JP6116436B2 - Image processing apparatus and image processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is particularly directed to a suitable image processing apparatus and how be used to generate an image obtained by blurring the partial region.

  In recent years, a large number of imaging devices such as digital cameras and digital video cameras are equipped with a function of performing image processing on an area other than a subject. For example, as one of the functions, there is a function of giving a pseudo blurring effect to the background area of the photographed image.

  An image with a blurred background is widely used for portrait photography and the like because it has the effect of making a subject stand out and make an impression. In general, in an imaging apparatus having a large imaging device such as a single-lens reflex camera, the depth of field is reduced by opening the aperture and increasing the focal length, and the background other than the subject in focus as described above. It is possible to easily shoot a blurred image. On the other hand, in an imaging apparatus such as a compact digital camera having a small imaging element, the depth of field tends to be relatively deep, so it is difficult to capture an image with a blurred background.

  Therefore, many compact digital cameras having a function of giving a blurring effect to the background artificially by image processing have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of separating a main subject area and a background area, performing a blurring process on an image in the background area, and synthesizing it with an image in the main subject area.

JP 2008-179934 A JP 2010-21773 A

  However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, when the background is blurred for a scene in which the depth of the background gradually increases in the depth direction, the boundary that switches to the blurred area in the middle of the background is noticeable, and the feeling of strangeness is felt. There is a problem that it becomes an image.

  In view of the above-described problems, the present invention provides a background-blurred image that does not give a sense of incongruity in switching between a sharp area and a blurred area in a scene in which the depth of the background gradually increases in the depth direction. It is aimed.

An image processing device according to the present invention acquires a first image focused on a main subject and a second image that includes the main subject and is focused on a background of the main subject. means and, before Symbol first image and the second image, the main object region, and the region determining means for determining an intermediate region between the background region, and the main subject region and the background region, before Symbol first A first blurred image is generated by performing a filtering process on the first image, and a second blurred image having a smaller blur amount than the first blurred image by performing a filtering process on the first image. a generating means for generating a, with cut out before Symbol main subject region from the first image, before Symbol cut out before SL during area from the second blurred image, it cuts out the prior SL first blurred image Main subject area By combining the intermediate region and characterized in that it comprises a synthesizing means for generating a background blurred image.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a background blurred image in which the boundary between the sharp area and the blurred area is not conspicuous.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the imaging device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the background blurring process in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the detailed process sequence of an area | region determination process. It is a figure for demonstrating a picked-up image and a division area. It is a figure which shows an example of a cutout map. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for adding blur to an image in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the procedure of a reduction process and an expansion process. It is a figure for demonstrating the detailed procedure of a reduction process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the detailed process sequence of a reduction process and an expansion process. It is a figure which shows an example of the image which the main subject and the 2nd subject are reflected. It is a figure which shows an example of the determination table which implements the smoothing filtering process in the case of implementing the expansion process 3 times with respect to a reduction image.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 1, the image sensor 14 converts an optical image input via the photographing lens 10 into an electrical signal. The A / D converter 16 converts the analog signal output from the image sensor 14 into image data of a digital signal.
The timing generation circuit 18 is a circuit that supplies a clock signal and a control signal to the image sensor 14 and the A / D converter 16, and is controlled by the memory control circuit 22 and the system control circuit 50. In addition to the mechanical shutter 12 having an aperture function, the accumulation time can be controlled as an electronic shutter by controlling the reset timing of the image sensor 14 and can be used for moving image shooting and the like.

  The image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined pixel interpolation processing and color conversion processing on the data from the A / D converter 16 or the data from the memory control circuit 22. An electronic zoom function is realized by performing image clipping and scaling processing by the image processing circuit 20. The image processing circuit 20 performs predetermined calculation processing using image data obtained by imaging, and the system control circuit 50 performs exposure control unit 40 and distance measurement control unit 42 based on the obtained calculation result. To control. Thus, TTL AF processing, AE processing, and EF processing are performed. Further, the image processing circuit 20 also performs TTL AWB (auto white balance) processing based on the obtained calculation result.

