Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium for generating a virtual viewpoint image

An image processing method comprising:

• acquiring viewpoint information for specifying a movement path of a virtual viewpoint corresponding to a virtual viewpoint image to be generated based on captured images obtained by a plurality of image capturing devices that performs imaging from a plurality of directions;
• and
• determining a position, in a three-dimensional space, of a virtual object which is to be displayed in the virtual viewpoint image and which is not included in the captured images, based on a plurality of virtual viewpoints on the movement path specified by the acquired viewpoint information,
• wherein the determining of the position of the virtual object includes:
• determining, for each of a plurality of candidate positions of the virtual object in the three-dimensional space, a number of viewpoints, a view of which includes a candidate position of the virtual object among the plurality of virtual viewpoints on the movement path;
• and
• determining, as the position of the virtual object, one or more positions of the plurality of candidate positions based on the number of viewpoints determined for each of the plurality of candidate positions.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute an image processing method, the image processing method comprising:

• acquiring viewpoint information for specifying a movement path of a virtual viewpoint corresponding to a virtual viewpoint image to be generated based on captured images obtained by a plurality of image capturing devices that performs imaging from a plurality of directions;
• and
• determining a position, in a three-dimensional space, of a virtual object which is to be displayed in the virtual viewpoint image and which is not included in the captured images, based on a plurality of virtual viewpoints on the movement path specified by the acquired viewpoint information,
• wherein the determining of the position of the virtual object includes:
• determining, for each of a plurality of candidate positions of the virtual object in the three-dimensional space, a number of viewpoints, a view of which includes a candidate position of the virtual object among the plurality of virtual viewpoints on the movement path;
• and
• determining, as the position of the virtual object, one or more positions of the plurality of candidate positions based on the number of viewpoints determined for each of the plurality of candidate positions.