Abstract: An image processing method is provided for detecting the position of a specific subject from a movie and combining a display of detection result indicating the detected position with the movie. The image processing method includes a step of determining, depending on a display time of the detection result, whether the detection result should be continuously displayed, when the subject cannot be detected during the display of the detection result combined with the movie.

Abstract: At least two high-frequency signals are generated using luminance signals of at least two color components contained in a video signal, and a high-frequency signal for edge emphasizing processing is generated from the at least two generated high-frequency signals based upon the size relationship between the at least two high-frequency signals. Edge emphasizing processing is applied to the luminance signals, which are obtained from the video signal, using the high-frequency signal for edge emphasizing processing thus generated.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a detector for detecting a first color of eyes of a subject included in a first image, based on the first image that is generated by photography, and a changer for changing the first color of eyes into a second color different from the first color, wherein the changer changes to the second color based on characteristic information indicative of a characteristic of the subject, the characteristic information being generated from the first image.

Abstract: An image processing method is provided for detecting the position of a specific subject from a movie and combining a display of detection result indicating the detected position with the movie. The image processing method includes a step of determining, depending on a display time of the detection result, whether the detection result should be continuously displayed, when the subject cannot be detected during the display of the detection result combined with the movie.

Abstract: A luminance signal in which the occurrence of spatial aliasing in a diagonal direction component has been suppressed for a red or blue imaging subject is generated from an image signal read from an image sensor. A V-LPF and a H-LPF generate a first luminance signal in which the spatial frequency bandwidth has been limited. Also, a V-LPF and a H-LPF, which limit the spatial frequency bandwidth so as to be even lower than the V-LPF and the H-LPF, generate a second luminance signal in which the bandwidth has been limited. A first GR weighted-addition circuit generates a final luminance signal for a pixel of interest by performing weighted-addition on the first luminance signal and the second luminance signal such that the ratio of the second luminance signal increases as the intensity of the redness or blueness of the pixel of interest increases.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a detection circuit configured to detect an image, a luminance correction circuit configured to determine luminance of the detected image and to execute correction for reducing a luminance variation in the detected image, and an extraction circuit configured to extract feature amount data from the detected image corrected by the correction circuit for use in authentication processing.

Abstract: A plurality of bandpass filters extract high frequency components of a digital image signal sampled every predetermined unit, thus generating a plurality of high frequency signals. The high frequency signals are added to produce a resultant high frequency signal. On the basis of the value of the resultant high frequency signal, the maximum value or minimum value detected from the high frequency signals is selected. The resultant high frequency signal and the selected maximum or minimum value are added according to determined weights, so that an enhancement signal is generated. Edge enhancement is performed using the enhancement signal.

Abstract: An image processing method is provided for detecting the position of a specific subject from a movie and combining a display of detection result indicating the detected position with the movie. The image processing method includes a step of determining, depending on a display time of the detection result, whether the detection result should be continuously displayed, when the subject cannot be detected during the display of the detection result combined with the movie.

Abstract: An image processing method is provided for detecting the position of a specific subject from a movie and combining a display of detection result indicating the detected position with the movie. The image processing method includes a step of determining, depending on a display time of the detection result, whether the detection result should be continuously displayed, when the subject cannot be detected during the display of the detection result combined with the movie.

Abstract: A problem in that a color photographed at high color temperature such as a skin color is erroneously judged as a white color at low color temperature, and the skin having a chromatic color is colored with white color can be resolved. In an image pickup device a given chromatic color area on a photography screen is instructed; a color temperature of a light source is specified on the basis of an output signal within the instructed area; and white balance processing is conducted in accordance with a white balance coefficient that corresponds to the specified color temperature of the light source.

Abstract: This invention is directed to reduce a deterioration in image quality after thinning operation when pixels are read out upon thinning. An image sensor is designed such that different gains are applied on a pixel basis. After periodical gains are applied to the respective pixels, the pixels of the same colors are added and averaged to obtain a low-pass filter effect before thinning processing for the pixels in the sensor, thereby preventing the occurrence of aliasing (moiré) due to thinning.