  The memory control circuit 22 controls the A / D converter 16, the timing generation circuit 18, the image processing circuit 20, the memory 30, and the compression / decompression circuit 32. Image data output from the A / D converter 16 is written into the memory 30 via the image processing circuit 20 and the memory control circuit 22 or directly via the memory control circuit 22.

  The image display unit 28 is a display unit including a TFT, an LCD, and the like. Display image data written in the memory 30 is read out via the memory control circuit 22 and the image is displayed on the image display unit 28. The An electronic viewfinder function can be realized by sequentially displaying captured images on the image display unit 28. Further, the image display unit 28 can arbitrarily switch the display ON / OFF according to an instruction from the system control circuit 50. When the display is turned OFF, the power consumption of the imaging apparatus 100 can be significantly reduced. Can do.

  The memory 30 is a memory for storing still image data and moving image data obtained by photographing, and has a sufficient storage capacity for storing a predetermined number of still image data and moving image data for a predetermined time. . Thereby, even in the case of continuous shooting or panoramic shooting in which a plurality of still images are continuously shot, it is possible to write a large amount of image data in the memory 30 at high speed. The memory 30 is also used as a work area for the system control circuit 50.

  The non-volatile memory 31 is a memory composed of a flash ROM or the like. The program code executed by the system control circuit 50 is written in the nonvolatile memory 31, and the program code is executed while being read sequentially. In addition, an area for storing system information and an area for storing user setting information are provided in the nonvolatile memory 31, and various information and settings are read and restored at the next startup.

  The compression / decompression circuit 32 compresses and decompresses image data by adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADCT) or the like. The compression / decompression circuit 32 reads the image data stored in the memory 30, performs compression processing or decompression processing, and writes the processed data to the memory 30.

  The exposure control unit 40 controls the shutter 12 having a diaphragm function, and also has a flash light control function in conjunction with the flash 48. The distance measurement control unit 42 controls the focusing of the photographing lens 10. The zoom control unit 44 controls zooming of the taking lens 10. The flash 48 has an AF auxiliary light projecting function and a flash light control function. The exposure control unit 40 and the distance measurement control unit 42 are controlled using the TTL method, and are controlled by the system control circuit 50 based on the calculation result obtained by calculating the image data obtained by imaging by the image processing circuit 20. Is done.

  The system control circuit 50 controls the entire imaging apparatus 100. In addition, the imaging apparatus 100 includes an operation unit for inputting various operation instructions of the system control circuit 50, and includes a single or a plurality of combinations such as a switch, a dial, a touch panel, pointing by line-of-sight detection, and a voice recognition apparatus. Composed. Here, a specific description of these operation units will be given.

  The mode dial switch 60 can switch and set each function mode such as power-off, automatic shooting mode, shooting mode, HDR shooting mode, panoramic shooting mode, moving image shooting mode, playback mode, and PC connection mode. The shutter switch (SW1) 62 is turned ON during the operation of the shutter button, and instructs to start operations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, AEB (auto white balance) processing, and the like.

  The shutter switch (SW2) 64 is turned on when the operation of the shutter button is completed. In the case of flash photography, after performing EF (flash pre-emission) processing, the image sensor 14 is exposed for the exposure time determined by the AE processing. Then, light is emitted during the exposure period, and light is shielded by the exposure control unit 40 when the exposure period ends, whereby the exposure to the image sensor 14 is terminated. As a result, a process of writing image data to the memory 30 via the A / D converter 16 and the memory control circuit 22 is performed on the signal read from the image sensor 14. Further, the image processing circuit 20 and the memory control circuit 22 are used for development processing, and image data is read from the memory 30 and compressed by the compression / decompression circuit 32. Then, a recording process for writing image data to the recording medium 200 is performed. In this way, when the shutter switch (SW2) 64 is turned on, the start of a series of processing operations as described above is instructed.

  The display changeover switch 66 is a switch that can change the display of the image display unit 28. With this function, when photographing is performed using the optical viewfinder 104, it is possible to save power by cutting off the current supply to the image display unit 28 including a TFT, an LCD, and the like.

