Abstract: A light source estimating apparatus for estimating a type of a light source used when an input image was picked up, the apparatus including: distribution retaining means which retains a distribution, in a predetermined space, of pixel data picked up under a first or second light source; coordinate determining means which determines coordinates of the pixel data of the input image in the predetermined space; and distribution judging means which judges distribution of the pixel data picked up under the first or second light source to which the coordinates belong.

Abstract: A color filter allows a light signal to pass through by each pixel and be incident on an imaging device. The light signal is inputted through a lens and including one of plural different spectral components. The plural different spectral components include a first spectral component which has a widest frequency bandwidth among the plural different spectral components, a second spectral component corresponding to a predetermined frequency band close to a frequency that causes no chromatic aberration of the lens, and a third spectral component expressed in terms of a linear sum of a value resulting from multiplying the first spectral component by a first weighting factor and a value resulting from multiplying the second spectral component by a second weighting factor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method, apparatus and program for processing an image, capable of producing a sharp image. A digital camera 1 includes an imaging device 4 formed of a single-plane sensor that provides one color signal for each pixel. A plurality of images are captured at a high shutter speed by the imaging device 4 and stored in a frame memory 22 of a signal processor 7. The signal processor 7 detects a positional relationship among the plurality of images stored in the frame memory 22 and estimates a correct image with three color signals at each pixel, based on the detected positional relationship. The present invention is applicable, for example, to a digital camera.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for efficiently executing correction of false color, such as purple fringe, caused by chromatic aberration and for generating and outputting high-quality image data are provided. A white-saturated pixel is detected from image data, a false-color-pixel detection area is set around the detected white-saturated pixel, and pixels having color corresponding to false color such as purple fringe are detected from the set area. The detected pixels are determined as false-color pixels and correction processing based on the values of the surrounding pixels is performed on the determined false-color pixels. With this configuration, an area of false color such as purple fringe generated in the neighborhood of a white-saturated pixel can be efficiently detected, pixel values can be partially corrected, and high-quality image data can be generated and output without affecting the entire image.

Abstract: This invention makes it possible to produce a high quality synthesized panoramic image when it is difficult to highly precisely shift the image pickup direction.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and method and program whereby composition can more readily be confirmed. An imaging unit 432 receives light from a lens 431 and images an imaging image; an extracting unit 435 extracts an extracted image which is an image having a different size from the imaging image and which includes a subject having a high degree of focus; a synthesizing unit 436 synthesizes the extracted image so that the positions of the subject match to the imaging image; and a display unit 438 displays the imaging image of the portions corresponding to a predetermined region having the same size as the extracted image in the display region wherein the entire imaging image can be displayed, and displays the extracted image that has been synthesized with the imaging image. The present invention can be applied to a digital camera, for example.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a first image processor receiving, as a sequence of images, a plurality of images captured by sequentially shifting a shooting position in a predetermined direction, and setting a first overlapping area overlapping a priority area which is to be used preferentially in the sequence of images, as a use-prohibited area with respect to images in the sequence of images other than the first image, the images including the first overlapping area; a second image processor setting a second overlapping area of a second or third image as a use-prohibited area, the second and third images having sequence orders being separated by a predetermined spacing in the sequence of images; and an image generator generating an output image using areas of the plurality of images included in the sequence of images, excluding areas set as the use-prohibited areas by the first and second image processors.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a band-shaped area selecting section, an angle selecting section, and a control section. The band-shaped area selecting section selects, from among band-shaped areas each having a first angle with respect to a second direction orthogonal to a first direction, a first band-shaped area having a maximum height, which satisfies a condition that the first band-shaped area is on one side of a first point group, which is in the first direction and on one side of a second point group, which is in a direction opposite to the first direction. The angle selecting section selects a candidate for the first angle. The control section effects control to repeat selecting of the first band-shaped area and selecting of the candidate for the first angle, and obtains the finally selected first band-shaped area as a processing result.

Abstract: A whole image showing the entire range of the object of shooting is generated by picking up unit images, each constituting a part of the scenic range to be imaged, by sequentially shifting the image pickup direction, cutting out image regions of a predetermined size, each constituting a part of each of the unit images picked up in the image pickup step, so as to produce overlapping areas and sequentially and partly superposing the image region. The noise components of the image regions are uniformized to improve the image quality by cutting out image regions as to make two or more than two image regions overlap each other in average for the position of each unit image of the whole image to be generated.

Abstract: This invention makes it possible to produce a high quality synthesized panoramic image when it is difficult to highly precisely shift the image pickup direction.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for efficiently executing correction of false color, such as purple fringe, caused by chromatic aberration and for generating and outputting high-quality image data are provided. A white-saturated pixel is detected from image data, a false-color-pixel detection area is set around the detected white-saturated pixel, and pixels having color corresponding to false color such as purple fringe are detected from the set area. The detected pixels are determined as false-color pixels and correction processing based on the values of the surrounding pixels is performed on the determined false-color pixels. With this configuration, an area of false color such as purple fringe generated in the neighborhood of a white-saturated pixel can be efficiently detected, pixel values can be partially corrected, and high-quality image data can be generated and output without affecting the entire image.

