Abstract: An image-taking system includes an image-taking device which takes an image of a subject; a flashing device which emits a flash to the subject; an illumination device which has a surface positioned opposite the image-taking device and which illuminates the subject interposed between the image-taking device and the surface with light emitted from the surface. The system further includes a background replacement device which acquires a plurality of images of the subject taken by the image-taking device under a respective plurality of image-taking-light conditions created by the flashing device and the illumination device, discriminates between the subject and a background in a taken image based on the acquired images, and replaces the background with another background.

Abstract: There are provided a background replacing apparatus, a background replacing program, and a background replacing method, which are capable of creating a background replaced image in which a background of a photographic image is naturally replaced with a desired background. The background replacing apparatus has an image obtaining section 710 that obtains a plurality of photographic images obtained through photography of a common subject under a plurality of photographic conditions, and a replacement processing section 730.

Abstract: It is detected whether or not a face image is included in an image represented by applied image data. When the face image is detected, an image area including the detected face image is cut out. A plurality of rectangular projection information creating windows are set radially from the center of the cut image. With respect to each of image portions within the plurality of projection information creating windows, projection information is created and the projection information is converted into data representing the distance from an ideal skin color. With respect to each of the image portions within the plurality of projection information creating windows, a boundary position between a skin color image and an image other than the skin color image is determined on the basis of the distance data for each unit pixel position.

Abstract: When a face image of a character in an image represented by image data fed to a mask data creating apparatus is detected, face image areas of the detected character are respectively extracted by different two types of processing. An appropriate degree is calculated for each of the face image areas extracted by the two types of extraction processing. The face area for which the higher relevance factor is calculated is used, to create mask data.

Abstract: An imaging system is provided which can efficiently capture an authentication image of a subject by an imaging device provided around a position toward which the subject is moving. The imaging system includes; a plurality of imaging devices, provided at different positions, respectively, for capturing moving images; a direction detection unit for detecting the moving direction of the subject based on the moving image in which the subject is contained; a selection unit for selecting one of the imaging devices, that is to capture the authentication image of the subject based on the moving direction thus detected and the positions of the imaging devices; and a storage unit for storing the authentication image captured by the selected imaging device.

Abstract: A collation system for selecting a registrant matched with a passer-by among a plurality of registrants registered in advance includes a photographing section for photographing the passer-by, a candidate searching section for searching a plurality of candidates for the registrant matched with the passer-by among the plurality of registrants based on a first image of the passer-by photographed by the photographing section, and a passer-by collating section for selecting the registrant matched with the passer-by among the plurality of candidates based on a second image of the passer-by photographed by the photographing section when the passer-by is closer to the photographing section than when the first image is photographed.

Abstract: An image distributing system for distributing an image in which a certain objected character is caught, having a camera system capturing images in which a person who is the objected character is caught; a signal transmitter connecting to the camera system; an image database connecting with the signal transmitter and storing a plurality of image data transmitted by the signal transmitter; a character information database for storing character information for identifying the person caught in the image as the objected character; and an image collecting unit, identifying a person caught in the image, data of which is stored in the image database, as the objected character, and collecting image data in which the objected character is caught.

Abstract: The image processing apparatus comprises: an image correction unit which applies a correction processing to the digital image data; a subject detection unit which detects a human subject from an input image data; a skin color setting unit which sets skin color information based on the detected human subject; a skin color extraction unit which extracts pixels having a skin color similar to a skin color represented by the set skin color information from the digital image data; an area setting unit which sets mask information used to apply correction only to an area to be corrected; and an image output unit which produces output image data based on the inputted digital image data, the corrected image data and the mask information. In a case where the human subject is not detected, skin color information is set using the pre-defined skin color information.

Abstract: There are provided a background replacing apparatus, a background replacing program, and a background replacing method, which are capable of creating a background replaced image in which a background of a photographic image is naturally replaced with a desired background. The background replacing apparatus has an image obtaining section 710 that obtains a plurality of photographic images obtained through photography of a common subject under a plurality of photographic conditions, and a replacement processing section 730.

Abstract: An identification-data memory is connected to a light-source identifying circuit. Data representing a type of characteristic quantity to be used in making an identification and identification points are stored in the identification-data memory with regard to each type of a plurality of light sources. Based upon input image data, a characteristic quantity is read out and identification points decided in accordance with the identification-data memory. The type of light source that was used to acquire an image represented by image data to be processed is discriminated in accordance with the identification points that have been decided. A color temperature that corresponds to the light-source type discriminated is set in a color-temperature setting circuit, and gray pixels having the set color temperature are extracted from the input image. White-balance correction coefficients are decided based upon the gray pixels extracted.