  The operation unit 70 includes various buttons, a touch panel, a rotary dial, and the like, and includes a menu button, a set button, a macro button, a multi-screen playback page break button, a flash setting button, a single shooting / continuous shooting / self-timer switching button, and the like. . Also, menu movement + (plus) button, menu movement-(minus) button, playback image movement + (plus) button, playback image-(minus) button, shooting image selection button, exposure compensation button, date / time setting button, etc. There is also.

  The zoom switch 72 is a switch for the user to give an instruction to change the magnification of the captured image. The zoom switch 72 includes a tele switch that changes the imaging field angle to the telephoto side and a wide switch that changes the wide angle side. By using the zoom switch 72, the zoom control unit 44 is instructed to change the imaging field angle of the photographing lens 10, and becomes a trigger for performing an optical zoom operation. In addition, it also serves as a trigger for electronic zooming change of the imaging angle of view by image cropping by the image processing circuit 20 or pixel interpolation processing.

  The power supply unit 86 includes a primary battery of an alkaline battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li ion battery, an AC adapter, or the like. The interface 90 is an interface for connecting to a recording medium 200 such as a memory card or a hard disk, and the connector 92 is a connector connecting to the recording medium 200 such as a memory card or a hard disk.

  The optical viewfinder 104 is used when shooting is performed without using the electronic viewfinder function of the image display unit 28. The communication unit 110 has various communication functions such as USB, IEEE 1394, LAN, and wireless communication. The connector 112 is used to connect the imaging device 100 to other devices by the communication unit 110, and is an antenna in the case of wireless communication.

  The recording medium 200 is a memory card, a hard disk, or the like. The recording medium 200 includes a recording unit 202 composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like, an interface 204 with the imaging apparatus 100, and a connector 206 that connects to the imaging apparatus 100. I have.

Next, image background blurring processing by the image processing circuit 20 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of background blurring processing performed by the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.
First, in step S <b> 201, the system control circuit 50 performs imaging while focusing on the main subject while controlling the distance measurement control unit 42. Then, the photographing lens 10 is shifted by a predetermined amount under the control of the distance measurement control unit 42, and photographing is performed while focusing on the background.

  Subsequently, in step S202, the image processing circuit 20 detects an edge of an image photographed while focusing on the main subject and an image photographed while focusing on the background. As an example of the edge detection method, there is a method of detecting an edge by performing band pass filtering on a photographed image and taking an absolute value. Note that the edge detection method is not limited to this, and other methods may be used. Hereinafter, the edge detected from the image data obtained by shooting focused on the main subject is referred to as the edge image on the main subject focused side, and the edge detected from the image shot focused on the background This is referred to as an edge image on the background in-focus side.

  Next, in step S203, the image processing circuit 20 divides each of the edge image on the main subject focusing side and the edge image on the background focusing side into a plurality of regions, and integrates the absolute values of the edges in each region. To do. In step S204, the image processing circuit 20 determines one of the main subject area, the background area, and the intermediate area for each divided area. Here, the details of the area determination processing in step S204 will be described using the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a detailed processing procedure of the region determination processing in step S204 of FIG. In the following description, the edge integration value (sharpness) on the subject in-focus side in each divided area [i, j] calculated in step S203 is EGI1 [i, j], and the edge integration on the background in-focus side. Let the value be EGI2 [i, j].
First, in step S301, the image processing circuit 20 compares the integral values EGI1 [i, j] and EGI2 [i, j] calculated in step S203 with respect to each divided region [i, j], and performs all divisions. The process is repeated until the areas are compared.

In step S302, the image processing circuit 20 determines whether or not the relationship of the following expression (1) is satisfied between the integral values EGI1 [i, j], EGI2 [i, j] and a predetermined threshold value TH. As a result of the determination, when the relationship of the expression (1) is satisfied (when the sharpness difference is within a predetermined range), the process proceeds to step S303, and when the relationship of the expression (1) is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S304. .
| EGI1 [i, j] −EGI2 [i, j] | ≦ TH (1)

  In step S303, the image processing circuit 20 defines the area as an intermediate area. On the other hand, in step S304, the image processing circuit 20 determines whether or not the integral value EGI1 [i, j] is larger than the integral value EGI2 [i, j]. As a result of the determination, if the integral value EGI1 [i, j] is larger than the integral value EGI2 [i, j], the process proceeds to step S305, where the integral value EGI1 [i, j] is greater than the integral value EGI2 [i, j]. If they are smaller or the same, the process proceeds to step S306.

