16 multiplications and additions per interpolated pixel for approximately 1 million pixels per screen, so the calculation speed is limited by computer software processing. It's too late and takes too much time.

Therefore, in the present invention, the scanning line interpolation section 17 is used as a node.

It is composed of elements and outputs data to the next output section in real time, making it possible to create films at extremely high speeds.

The image information subjected to scanning line interpolation calculations for R, G, and B at the same time by the scanning line interpolation unit 17 of the signal conversion processing unit is supplied to the output unit and output to either the color film or the film wrapped around the exposure unit of the color scanner. output to one or both. In addition, the present invention enables more advanced prepress output and automation through an interface with a layout scanner system that outputs with an editing function. When outputting to color film, the image information subjected to scanning line interpolation in the scanning line interpolation section 17 is sent to the bulk resolution cathode ray tube of the color film production device Ivy via the color film production device interface IT, and is output to the color film production device Ivy. B Each color is sequentially displayed as a black and white image with wide optical wavelength energy in the visible range. A color film is placed in front of the high-resolution cathode ray tube through a filter corresponding to nine black and white ATIIF# having R, G, and H information. Each filter is
It is switched in synchronization with each black and white image signal and is sequentially exposed onto the color film. When the exposure is complete, the color film is automatically advanced to allow exposure of the next selected +m plane. In addition, 4X is used for color film.
7CIL size roll film is used, and the standard image size is J/X 77ml, which is conventional.

The image size is approximately twice as large in area ratio as that obtained with color cathode ray tube photography, and the image quality is also extremely good.
We will discuss the case of outputting film from a color scanner. The image information interpolated by the scanning-interpolation unit 17 is
It is transferred via the color scanner interface-〇 by a clock signal synchronized with the rotation speed of the color scanner. The transferred information is input as an analog signal to the RSG and B signal amplification section of the color scanner 21, and then converted into Y, M, O, BK flaw signal of color printing color via the color scanner's signal processing system. is,
YSMS O, BK on the film wrapped around the exposed area
Output as a continuous tone decomposed version of . The size of the separated plate for each reference plate depends on the number of scanning lines interpolated and the number of exposure lines of the color scanner, so it is approximately 3.2 x Hiroshi, J CIR, approximately 4.44 x f, 4 (m, Reference sizes of 7 x 12.3 mm, approximately i3. is also possible.

FIG. 1 is a book diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, unlike the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a 1-inch videotape is used as the storage device. In FIG. 2, the same parts Ka as in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals. As in the embodiment described above, the 1ilf& signal is first reproduced from various input media and supplied to the input device switching section 3. Among these input media, the one provided by the customer is generally a 5/4 inch wide U-matio video cassette tape, and the provided original cassette tape is used in a 3/4 inch video tape recorder. After setting, it is also possible to select the screen to be used by repeatedly operating the automatic electronic editing unit's slow playback and stop playback knobs while observing the monitor screen.

However, it is a rather difficult operation to accurately select the screen desired by the customer from among the actual continuous images.

In particular, if the video tape recorder is repeatedly played back in slow motion or stopped while trying to capture a photo opportunity, the life of the video tape recorder will be shortened, and the video tape recorder will be damaged even more.

Friction caused by the tape recorder's playback head can also damage the customer's valuable video tape.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, after setting a 9 3/4 inch wide video cassette tape /-/ provided by a customer into a 3/4 inch video tape recorder Koko, the input device switching section 3. Finch video tape recorder j via time record writing section j3
It is being rerecorded onto a 1-inch wide videotape that has been set in advance. In addition to a video track for recording video information and an audio track for recording audio information, a 1-inch wide videotape has a time code track for recording time code. By re-recording on a 1-inch wide videotape via the time code writing section 13, the time code generated from the time code generator is continuously written on the Finch video tape in correspondence with the 1-frame video tape. recorded. Using this time code, customers can specify the screen they want to use for printing, allowing screen extraction to be performed accurately and in a short time. Also, automatic electronic editing unit when re-recording! λ controls the playback of the 3/4 inch and 7 inch video tape recorders, and the re-recording status can be observed on the display monitor 67 via the video switcher. Therefore, S
If it is not necessary to re-record the entire /4 inch wide videotape, it is possible to re-record only the necessary portions while viewing the image on the display monitor t7.

When inputting another input medium, the nine video signals are reproduced and switched by the input device switching s3, and then transferred to the Finch video tape in the same manner as in the case of 3/4 inch video tape.

The 1-inch wide videotape re-recorded as described above is once rewound on the 1-inch video tape recorder jj and then played back. Playback is performed by automatic electronic editing unit S
This is done by operating the slow playback and stop playback knobs, and the information on the seven videos is sent via the video switcher jl.
This can be seen on the display monitor t7. This Disgray monitor has a built-in Y10 separation decoder,
High.

Since it uses a high resolution cathode ray tube, it can provide better image quality than regular monitors. Therefore, while reproducing the re-recorded image on the display monitor 47,
Select the desired screen at any time using the print instructions from the customer or in the customer's presence, and at the same time press the frame designation switch on the screen selection instruction console j/ to read it with the time code reading unit j6. The time code on the 9th selection screen is registered in the time code memory jj. If the videotape to be registered has several other recording media and registration is to be performed all at once, or if it is dangerous to immediately create a color film or printed separation plate, the registered time code is temporarily recorded in an external memory. As external memory, cassette tapes and floppy disks are generally used, but paper tapes may also be used. When recording to an external memory, each recording medium 60 is set in its recording/reproducing device, and the registration completion switch 7 of the screen selection instruction console 61 is pressed. This allows the time code reading section! Registered time code information is sequentially read from t, coded, and stored in external memory aM generation device [
The external memory tOVc is output from the external memory tOVc. Note that this part of the system is controlled by a microcomputer.