Abstract: An image-taking system includes an image-taking device which takes an image of a subject; a flashing device which emits a flash to the subject; an illumination device which has a surface positioned opposite the image-taking device and which illuminates the subject interposed between the image-taking device and the surface with light emitted from the surface. The system further includes a background replacement device which acquires a plurality of images of the subject taken by the image-taking device under a respective plurality of image-taking-light conditions created by the flashing device and the illumination device, discriminates between the subject and a background in a taken image based on the acquired images, and replaces the background with another background.

Abstract: It is detected whether or not a face image is included in an image represented by applied image data. When the face image is detected, an image area g1 including the detected face image is cut out. A plurality of rectangular projection information creating windows w are set radially from the center of the cut image g1. With respect to each of image portions within the plurality of projection information creating windows w, projection information obtained by adding pixel information for each unit pixel position from the center of the image is created. Thereafter, the projection information is converted into data representing the distance from an ideal skin color. With respect to each of the image portions within the plurality of projection information creating windows, a boundary position between a skin color image (face image area) and an image other than the skin color image (face image area) is determined on the basis of the distance data for each unit pixel position.

Abstract: An image collecting system for collecting an image having a target character therein comprising a camera system that captures an image in which the target character is caught in a predetermined area; an image database that stores images captured by the camera system; a character information database that stores character information for identifying a person caught in an image as the target character; a character positioning unit for obtaining position information of the target character at a certain time; and an image collecting unit that connects to the image database and the character information database to identify images stored in the image database with the target character therein based on the character information stored in the character information database and the position information of the target character obtained by the character positioning unit, and collect images in which the target character is caught from the images stored in the image database.

Abstract: A local region determining section determines a region above a face, detected by a face detecting section, to be a local region, which is a part of a shadowless background region. An extraction executing section extracts regions adjacent to the local region and constituted by pixels of a similar color to that of the local region, as the shadowless background region. A shadow region extracting section extracts a region adjacent to the shadowless background region and constituted by pixels, of which: differences in hue and saturation from the average hue and the average saturation of the local region are within predetermined threshold values; the brightness is lower than the average brightness of the local region; and the difference in the brightnesses exceeds a predetermined threshold value, as a shadow region. A correcting section corrects the brightness of the shadow region to match that of the local region, to remove a shadow.

Abstract: An identification-data memory is connected to a light-source identifying circuit. Data representing a type of characteristic quantity to be used in making an identification and identification points are stored in the identification-data memory with regard to each type of a plurality of light sources. Based upon input image data, a characteristic quantity is read out and identification points decided in accordance with the identification-data memory. The type of light source that was used to acquire an image represented by image data to be processed is discriminated in accordance with the identification points that have been decided. A color temperature that corresponds to the light-source type discriminated is set in a color-temperature setting circuit, and gray pixels having the set color temperature are extracted from the input image. White-balance correction coefficients are decided based upon the gray pixels extracted.

Abstract: When a face image of a character in an image represented by image data fed to a mask data creating apparatus is detected, face image areas of the detected character are respectively extracted by different two types of processing. An appropriate degree is calculated for each of the face image areas extracted by the two types of extraction processing. The face area for which the higher relevance factor is calculated is used, to create mask data.

Abstract: It is detected whether or not a face image is included in an image represented by fed image data. When the face image is detected, an image area g1 including the detected face image is cut out. A plurality of rectangular projection information creating windows w are set radially from the center of the cut image g1. With respect to each of image portions within the plurality of projection information creating windows w, projection information obtained by adding pixel information for each unit pixel position from the center of the image is created. Thereafter, the projection information is converted into data representing the distance from an ideal skin color. With respect to each of the image portions within the plurality of projection information creating windows, a boundary position between a skin color image (face image area) and an image other than the skin color image (face image area) is determined on the basis of the distance data for each unit pixel position.

Abstract: Upon resumption of a slide show of image data sets with reference to a playlist, the slide show can be resumed from where the slide show has been suspended. For this purpose, the slide show is reproduced as serial reproduction of the image data sets with reference to the playlist. Upon suspension of the slide show, where the slide show has been suspended is set as a restart point in the playlist. The slide show is resumed from the restart point with reference to the restart point set in the playlist.

Abstract: Backup of image data sets is carried out with ease. For this purpose, the image data sets are stored in image storage means. The image storage means may comprise a plurality of recording media or an external apparatus. When the image data sets stored in the image storage means are displayed, a degree of security is calculated for the image data sets according to reliability of backup locations of the image data sets and the number of the backup locations, for example. The degree of security is displayed in a visually perceptible manner. For example, in the case where the degree is low for one of the image data sets, a red or yellow frame is added to the corresponding image according to the degree of security thereof.

Abstract: An image correction apparatus which corrects blurring generated by the traveling of a vehicle in the captured image, including: a camera which captures an image of front of a vehicle continuously; mobile vector calculation means of calculating a mobile vector in an image of each object based on a position of an object in each image continuously captured by the camera; and blurring correction means of correcting blurring of the image captured by the camera using the mobile vector calculated by the mobile vector calculation means.