  In step S305, the image processing circuit 20 defines the area as the main subject area. On the other hand, in step S306, the image processing circuit 20 defines the area as a background area. In this embodiment, the region determination is performed in all divided regions. However, in order to exclude the determination in the region where the edge cannot be detected correctly with low contrast, the determination is performed by limiting the region to which the edge integral value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. May be.

  Next, in step S205, the image processing circuit 20 generates a cutout map that can distinguish the main subject area, the background area, and the intermediate area based on the area determination result in step S204. In the cut-out map, for example, the composition ratio α is represented by the pixel value of the image data itself.

  FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an example of a photographed image photographed in the present embodiment. The background 402 shown in FIG. 4A has a composition in which the depth gradually increases from the main subject 401 in the depth direction. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example in which the image shown in FIG. 4A is divided into a plurality of regions. For each of the divided regions 403, the edge integration value on the subject in-focus side and the background focus are obtained. Side edge integral value is calculated, and region determination is performed in step S204.

  Fig.5 (a)-FIG.5 (c) are figures which show the example of the cut-out map produced | generated in step S205. A black area 501 illustrated in FIG. 5A indicates an area determined as the main subject area, and a black area 502 illustrated in FIG. 5B indicates an area determined as the background area. A black area 503 shown in FIG. 5C indicates an area determined as an intermediate area.

  Next, in step S <b> 206, the image processing circuit 20 performs a first blurring process on an image photographed while focusing on the main subject to generate a first blurred image. Further, a second blurred image is generated by performing a second blurring process on the image photographed while focusing on the main subject so that the blur amount is about half that of the first blurred image.

  Here, the blurring process will be described. In the blur processing, the image processing circuit 20 performs resizing processing and filtering processing on the captured image. Reduction processing and enlargement processing in resizing processing are performed by linear interpolation. Hereinafter, a specific procedure will be described.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for adding blur to an image in the present embodiment.
First, in step S601, the image processing circuit 20 reduces the image to be blurred to an image size of 1 / N (N is an arbitrary resizing coefficient). At that time, a pre-filter is used to prevent folding of the high-frequency signal. A specific procedure will be described later.

  Next, in step S602, the image processing circuit 20 performs a spatial filtering process on the reduced image based on the designated filter shape. In the spatial filtering process, an image filter process is performed with an arbitrary filter coefficient. In step S603, the image processing circuit 20 enlarges the image subjected to the spatial filtering process in step S602 to the original image size. Through the above processing, the image processing circuit 20 generates a first blurred image and a second blurred image.

  Next, details of the reduction process in step S601 will be described. In the reduction process, in order to prevent aliasing of the high-frequency signal, the reduction process is performed after the smoothing filtering process, which is a general means, is performed in the present embodiment.

  FIG. 7A shows an example of processing for reducing an image by a factor of two. As shown in FIG. 7A, the image processing circuit 20 first uses filter coefficients represented by {1, 2, 1} / 4 in the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the image 701 before the reduction process. A smoothing filtering process is performed. Next, the image processing circuit 20 performs reduction so that the pixel size is halved by linear interpolation, and generates an image 702.

  Also in the enlargement process in step S603, the enlargement process is performed after the smoothing filtering process is performed in order to prevent jaggies occurring in the enlarged image. FIG. 7B shows an example of processing for enlarging an image twice. As shown in FIG. 7B, the image processing circuit 20 smoothes the image 703 before enlargement processing with filter coefficients represented by {1, 2, 1} / 4 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Perform the filtering process. Next, the image processing circuit 20 performs enlargement so that the pixel size is doubled by linear interpolation, and generates an image 704.