In addition, the purpose of the Finch video tape recorder is to re-record video cassette tapes provided by customers without degrading the image quality as much as possible, but if it is necessary to reduce costs, If you're willing to accept a slight drop in image quality, it's worth choosing an S/4-inch video tape recorder. However, in this case, the 3/4-inch wide video cassette tape does not have a time code track, so an audio track is used instead. Further, in this embodiment, a 1-inch video tape was used during recursion, but this can be changed to a video disc.

Time code memory sr or external memory t in which time code information corresponding to the above-mentioned re-recorded finch width videotape and desired screen are recorded.

A desired screen is automatically searched and extracted, and image quality improvement processing such as time jitter correction, noise removal, edge enhancement, gradation correction, and scanning line interpolation similar to the above-described embodiments is performed.

When creating a color film or print separation from a videotape that has been registered, the registered screen is detected and extracted from the videotape. When performing this extraction online without recording the registered timecode in an external memory, press the frame extraction switch on the control panel after registration completes, and the recorded timecode will be extracted from the timecode memory sr. is read out and the frame search section! 7
sent to. When using the external memory 60, the registered time code is read out by pressing the frame extraction switch and similarly sent to the frame search section j7.

On the other hand, the 1-inch VTR starts playback, and the time codes recorded in advance corresponding to each frame are sequentially read by the time code reading section jt, input to the frame search section j7, and read from the 2-frame memory. It is compared with the loaded timecode. When the two match, a freeze command for the corresponding picture signal is outputted from the frame search section j7 to the noise reducer 63, and information for one desired screen is recorded in the built-in frame memory by the noise reducer 43. At the same time, a 1-inch video tape recorder from frame search section j7! A reproduction stop signal is output to the tape recorder 11, and the tape recorder 11 is stopped. Note that until the information from the time code reading unit jt and the information read from the time code memory II match, the video tape playback image signal is transmitted via the time base corrector and noise reducer 43. It can be observed on the display monitor t7. The following processing is the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 except that the external memo 1J4j is used by the external memory recording/reproducing device 6j instead of the printer, so the explanation thereof will be omitted here.

As is clear from the above detailed explanation, the present invention has been compared with the conventional method of displaying continuous video images on a color cathode ray tube, selecting a desired screen, and then photographing it with a still camera. This allows extremely accurate screen selection and extraction. In addition, the time base collector corrects the temporal deviation of the video image signal, the noise reducer suppresses the noise signal included in the video image signal, the detail collector enhances the outline of the image, and R
Various image quality improvement measures, such as correcting GB signal gradation, converting the scanning method, increasing the number of scanning lines through λ-dimensional interpolation processing, eliminating scanning lines, and increasing the dissolving power. After carrying out the process, the color film and/or the separation plates are obtained from a color scanner. Since it is a single system, it is possible to solve all of the problems associated with conventional systems in terms of image quality, such as color tone, resolution, television scanning lines, etc. In addition, we have introduced a layout scanner system in the output section, so manual departments that perform many labor-intensive elements such as photo processing, mask creation and other composite preparation, and composite synthesis, which are the main tasks in the plate-making process, are automatically processed. We can expect effects such as making it possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the invention. J... Input device switching unit, a, t... Display monitor, j, t, It... Frame input memory, 7...
Image quality improvement section, ri... control section, 10... RGB decoder, ll... RGB display monitor, lλ mountain gradation correction section, 17... scanning line interpolation section, li... color film production device, This...color scanner, this...
・Layout scanner, jl...Video switcher-1j3...Time code writing section,! ≠...Time code memory 1/-p, sr...Switch VTR, j4
...Time code reading section! 7...Frame search section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Video image plate making in which a color film and/or color separation plate of a bulk quality image is created after selecting an arbitrary screen from a continuous video signal such as a television signal and performing various processing. In equipment: videotape, videodisc, telecine. an input unit comprising a storage device for extracting and storing a signal of a desired selected screen from a continuous video signal from a signal source such as a television; and a time lag correction of the video signal of the selected screen. An image quality improvement processing unit that removes noise contained in the video signal and enhances contours, and converts it into RGB signals by separating brightness and color signals suitable for high-quality images, and adjusts each RGH signal independently. A correction section that performs color and gradation correction processing without disturbing the balance, digitizes the RGB signals, and stores each RGB digital image information in a 7-ram memory, then converts the odd field an image signal conversion processing section that includes an interpolation section that sequentially calls the scanning line information of the even field and the scanning line information of the even field, and interpolates the information between them by co-dimensional interpolation; An output section for outputting each of the improved RGB signals to a color film production device for producing a color film and/or a color scanner for producing high quality color separation plates. Plate making equipment. 2. The video image plate making apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a frame memory is provided in the storage device in the input section. 3. The video tape plate-making apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a video tape recorder is installed in the storage device in the input section.