Abstract: According to a print system, a printer supplies function information of the printer to a DSC based on a communication link between the DSC and the printer, and the DSC establishes a UI based on the supplied function information to display it on the DSC. The DSC converts image data of an image file according to print conditions set up based on the UI and the function information of the printer and transmits the converted image file to the printer.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide an image sensing apparatus capable of sensing an image in consideration of the influence of inserting/removing an optical filter, an image sensing method, a recording medium, and a program. To achieve this object, a brightness value calculation unit calculates the first brightness value representing the brightness of part or all of an object which is imaged on a CCD image sensing element. A brightness value correction unit calculates the second brightness value by correcting the first brightness value calculated by the brightness value calculation unit on the basis of the light reduction amount generated by inserting an ND filter. A system controller controls an optical system and signal processing in a DSP circuit by using the second brightness value calculated by the brightness value correction unit.

Abstract: An image supply device and control method for supplying image data to a printing device by directly communicating with the printing device. The device and method include obtaining functional information of the printing device, obtaining printable range information indicating a printable range by the printing device, converting image data of a file to be printed in accordance with the printable range information and received printing specification information, and transmitting the converted image data to the printing device upon a data request from the printing device.

Abstract: Improvement of printing speed is set out in an image processing apparatus, which is connected communicably with a printing apparatus, for transferring a recorded image to the printing apparatus and having the printing apparatus print the image. To achieve this object, the present invention has the following configuration. Namely, the invention provides an image processing method of an image capturing apparatus, communicably connected with a printing apparatus which prints transmitted image data. The image processing method comprises: a receiving step (step S101, S104) of receiving information regarding a printing condition of the printing apparatus for printing the transmitted image data; a processing step (step S103, S106) of processing image data to be transmitted to the printing apparatus based on the information regarding the printing condition received in the receiving step; and a transmitting step (step S108) of transmitting the image data processed in the processing step to the printing apparatus.

Abstract: Location information representing the location of a defective pixel in an image pickup device and pixel defect level information representing the pixel defect level of the defective pixel are stored beforehand in a memory. The defect level of the defective pixel is determined after shipment of the image pickup device, and the pixel defect information is updated based on the defect determination result. If a new defective pixel is detected at a location different from the location of the defective pixel with the pixel defect information stored in the memory, the pixel defect information of that defective pixel is added. If a defective pixel is detected at the same location as the defective pixel with the pixel defect information stored in the memory, and if the defect level of the detected defective pixel is worse than the original defect level, the defect level of the defective pixel is updated.

Abstract: In converting image sensing data into image data, a plurality of image sensing data meeting a predetermined condition are processed as a group of image sensing data. An image reproduction parameter is obtained from this image sensing data group, and each image sensing data of the image sensing data group is converted into image data by using the image reproduction parameter. Accordingly, an image reproduction parameter for obtaining an optimum reproduced image can be accurately set from the image sensing data group. Also, since a reproduction luminance level (range) is determined from the image sensing data group, the correlation between the luminances of image planes is not lost. This allows an easy comparison of reproduced images and prevents the boundaries of luminances from becoming unnatural when the reproduced images are synthesized.

Abstract: An image supply device and control method for supplying image data to a printing device by directly communicating with the printing device. The device and method include obtaining functional information of the printing device, obtaining printable range information indicating a printable range by the printing device, converting image data of a file to be printed in accordance with the printable range information and received printing specification information, and transmitting the converted image data to the printing device upon a data request from the printing device.

Abstract: According to a print system, a printer supplies function information of the printer to a DSC based on a communication link between the DSC and the printer, and the DSC establishes a UI based on the supplied function information to display it on the DSC. The DSC converts image data of an image file according to print conditions set up based on the UI and the function information of the printer and transmits the converted image file to the printer.

Abstract: An image pickup method and apparatus which can realize accurate white balance reproduction and shorten the loop processing time for white balance processing are provided. A system controller selects at least one of the white balance coefficient calculated from image signal data before image pickup, the white balance coefficient calculated from image signal data after image pickup, and the result obtained by computing the two white balance coefficients, and displays at least one of processed data subjected to signal processing using the selected white balance coefficient on a display unit.

Abstract: Improvement of printing speed is set out in an image processing apparatus, which is connected communicably with a printing apparatus, for transferring a recorded image to the printing apparatus and having the printing apparatus print the image. To achieve this object, the present invention has the following configuration. Namely, the invention provides an image processing method of an image capturing apparatus, communicably connected with a printing apparatus which prints transmitted image data. The image processing method comprises: a receiving step (step S101, S104) of receiving information regarding a printing condition of the printing apparatus for printing the transmitted image data; a processing step (step S103, S106) of processing image data to be transmitted to the printing apparatus based on the information regarding the printing condition received in the receiving step; and a transmitting step (step S108) of transmitting the image data processed in the processing step to the printing apparatus.

Abstract: Location information representing the location of a defective pixel in an image pickup device and pixel defect level information representing the pixel defect level of the defective pixel are stored beforehand in a memory. The defect level of the defective pixel in the image pickup device is determined after shipment of the image pickup device, and the pixel defect information is updated based on the defect determination result. If a new defective pixel is detected at a location different from the location of the defective pixel with the pixel defect information thereof stored in the memory, the pixel defect information of that defective pixel is added. If a defective pixel is detected at the same location as the defective pixel with the pixel defect information thereof stored in the memory, and if the defect level of the detected defective pixel is worse than the original defect level, the defect level of the defective pixel is updated.