  Note that the above reduction processing and enlargement processing may be performed by changing the reduction magnification and the enlargement magnification as necessary, and may further be repeatedly performed to perform reduction processing and enlargement processing to a desired image size.

  On the other hand, when the smoothing filtering process is performed on the image, the brightness level of the high brightness pixel existing in the image may be attenuated by interpolation with the surrounding non-high brightness pixels. In addition, the influence is considered to be greater as the image size for performing the smoothing filtering process is smaller. In this case, the brightness level of the image after the spatial filtering is lower in the image subjected to the reduction process and the enlargement process than the blurred image generated by performing only the spatial filtering process without performing the reduction process and the enlargement process. Therefore, there is a problem that the feature of the spatial filtering process cannot be used. On the other hand, in this embodiment, whether or not to perform the smoothing filtering process is switched in the reduction process and the enlargement process so as not to reduce the luminance level of the high-luminance pixel as much as possible.

  Next, a process for determining whether to perform the smoothing filtering process will be described. First, the image processing circuit 20 determines an execution location (execution timing) of the smoothing filtering process in the reduction process. Here, the image processing circuit 20 makes a determination based on whether the smoothing filtering process greatly reduces the luminance level of the high-luminance pixels of the input image in the input image size.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the reduction processing in the present embodiment.
An image 801 shown in FIG. 8 is an image before reduction processing, and the image size is 4000 pixels in the horizontal direction and 3000 pixels in the vertical direction. The image 802 is obtained by reducing the image 801 by half by the first reduction processing, and the image size is 2000 pixels in the horizontal direction and 1500 pixels in the vertical direction. Further, the image 803 is obtained by reducing the image 802 by half by the second reduction process, and the image size is 1000 pixels in the horizontal direction and 750 pixels in the vertical direction.

  At this time, the image processing circuit 20 performs the smoothing filtering process when the image size of the image data input in the reduction process is equal to or larger than the predetermined image size S1, and when the image size is smaller than the predetermined size S1. Does not perform the smoothing filtering process. For example, in FIG. 8, the first smoothing filtering process is performed in the first reduction process from the image 801 to the image 802, and the second smoothing filtering process is performed in the second reduction process from the image 802 to the image 803. Do not implement.

  On the other hand, similarly in the enlargement process, the image processing circuit 20 performs the smoothing filtering process when the image size of the image data input in the enlargement process is equal to or larger than the predetermined image size S2. If the image size is less than the predetermined image size S2, the smoothing filtering process is not performed. As described above, the image processing circuit 20 determines a place where the smoothing filtering process is performed and performs the blurring process.

  Next, the operation procedure of the blurring process by the image processing circuit 20 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9A is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed processing procedure of the reduction process in step S601 of FIG. 6, and FIG. 9B is an example of a detailed processing procedure of the enlargement process in step S603 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows.

  First, the reduction process will be described. First, in step S901 in FIG. 9A, it is determined based on the previously determined smoothing filtering processing determination information whether or not to perform the smoothing filtering processing on the input image. As an example of the smoothing filtering processing determination information, for example, the image size described with reference to FIG. As a result of this determination, when the smoothing filtering process is performed, the process proceeds to step S902, and when the smoothing filtering process is not performed, the process proceeds to step S903.

  In step S902, the image processing circuit 20 performs a smoothing filtering process on the input image. In step S903, the image processing circuit 20 performs a reduction process on the image at a preset reduction rate. Next, in step S904, it is determined whether or not the image has been reduced to a preset size. As a result of the determination, if the reduction of the image data to the preset size is completed, the reduction process is terminated, and if the reduction is not completed, the process returns to step S901 to repeat the process.

  Next, the enlargement process will be described. First, in step S906 of FIG. 9B, it is determined based on the previously determined smoothing filtering process determination information whether or not to perform the smoothing filtering process on the image on which the spatial filtering process has been performed. The smoothing filtering process determination information is as described above. As a result of the determination, if the smoothing filtering process is performed, the process proceeds to step S907. If the smoothing filtering process is not performed, the process proceeds to step S908.