Abstract: This invention is directed to reduce a deterioration in image quality after thinning operation when pixels are read out upon thinning. An image sensor is designed such that different gains are applied on a pixel basis. After periodical gains are applied to the respective pixels, the pixels of the same colors are added and averaged to obtain a low-pass filter effect before thinning processing for the pixels in the sensor, thereby preventing the occurrence of aliasing (moiré) due to thinning.

Abstract: An image processing method is provided for detecting the position of a specific subject from a moving image and combining a display of detection result indicating the detected position with the moving image. The image processing method includes a step of determining, depending on a display time of the detection result, whether the detection result should be continuously displayed, when the subject cannot be detected during the display of the detection result combined with the moving image.

Abstract: The attitude of an image sensing apparatus is detected, and optimum filter processing is selected based on the result of detection for extracting feature information of a subject, thus processing is simplified. While a shutter button is half-depressed, it is determined whether the image sensing apparatus is performing landscape image sensing or portrait image sensing based on attitude information obtained from an attitude sensor (S105). Then based on the result of determination, one of two filter processings in different scan directions is performed thereby a person's face in an image is detected. Then image sensing conditions at the next timing are determined based on the area of the person's face in the image. When the shutter button is full-depressed, image sensing is performed in accordance with the latest image sensing conditions, and an obtained image is stored into a storage medium such as a memory card.

Abstract: In a color-noise reduction circuit in which a color-difference signal of a target pixel is substituted in a random substitution circuit (104) by a color-difference signal of another pixel within an area including the target pixel, a pixel-substitution color-difference signal that is the substituted signal whose high-frequency components are removed in an LPF (106) and the color-difference signal of the target pixel are added together in a summation circuit (108) at a predetermined ratio obtained by a pixel-substitution utilization rate calculation circuit (107), and is outputted as a noise-reduced color-difference signal of the target pixel. Therefore, efficient color-noise reduction and suppression of occurrence of color jitters can be realized.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus for applying high-speed dark shading correction and reducing random noise in a black image is provided. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup element capable of reading image signals corresponding to one frame, which are obtained by photoelectric conversion, on a field-by-field basis. With the image pickup element exposed to light, first image signals corresponding to one frame are read. Then, with the image pickup element shielded from light, second image signals are read from fields that are fewer than fields constituting one frame. Each of third image signals is generated by averaging the second image signals for each of blocks obtained by dividing the image pickup element and converting the average image signal for each block to a resolution of the first image signals. The third image signals are subtracted from the first image signals.

Abstract: In a color-noise reduction circuit in which a color-difference signal of a target pixel is substituted in a random substitution circuit 104 by a color-difference signal of another pixel within an area including the target pixel, a pixel-substitution color-difference signal that is the substituted signal whose high-frequency components are removed in an LPF 106 and the color-difference signal of the target pixel are added together in a summation circuit 108 at a predetermined ratio obtained by a pixel-substitution utilization rate calculation circuit 107, and is outputted as a noise-reduced color-difference signal of the target pixel. Therefore, efficient color-noise reduction and suppression of occurrence of color jitters can be realized.

Abstract: At least two high-frequency signals are generated using luminance signals of at least two color components contained in a video signal, and a high-frequency signal for edge emphasizing processing is generated from the at least two generated high-frequency signals based upon the size relationship between the at least two high-frequency signals. Edge emphasizing processing is applied to the luminance signals, which are obtained from the video signal, using the high-frequency signal for edge emphasizing processing thus generated.

Abstract: At least two high-frequency signals are generated using luminance signals of at least two color components contained in a video signal, and a high-frequency signal for edge emphasizing processing is generated from the at least two generated high-frequency signals based upon the size relationship between the at least two high-frequency signals. Edge emphasizing processing is applied to the luminance signals, which are obtained from the video signal, using the high-frequency signal for edge emphasizing processing thus generated.

Abstract: A plurality of bandpass filters extract high frequency components of a digital image signal sampled every predetermined unit, thus generating a plurality of high frequency signals. The high frequency signals are added to produce a resultant high frequency signal. On the basis of the value of the resultant high frequency signal, the maximum value or minimum value detected from the high frequency signals is selected. The resultant high frequency signal and the selected maximum or minimum value are added according to determined weights, so that an enhancement signal is generated. Edge enhancement is performed using the enhancement signal.