Abstract: An image signal processing device includes: an image signal capturing unit capturing first and second image signals obtained by consecutive photographing performed under first and second photographing conditions; an image signal calculation unit obtaining, with the first and second image signals, a weighted addition signal of an image signal based on ambient light and an image signal based on light from a flash device; a display control unit controlling the display of an image based on the weighted addition signal; an input device used to set respective weighting factors of the image signal based on ambient light and the image signal based on light from the flash device subjected to weighted addition; and a photographing condition determination unit determining, on the basis of the weighting factors, the aperture of an aperture mechanism, the exposure time of a solid-state image pickup device, and the light emission amount of the flash device.

Abstract: In an imaging apparatus, a function whose value increases in time is used as a threshold electric-signal level, and an electric-signal level of a photoreceptor element is compared with the threshold electric-signal level. Even if a light received by the photoreceptor element has a low luminance, the electric-signal level of the photoreceptor element crosses the threshold electric-signal level in a short time, allowing calculation of the amount of optical energy received by the photoreceptor element. Furthermore, when an object having a region where brightness changes in time and also having a region with a low luminance is imaged, imaging interval is changed in accordance with luminance. Accordingly, information regarding how the brightness of the object is rapidly changing in time can be obtained more precisely, and an image can be output without making a projection image of the dark region completely black.

Abstract: In an imaging apparatus, a function whose value increases in time is used as a threshold electric-signal level, and an electric-signal level of a photoreceptor element is compared with the threshold electric-signal level. Even if a light received by the photoreceptor element has a low luminance, the electric-signal level of the photoreceptor element crosses the threshold electric-signal level in a short time, allowing calculation of the amount of optical energy received by the photoreceptor element. Furthermore, when an object having a region where brightness changes in time and also having a region with a low luminance is imaged, imaging interval is changed in accordance with luminance. Accordingly, information regarding how the brightness of the object is rapidly changing in time can be obtained more precisely, and an image can be output without making a projection image of the dark region completely black.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for efficiently executing correction of false color, such as purple fringe, caused by chromatic aberration and for generating and outputting high-quality image data are provided. A white-saturated pixel is detected from image data, a false-color-pixel detection area is set around the detected white-saturated pixel, and pixels having color corresponding to false color such as purple fringe are detected from the set area. The detected pixels are determined as false-color pixels and correction processing based on the values of the surrounding pixels is performed on the determined false-color pixels. With this configuration, an area of false color such as purple fringe generated in the neighborhood of a white-saturated pixel can be efficiently detected, pixel values can be partially corrected, and high-quality image data can be generated and output without affecting the entire image.

Abstract: An accurate white balance adjustment process is provided for an image captured in an environment where different color components, such as an ambient light and a flash light are mixed. With respect to image to be captured under a plurality of different types of irradiation light, such as ambient light, and flash light, the image is captured or generated in an environment of single light irradiation. The white balance adjustment according to the parameter set up based on the color component (color temperature) of each type of irradiation light is carried out with respect to the image in each environment of the single light irradiation, so as to synthesize them Furthermore, with respect to the moved portion of the subject itself, the present invention is arranged such that the pixel value is compensated and set up based on adjacent pixel values of the motionless portion, it becomes possible to generate a natural image data with smooth changes between pixels.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method, apparatus and program for processing an image, capable of producing a sharp image. A digital camera 1 includes an imaging device 4 formed of a single-plane sensor that provides one color signal for each pixel. A plurality of images are captured at a high shutter speed by the imaging device 4 and stored in a frame memory 22 of a signal processor 7. The signal processor 7 detects a positional relationship among the plurality of images stored in the frame memory 22 and estimates a correct image with three color signals at each pixel, based on the detected positional relationship. The present invention is applicable, for example, to a digital camera.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and an image processing method are disclosed by which an image correction process for a false color such as a purple fringe can be executed efficiently while excessive reduction of the saturation is prevented to produce image data of a high quality. A saturation reduction rate corresponding to each pixel is calculated, and saturation reduction of the pixel is executed based on the saturation reduction rate. Then, saturation correction is executed so that the difference between the hue of the pixel whose saturation has been reduced and a surrounding reference pixel may be reduced. Further, a surrounding pixel to be referred to in the saturation correction process is selected along a scanning line.

Abstract: A product identification apparatus for determining whether an inspection target product to be identified is the same as a predetermined verification product includes: an extraction unit configured to extract an input pattern formed of asperities on the surface of a predetermined part of the inspection target product from a captured image obtained by capturing the image of the predetermined part of the inspection target product; and a comparison unit configured to compare the input pattern with an identification pattern extracted from a captured image obtained by capturing in advance the image of a part of the verification product so as to determine whether the input pattern is the same as the identification pattern or the input pattern includes the identification pattern.

Abstract: A light source estimating device includes: a distribution holding section holding a spectral energy distribution of a specific light source as a specular reflection component; a set generating section generating a set determined by the specular reflection component and pixel data of the input image in a predetermined space, with respect to each pixel data of the input image; a detecting section detecting, with respect to each pixel data of the input image, another pixel data neighboring the pixel data and included in the set; and a determining section determining whether or not the specific light source corresponds to the light source used during capture, by setting a likelihood that the specific light source corresponds to the light source used during capture high if the other pixel data exists, and setting a likelihood that the specific light source corresponds to the light source used during capture low if the other pixel data does not exist.