  In step S907, the image processing circuit 20 performs the smoothing filtering process on the image on which the spatial filtering process has been performed. In step S908, the image processing circuit 20 performs an enlargement process on the image data at a preset enlargement ratio. Next, in step S909, it is determined whether the image has been enlarged to a preset size. If the result of this determination is that the enlargement of the image data to a preset size has been completed, the enlargement process is terminated, and if the enlargement has not been completed, the process returns to step S906 to repeat the process.

  In the present embodiment, the first blurred image and the second blurred image are generated by the above processing. In this embodiment, it is determined whether or not to perform the smoothing filtering process based on the analysis result of the characteristics of the captured image. However, whether or not to perform each smoothing filtering without analyzing the captured image is determined in advance. You may decide. For example, all the smoothing filtering processes may not be performed without analyzing the captured image. Further, in the case of the reduction process, the smoothing filtering process may be performed, and in the case of the enlargement process, the smoothing filtering process may not be performed.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 2, in step S207, the image processing circuit 20 cuts out the main subject region from the image photographed while focusing on the main subject based on the cutout map generated in step S205. Then, the first blurred image generated in step S206 and the cut out main subject region are combined to generate a first combined image. Further, an intermediate area is cut out from the second blurred image generated in step S206, and the first combined image and the cut out intermediate area are combined to generate a second combined image.

Here, an example of image composition processing will be described. The image processing circuit 20 subjects the subject of the image IMG1 [i, j] that is photographed while focusing on the main subject based on the value α [i, j] (0 ≦ α ≦ 1) obtained from the pixel value of the cut-out map. The region and the blurred image IMG2 [i, j] are combined. Then, a composite image B [i, j] is generated. That is, the image processing circuit 20 calculates the composite image B [i, j] using the following equation (2). [I, j] indicates each pixel.
B [i, j]
= IMG1 [i, j] * α [i, j] + IMG2 [i, j] * (1-α) [i, j]
... (2)

  The second composite image obtained by the above processing is acquired as a background blurred image. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain a background blurred image in which the boundary between the sharp area and the blurred area is not conspicuous. In addition, since smoothing filtering processing is switched according to the image size, spatial filtering is performed with the luminance level of high-luminance pixels remaining as much as possible even when performing spatial filtering processing on a reduced image to obtain a blurring effect. Processing can be performed. Furthermore, it is possible to obtain a blurred image in which the occurrence of jaggy is suppressed after the enlargement process. In order to shorten the processing time, when the second blurred image is generated, the region where the filtering process is performed may be only the intermediate region.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, two images of an image focused on the main subject and an image focused on the background were taken. In this embodiment, a case where three or more images including an image focused on a main subject are photographed will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment. Note that the configuration of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image including two subjects. In the image shown in FIG. 10, the second subject 1002 is shown behind the main subject 1001, and the background 1003 has a composition in which the depth gradually increases in the depth direction.

The procedure of the background blur processing in this embodiment is basically the same as the procedure shown in FIG. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be described.
First, in step S201 in FIG. 2, the imaging apparatus 100 performs shooting while focusing on the main subject under the control of the distance measurement control unit 42. Next, the photographing lens 10 is shifted by a predetermined amount under the control of the distance measurement control unit 42, and photographing is performed while focusing on the second subject behind the main subject. Further, the photographing lens 10 is shifted by a predetermined amount under the control of the distance measurement control unit 42, and photographing is performed while focusing on the background. Next, the image processing circuit 20 performs the processing from step S202 to S205 using the image photographed while focusing on the second subject and the image photographed while focusing on the background.

  Subsequently, in step S206, the image processing circuit 20 performs a first blurring process on the image photographed while focusing on the main subject to generate a first blurring image, and performs a second blurring process. To generate a second blurred image. Further, the third blurred image is obtained by performing a third blurring process that is an intermediate blur amount between the first blurred image and the second blurred image on the image photographed while focusing on the main subject. Is generated.