Abstract: A driving circuit drives an image sensing device by a plurality of driving schemes. A memory stores pixel defect information as information about a pixel defect in the image sensing device in correspondence with each driving scheme. A signal processing circuit corrects the pixel defect by referring to the pixel defect information in the memory in accordance with the driving scheme with which the driving circuit drives the image sensing device.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide an image sensing apparatus capable of sensing an image in consideration of the influence of inserting/removing an optical filter, an image sensing method, a recording medium, and a program. To achieve this object, a brightness value calculation unit calculates the first brightness value representing the brightness of part or all of an object which is imaged on a CCD image sensing element. A brightness value correction unit calculates the second brightness value by correcting the first brightness value calculated by the brightness value calculation unit on the basis of the light reduction amount generated by inserting an ND filter. A system controller controls an optical system and signal processing in a DSP circuit by using the second brightness value calculated by the brightness value correction unit.

Abstract: An image sensing device senses an image of an object in a first luminous exposure in a predetermined image sensing position to obtain image data of the image, and a second luminous exposure which is different from the first luminous exposure is determined on the basis of the image data, and the image sensing device senses an image of an object again in the determined second luminous exposure and another image data is obtained. The image data of the two images sensed in two different luminous exposures is combined to generate image data of a single image of expanded dynamic range, and stored in a memory. Thereafter, the image sensing device is shifted to one or more predetermined positions by a pixel shifting unit, and two images are sensed at each position in the first and second luminous exposures, and image data of a single image of expanded dynamic range is obtained on the basis of the two images at each position.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus is provided which can obtain a high image quality by using a camera with a conventional field read type DSP. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup element having a plurality of color filters disposed in a predetermined layout at respective pixel positions, a calculating and processing unit for performing calculation and processing by using two sets of adjacent pixel data in the vertical direction, at each line of image data generated by the image pickup element, and a luminance signal generating unit for generating a luminance signal by using an output of the calculating and processing unit.

Abstract: In an image reproduction apparatus for converting an image into an image signal that can be visibly output, and performing image reproduction processing for the image signal, at least two image signals are selected and designated from a plurality of image signals picked up by image pickup means, and predetermined information (e.g., light source information such as the color temperature, the chromaticity of a light source, or the like) is extracted by analyzing the selected and designated image signals. The image reproduction parameters used in the image reproduction processing are determined on the basis of the extracted information. In this case, the parameters are corrected by repeating the processing the number of times corresponding to the number of selected and designated image signals, thereby finally determining the image reproduction parameters.

Abstract: An image sensing apparatus has a plurality of image sensing modes each of which performs image sensing operation using different pixel shifting method. One of these image sensing modes is selected through a selection unit in accordance with an object to be sensed, and a plurality of images of the object are sensed in image sensing position arrays on the basis of the selected image sensing mode. A combining unit combines the plurality of sensed images to obtain a single still image of high resolution.

Abstract: In converting image sensing data into image data, a plurality of image sensing data meeting a predetermined condition are processed as a group of image sensing data. An image reproduction parameter is obtained from this image sensing data group, and each image sensing data of the image sensing data group is converted into image data by using the image reproduction parameter. Accordingly, an image reproduction parameter for obtaining an optimum reproduced image can be accurately set from the image sensing data group. Also, since a reproduction luminance level (range) is determined from the image sensing data group, the correlation between the luminances of image planes is not lost. This allows an easy comparison of reproduced images and prevents the boundaries of luminances from becoming unnatural when the reproduced images are synthesized.

Abstract: An image sensing apparatus which senses an object a plurality of times in different exposures to obtain a plurality of images and makes a single image with a widened dynamic range by processing the plurality of sensed images, generates a histogram of signal levels of an image sensed in a proper exposure by using a histogram generator, automatically decides whether a dynamic range expansion processing is to be processed or not on the basis of the generated histogram by using a dynamic range expansion deciding unit, determines a parameter for sensing another image of the object in an exposure which is different from the proper exposure in accordance with a decision by the dynamic range expansion deciding unit by using a parameter determination unit, and obtains a single image of the object by processing the image sensed in the proper exposure and the image sensed by using the parameter determined by said parameter determination unit an image processing unit.

Abstract: In order to attain a high-speed thin-out reading operation and to obtain high image quality in an image pickup apparatus, a color filter array of this invention is applied to an interline CCD (image pickup element) in which a vertical CCD is driven in eight phases). The high-speed thin-out reading operation is performed as follows. That is, photoelectrically converted carriers for two horizontal lines are transferred to the vertical CCD every third lines (e.g., C in the first line and M in the second line, C in the fifth line and G in the sixth line, . . . are transferred to the vertical CCD), and residual photoelectrically converted carriers (the Y carrier in the third line, the G carrier in the fourth line, the Y carrier in the seventh line, and the M carrier in the eighth line) are discharged by a substrate discharge operation.