Image Processing Method and Apparatus

An image acquisition and processing apparatus for providing images with enhanced facial regions in digital images, including a lens and image sensor, a processor and a memory having code embedded therein for programming the processor to control the apparatus to perform an image processing method that comprises:

• a) acquiring a main image of a scene and one or more further images approximately of a same scene within a time period including said acquiring of said main image;
• b) determining one or more facial regions in said main image and said one or more further images;
• c) analyzing said one or more facial regions to determine if any one of said facial regions includes a defect, including
• (i) applying a model to each facial region,
• (ii) analyzing one or more parameters of said model for each facial region to provide an indication of facial expression;
• and
• (iii) segmenting from said set one or more facial regions indicative of a defective facial expression;
• d) combining defect free facial regions to provide a high quality defect free facial region;
• and
• e) replacing at least a portion of a defective facial region of said main image with image information from a corresponding high quality defect free facial region.

One or more non-transitory, processor-readable media having code embedded therein for programming a processor to control an image acquisition and processing apparatus to perform an image acquisition and processing method that comprises:

• a) determining one or more facial regions within a main image of a scene and within one or more further images approximately of said same scene acquired within a time period including said acquiring of said main image;
• b) analyzing said one or more facial regions to determine if any one of said facial regions includes a defect, including
• (i) applying a model to each facial region,
• (ii) analyzing one or more parameters of said model for each facial region to provide an indication of facial expression;
• and
• (iii) segmenting from said set one or more facial regions indicative of a defective facial expression;
• c) combining defect free facial regions to provide a high quality defect free facial region;
• and
• d) replacing at least a portion of a defective facial region of said main image with image information from a corresponding high quality defect free facial region.