  Next, in step S207, the image processing circuit 20 cuts out an area based on the cut-out map generated in step S205 from the first blurred image, and combines it with the second blurred image to generate a first combined image. To do. Next, the image processing circuit 20 cuts out an area based on the cut-out map generated in step S205 from the third blurred image and combines it with the first composite image to generate a second composite image.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain a multi-stage blurred image in which the boundary where the first blurred image region and the second blurred image region are switched is inconspicuous. Furthermore, by synthesizing an image photographed while focusing on the main subject with a multi-stage blurred image, it is possible to obtain a multi-stage background blurred image in which the boundary where each area is switched is not conspicuous.

  In addition, although the area | region discrimination | determination process in this embodiment is performed using the image focused on the to-be-photographed object side and the image focused on the background side, it is not limited to this. For example, when blurring is performed on a subject existing in front of the main subject, an image focused on the front subject and an image focused on the main subject may be used.

(Third embodiment)
In the first embodiment, whether to perform the smoothing filtering process is determined according to the image size. In contrast, in the present embodiment, a method for determining whether or not to perform the smoothing filtering process based on information such as the luminance distribution of the input image and the oblique line detection information will be described. Note that the configuration of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. A description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment.

  Regarding the procedure of the background blur processing in the present embodiment, the processing from step S201 to S205 in the flowchart of FIG. 2 is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Since the blurring process in the next step S206 is different from that of the first embodiment, the details will be described below. In the present embodiment, as described above, the method for determining whether or not to perform the smoothing filtering process is different from that in the first embodiment. The basic processing procedure for adding blur to an image is the same as that shown in FIG.

_First , the image processing circuit 20 compares the ratio R ₁ occupied by pixels having a predetermined luminance value Y _th or more in the entire image with the predetermined ratio R _th, and performs smoothing when R ₁ ≧ R _th is satisfied. It is further determined whether or not to perform the filtering process. On the other hand, when the relationship is not satisfied, it is determined that the smoothing filtering process is performed.

  If the relationship is satisfied, first, the image processing circuit 20 determines whether or not to perform the smoothing filtering process in the reduction process. At this time, the image processing circuit 20 refers to a predetermined table and determines whether or not to perform the smoothing filtering process corresponding to a desired reduction ratio.

Next, the image processing circuit 20 determines whether or not to perform the smoothing filtering process in the enlargement process. Specifically, first, the image processing circuit 20 performs oblique line detection filtering processing on a reduced image using a predetermined oblique line detection filter coefficient to detect oblique lines. Next, the image processing circuit 20 calculates a ratio R ₂ in which the detected oblique line occupies the reduced image, and refers to a predetermined determination table to determine the number N of smoothing filtering processes performed from the first enlargement process. decide.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a determination table when the enlargement process is performed three times on a reduced image. In the example shown in FIG. 11, when the ratio R ₂ occupied by oblique lines is 90% or more, the image processing circuit 20 determines to perform the smoothing filtering process all three times in order to suppress the occurrence of jaggy in the enlarged image. . On the other hand, when the ratio R ₂ occupied by the oblique lines is less than 30%, the image processing circuit 20 determines not to perform the smoothing filtering process.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not to perform the smoothing filtering process by the procedure as described above, and then the first blurred image and the second blurred image are processed by the procedure shown in FIG. Generate. In the next step S207, a background blurred image is acquired by the same procedure as in the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the smoothing filtering process is performed based on the ratio of pixels in the entire image that are equal to or greater than the predetermined luminance value _Yth . However, the determination may be performed by other methods. Good. For example, a histogram of luminance levels in the entire image may be created, and determination may be performed according to the distribution of luminance levels. Further, the numerical values such as the number N of implementations and the ratio R ₂ shown in FIG. 11 are examples in the present embodiment, and are not limited thereto.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when a spatial filter process is performed on a reduced image to obtain a blurring effect, the spatial filtering process can be performed with the luminance level of high-luminance pixels remaining as much as possible. Further, it is possible to obtain a blurred image in which the occurrence of jaggy is suppressed after the enlargement process. Note that the area determination processing in the present embodiment is performed using an image focused on the subject side and an image focused on the background side, but is not limited to this. For example, when blurring is performed on a subject existing in front of the main subject, an image focused on the front subject and an image focused on the main subject may be used.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

20 Image processing circuit 50 System control unit

Claims (12)

