Image processing apparatus and image processing method

• US 8,437,539 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Komatsu, Satoru, Sawada, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Seth, Manav
• Application Number:
  US12/266,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20090129696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/162
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/58 Edge or detail enhancement; Noise or error suppression, e.g. colour misregistration correction H04N1/62 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/646 for image enhancement, e.g. vertical detail restoration, cross-colour elimination, contour correction, chrominance trapping filters

Abstract

An image processing apparatus is configured to reduce a color blur in a color image, and includes a color blur process determination part configured to change at least one of a color blur that serves as a reduction object and an estimation method of an amount of the color blur according to at least one of a characteristic of an image and an imaging condition.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus configured to perform a process to reduce a color blur in a color image, said image processing apparatus comprising a color blur process determination part configured to change at least one of a color blur that serves as a reduction object and an estimation method of an amount of the color blur according to at least one of a characteristic of an image and an imaging condition,

wherein the color blur process determination part changes at least one of a color plane of the color blur as the reduction object, a parameter that is used to estimate an area of the color blur, a parameter that is used to estimate an intensity of the color blur, a color plane that is referred to as a reference in the reduction process of the color blur, and an estimation method of the color blur, according to at least one of the characteristic of the image and the imaging condition.

2. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the image includes at least one of a brightness of an entire image, a contrast of the entire image, a hue of the entire image, and a hue around a brightness saturation area in the image.

3. An image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the color blur process determination part sets, when a brightness of an entire image of a first image is lower than that of an entire image of a second image, the color blur amount to be estimated to the first image greater than that to the second image.

4. An image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the color blur process determination part sets, when a contrast of an entire image of a first image is lower than that of an entire image of a second image, the color blur amount to be estimated to a first image greater than that to a second image.

5. An image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the color blur process determination part sets to a blue plane a color plane having the color blur that serves as the reduction object when the image is reddish as a whole, and the color blur process determination part sets to a red plane a color plane having the color blur that serves as the reduction object when the image is bluish as a whole.

6. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging condition includes at least one of an imaging scene, a type of a lens used for imaging, a zoom state of the lens, a stop value of the lens, and an object distance from the lens.

7. An image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the color process determination part sets, when a first image is an image of a night view imaging scene and a second image is an image of an imaging scene other than the night view imaging scene, a color blur amount to be estimated to the first image greater than that to the second image.

8. An image processing method configured to perform a process to reduce a color blur in a color image, said image processing method comprising a color blur process determination step of changing at least one of a color blur that serves as a reduction object and an estimation method of an amount of the color blur according to at least one of a characteristic of an image and an imaging condition,

wherein, in the color blur process determination step, at least one of a color plane of the color blur as the reduction object, a parameter that is used to estimate an area of the color blur, a parameter that is used to estimate an intensity of the color blur, a color plane that is referred to as a reference in the reduction process of the color blur, and an estimation method of the color blur is changed according to at least one of the characteristic of the image and the imaging condition.

9. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

an image pickup element configured to pick up a color image; and

an image processing apparatus configured to perform a process to reduce a color blur in the color image, said image pickup apparatus comprising a color blur process determination part configured to change at least one of a color blur that serves as a reduction object and an estimation method of an amount of the color blur according to at least one of a characteristic of an image and an imaging condition,

wherein the color blur process determination part changes at least one of a color plane of the color blur as the reduction object, a parameter that is used to estimate an area of the color blur, a parameter that is used to estimate an intensity of the color blur, a color plane that is referred to as a reference in the reduction process of the color blur, and an estimation method of the color blur, according to at least one of the characteristic of the image and the imaging condition.

10. An image processing apparatus configured to perform a process to reduce a color blur in a color image, said image processing apparatus comprising a color blur process determination part configured to change at least one of a color blur that serves as a reduction object and an estimation method of an amount of the color blur according to at least one of a characteristic of an image and an imaging condition,

wherein the characteristic of the image includes at least one of a brightness of an entire image, a contrast of the entire image, a hue of the entire image, and a hue around a brightness saturation area in the image.

11. An image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the color blur process determination part sets, when a brightness of an entire image of a first image is lower than that of an entire image of a second image, the color blur amount to be estimated to the first image greater than that to the second image.

12. An image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the color blur process determination part sets, when a contrast of an entire image of a first image is lower than that of an entire image of a second image, the color blur amount to be estimated to a first image greater than that to a second image.

13. An image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the color blur process determination part sets to a blue plane a color plane having the color blur that serves as the reduction object when the image is reddish as a whole, and the color blur process determination part sets to a red plane a color plane having the color blur that serves as the reduction object when the image is bluish as a whole.

14. An image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the imaging condition includes at least one of an imaging scene, a type of a lens used for imaging, a zoom state of the lens, a stop value of the lens, and an object distance from the lens.

15. An image processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the color process determination part sets, when a first image is an image of a night view imaging scene and a second image is an image of an imaging scene other than the night view imaging scene, a color blur amount to be estimated to the first image greater than that to the second image.

16. An image processing method configured to perform a process to reduce a color blur in a color image, said image processing method comprising a color blur process determination step of changing at least one of a color blur that serves as a reduction object and an estimation method of an amount of the color blur according to at least one of a characteristic of an image and an imaging condition,

wherein the characteristic of the image includes at least one of a brightness of an entire image, a contrast of the entire image, a hue of the entire image, and a hue around a brightness saturation area in the image.

17. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

an image pickup element configured to pick up a color image; and

an image processing apparatus configured to perform a process to reduce a color blur in the color image, said image processing apparatus comprising a color blur process determination part configured to change at least one of a color blur that serves as a reduction object and an estimation method of an amount of the color blur according to at least one of a characteristic of an image and an imaging condition,

wherein the characteristic of the image includes at least one of a brightness of an entire image, a contrast of the entire image, a hue of the entire image, and a hue around a brightness saturation area in the image.