Image processing apparatus and method, and recording medium

• US 6,563,602 B1
• Filed: 08/30/1999
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Uratani, Mitsuru, Yamada, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Application Number:
  US09/385,431
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.9, 358/504, 358/518, 382/162, 382/167
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6027 Correction or control of colour gradation or colour contrast H04N1/6058 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6077 Colour balance, e.g. colour cast correction

Abstract

In conventional white balance adjustment, the processing is switched at the boundary of a threshold. When white balance adjustment is done for two regions having values near the threshold and similar color tones, their impressions become greatly different from each other. To prevent this, this invention calculates a white balance adjustment coefficient for each color component forming color image data, corrects the adjustment coefficient so as to be consecutive for each value of the color image data, and performs white balance adjustment based on the corrected adjustment coefficient. In performing a plurality of types of correction processes for image data, it is difficult to execute an optimal combination of correction processes in accordance with an input device. This invention specifies the characteristics of the input device, and controls a combination of correction processes with respect to the image data on the basis of the characteristics, thereby realizing proper correction based on the input device characteristics.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus capable of performing correction processing by a plurality of types of correction methods for image data, comprising:

an image input unit arranged to input image data from an input device;

a specifying unit arranged to specify characteristics of the input device;

a correction control unit arranged to control a plurality of types of correction processes for the image data on the basis of the characteristics of the input device, and

a holding unit arranged to hold combination information about the plurality of types of correction processes for the characteristics of each input unit,

wherein said correction control unit controls the plurality of types of correction processes for the image data on the basis of the combination information held in said holding unit,

wherein said correction control unit determines a correction process to be executed on the basis of the combination information,

wherein the combination information includes process order information of correction processes within a combination, and

wherein said correction control unit controls an order of the plurality of types of correction processes for the image data on the basis of the process order information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said holding unit further holds correction contents in the plurality of types of correction methods for the characteristics of each input device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the input device depend on the type of input device.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the input device depend on a setting content of input device.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data includes characteristic information representing the characteristics of the input device, and

said specifying unit specifies the characteristics of the input device on the basis of the characteristic information.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the characteristic information is added to the image data on the basis of a user instruction.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of correction methods include contrast correction.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of correction methods include lightness correction.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of correction methods include color balance correction.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of correction methods include saturation correction.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of correction methods include sharpness correction.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of correction methods include color misregistration correction.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image input device includes a digital camera.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image input device includes a scanner.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image input device includes a device for inputting image data stored in a storage medium.

16. An image processing method in an image processing apparatus capable of performing correction processing by a plurality of types of correction methods for image data, comprising:

an input step of inputting image data from an input device;

a specifying step of specifying characteristics of the input device; and

a correction control step of controlling a plurality of types of correction processes for the image data on the basis of the characteristics of the input device; and

a holding step of holding combination information about the plurality of types of correction processes for the characteristics of each input device,

wherein said correction control step controls the plurality of types of correction processes for the image data on the basis of the combination information held in said holding step,

wherein said correction control step determines a correction process to be executed on the basis of the combination information,

wherein the combination information includes process order information of correction processes within a combination,

wherein said correction control step controls an order of the plurality of types of correction processes for the image data on the basis of the process order information.

17. A recording medium comprising program codes of an image processing method in an image processing apparatus capable of performing correction processing by a plurality of types of correction methods for image data, comprising:

a code of an input step of inputting image data from an input device;

a code of a specifying step of specifying characteristics of the input device; and

a code of a correction control step of controlling a plurality of types of correction processes for the image data on the basis of the characteristics of the input device; and

a code of a holding step of holding combination information about the plurality of types of correction processes for the characteristics of each input device,

wherein said code of said correction control step controls the plurality of types of correction processes for the image data on the basis of the combination information held in said code of said holding step,

wherein said code of said correction control step determines a correction process to be executed on the basis of the combination information,

wherein the combination information includes process order information of correction processes within a combination,

wherein said code of said correction control step controls an order of the plurality of types of correction processes for the image data on the basis of the process order information.