Special Feature: Fujifilm's Digital Imaging Technology

Fujifilm's UItrahigh Image Quality digital Image Processing Software and Other Image Processing Technologies Accumulated in the Imaging & Information Field

Image Intelligence™ Positioning Fujifilm as a Leader in the Digital Imaging Market

Huge Image Database and Powerful Image Design Technology

Image IntelligenceT technologies utilise ultrahigh image quality digital image processing software that draws on the huge image database Fujifilm has built up over many years to accurately determine photographic objectives and appraise conditions when taking pictures. The supplementation of film cameras with digital cameras and camera-phones, or mobile phones with camera functions, has led to a rise in the diversity of picture-taking methods. This and a rise in the variety of image outputting methods, such as colour paper, printers, and LCDs, are spotlighting the benefits of Image IntelligenceT's capabilities for optimising images regardless of the combination of picture-taking and outputting methods. These technologies, which only Fujifilm has realised, are on the leading edge of progress in the field of consumer imaging as well as in such fields and medical imaging and graphic arts, where they are dependably providing optimal high-quality images.

Sophisticated Scene Analysis and Image Expression Algorithms

Image Intelligence™ image processing technologies fall into two categories: scene analysis technologies and image expression technologies. Scene analysis technologies draw on huge image databases and computer vision technologies*¹ to analyse light sources, light intensity, and other characteristics of photographic scenes. They also automatically analyse objects to be photographed and inferentially determine the photographer's intentions. Based on the resulting scene analysis data, image expression technologies perform backlight compensation and other types of adjustments for such individual elements of photographic scenes as the human form, facial colour, clothing, and background. Image expression technologies also prepare the image data for optimal viewing based on consideration of the relevant viewing mode type (colour paper, printing-use paper, X-ray film, LCD monitor, etc.).

*¹ Computer vision technology is designed to determine the significance of photographed objects in images. Through its base in California's Silicon Valley, Fujifilm engages in cooperative activities with academic and research institutions and thereby obtains expertise on such technologies as face recognition and object understanding.

Consumer Imaging

Prints that realise Photographers' Expectations
In photographing people, it is particularly important to optimise facial color saturation levels and tones. In the past, photographs with excessive colour saturation were adjusted and optimised by minilab staff operators, but Fujifilm's Frontier series of digital minilabs incorporate Image IntelligenceT software that examines images, automatically measures colour saturation, and then performs analyses to determine the ideal colour saturation level. This process of optimization is carried out the same way in every photo shop with the Digital Minilab Frontier so that customers can be confident of obtaining consistently high-quality prints.

In the field of images taken with camera-phones, the pixabase2 image conversion software for NTT DoCoMo's i-shot service also incorporates Image IntelligenceT, which can increase the clarity and the picture quality of even very small pictures.

Medical Imaging

Extracting More Information from an X-Ray
Individual X-rays contain abundant diagnostic information, and it is crucial to preserve that information and facilitate its visual recognition. Fujifilm is a pioneer in the development and marketing of Fuji Computed Radiography digital X-ray diagnostic systems, which employ Image IntelligenceT technologies to analyse X-rays as they are obtained and use the resulting data to automatically optimise the image density and contrast so that information in indistinct image portions is more clearly portrayed. These image processing technologies enable doctors to make more-accurate diagnoses with greater efficiency. Moreover, computerised diagnostic support technologies can employ Image IntelligenceT technologies to analyse images with the goal of identifying and indicating anomalous portions. In the field of mammography*², Fujifilm is proceeding with the development of CAD technologies that automatically detect suspicious ports of an X-ray and indicate them to doctors.

*² Mammography: X-ray examination of the breasts.

Graphic Arts

colour Management System for More-Sophisticated Colour Reproduction
As seen in the growing adoption of such digital graphic arts systems as computer-to-place (CTP), the use of digital technologies in commercial printing processes is progressively expanding, making it increasingly important to develop more sophisticated colour reproduction technologies. Images in printed materials represent colours with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black dots (CMYK*³). Image IntelligenceT technologies can increase the quality of such images and make them more similar to photographic prints by performing scene analysis of the RGB*⁴ images from digital cameras and scanners, so that colour reproduction is optimised when the RGB images are converted into the CMYK images of printed materials. In addition, by linking together printing diagnostic technologies and sophisticated colour-matching technologies, inputting through print outputting can be supported with integrated colour standard production and colour management capabilities.

*³ CMYK images are composed of the three primary printed colours - cyan, magenta, and yellow - along with black.
*⁴ RGB images are composed of the three primary colours of light red, green and blue. Colour televisions produce images using these three colours.
*⁵ Televisions can modulate colour reproduction by varying the brightness of each colour element, while colours in printed materials are modulated by varying the size of individual coloured dots.