Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program for viewpoint transition control

An image processing method, implemented by a computer, the method comprising:

• outputting part of an image including recommended viewpoint information as a display image to a display unit;
• and
• causing a display range of the image to shift, based on a positional relationship between a viewpoint position corresponding to the display image output to the display unit and a viewpoint position corresponding to the recommended viewpoint information,
• wherein the display range is caused to shift at a speed determined based on a difference in an angle of a line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position corresponding to the recommended viewpoint information to the viewpoint position corresponding to the display image,
• wherein the part of the image is output to the display unit based on the display range that has been made to shift,
• wherein causing the display range of the image to shift includes:
• calculating an operation movement amount for moving the viewpoint position corresponding to the display image in accordance with a viewpoint operation based on viewpoint operation information;
• calculating a return movement amount for returning the viewpoint position corresponding to the display image to the viewpoint position corresponding to the recommended viewpoint information;
• and
• calculating a viewpoint position of a next frame to be output after a frame of the display image output to the display unit, based on the operation movement amount and the return movement amount,
• wherein the part of the image is output to the display unit, based on the display range determined from the viewpoint position of the next frame, and
• wherein the return movement amount is calculated based on the difference in the angle of the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position corresponding to the recommended viewpoint information to the viewpoint position corresponding to the display image.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

• outputting part of an image including recommended viewpoint information as a display image to a display unit;
• and
• causing a display range of the image to shift, based on a positional relationship between a viewpoint position corresponding to the display image output to the display unit and a viewpoint position corresponding to the recommended viewpoint information,
• wherein the display range is caused to shift at a speed determined based on a difference in an angle of a line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position corresponding to the recommended viewpoint information to the viewpoint position corresponding to the display image,
• wherein the part of the image is output to the display unit based on the display range that has been made to shift,
• wherein causing the display range of the image to shift includes:
• calculating an operation movement amount for moving the viewpoint position corresponding to the display image in accordance with a viewpoint operation based on viewpoint operation information;
• calculating a return movement amount for returning the viewpoint position corresponding to the display image to the viewpoint position corresponding to the recommended viewpoint information;
• and
• calculating a viewpoint position of a next frame to be output after a frame of the display image output to the display unit, based on the operation movement amount and the return movement amount,
• wherein the part of the image is output to the display unit, based on the display range determined from the viewpoint position of the next frame, and
• wherein the return movement amount is calculated based on the difference in the angle of the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint position corresponding to the recommended viewpoint information to the viewpoint position corresponding to the display image.