Acquisition means for acquiring a first image focused on a main subject and a second image including the main subject and focused on a background of the main subject;
Before Symbol first image and the second image, the main object region, and the region determining means for determining an intermediate region between the background region, and the main subject region and the background region,
To generate a first blurred image by performing filtering processing on the pre-Symbol first image, the blurring amount than the first blurred image by performing filtering processing on the first image is smaller Generating means for generating two blurred images;
With cut out before Symbol main subject region from the first image, before Symbol cut out before SL during area from the second blurred image, the pre-Symbol the cut main subject region and the intermediate regions in the first blurred image A combining means for generating a background blurred image by combining;
An image processing apparatus comprising: Acquisition means for acquiring a first image focused on a main subject and a second image including the main subject and focused on a background of the main subject;
Area determining means for determining a main subject area, a background area, and an intermediate area between the main subject area and the background area from the first image and the second image;
A filtering process is performed on the first image to generate a first blurred image, and a filtering process is performed on the first image to reduce a blur amount smaller than that of the first blurred image. Generating means for generating a blurred image of
By combining the main subject region cut out from the first image, the intermediate region cut out from the second blurred image, and the background region cut out from the first blurred image, background blurring is performed. Combining means for generating an image;
An image processing apparatus comprising: The region determination unit determines the main subject region, the background region, and the intermediate region by detecting sharpness from the first image and the second image acquired by the acquisition unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 . 4. The image processing according to claim 3 , wherein the area determination unit determines an area in which a difference in the sharpness between the first image and the second image is within a predetermined range as the intermediate area. apparatus. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the area determination unit determines in an area where the sharpness is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The generation means performs a filtering process on the first image to generate a plurality of multi- stage blurred images having a smaller amount of blur than the first blurred image,
The combining means, an image processing apparatus according to any one of claim 1 to 5, characterized in that to generate the background blurred image by using a plurality of blurred images of the multiple stages. The generating means includes
Reduction means for performing reduction processing on the first image;
Filtering means for performing spatial filtering processing on the reduced image reduced by the reduction means;
An enlarging unit that performs an enlarging process on the reduced image subjected to the spatial filtering process by the filtering unit to generate the first blurred image or the second blurred image;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The reduction means repeats the reduction process until a predetermined reduction rate is reached,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the enlargement unit repeats the enlargement process until a predetermined enlargement ratio is reached. The reduction means performs a smoothing filtering process before performing the reduction process according to the image size,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the enlarging unit performs a smoothing filtering process before performing the enlarging process according to an image size. The reduction means performs a smoothing filtering process before performing the reduction process according to the luminance distribution of the first image,
9. The image according to claim 8, wherein the enlarging unit performs a smoothing filtering process before performing the enlarging process according to luminance distribution of the first image and detection information of oblique lines in the reduced image. Processing equipment. An acquisition step of acquiring a first image focused on a main subject and a second image including the main subject and focused on a background of the main subject;
Before Symbol first image and the second image, the main object region, and the region determining step of determining an intermediate region between the background region, and the main subject region and the background region,
To generate a first blurred image by performing filtering processing on the pre-Symbol first image, the blurring amount than the first blurred image by performing filtering processing on the first image is smaller A generation process for generating two blurred images;
With cut out before Symbol main subject region from the first image, before Symbol cut out before SL during area from the second blurred image, the pre-Symbol the cut main subject region and the intermediate regions in the first blurred image A compositing process for compositing to generate a background blurred image;
An image processing method comprising: An acquisition step of acquiring a first image focused on a main subject and a second image including the main subject and focused on a background of the main subject;
An area determination step of determining a main subject area, a background area, and an intermediate area between the main subject area and the background area from the first image and the second image;
A filtering process is performed on the first image to generate a first blurred image, and a filtering process is performed on the first image to reduce a blur amount smaller than that of the first blurred image. A generation process for generating a blurred image of
By combining the main subject region cut out from the first image, the intermediate region cut out from the second blurred image, and the background region cut out from the first blurred image, background blurring is performed. A compositing process to generate an image;
An image processing method comprising:

Images