Image processing apparatus, imaging apparatus, image processing method and program

An imaging apparatus comprising:

• an imaging unit having a Plenoptic image capturing unit;
• an input unit configured to input image information describing a point-of-view position and a blurred state of an image based on a user instruction;
• a control unit configured to control a size of an aperture of the Plenoptic image capturing unit such that a first image that is an image of the point-of-view position indicated by the image information and a second image that includes a same subject to that of the first image and is an image of the blurred state indicated by the image information are acquired by imaging;
• a processing unit configured to perform a process for changing a blurred state of at least one of the first image and the second image;
• a determining unit configured to compare the first image and the second image after the blurred state of at least one of the first image and the second image is changed by the processing unit to determine image regions corresponding between the first image and the second image;
• and
• a generating unit configured to generate a virtual viewpoint image corresponding to the point-of-view position and the blurred state indicated by the image information based on the image regions corresponding between the first image and the second image determined by the determining unit and the image information input by the input unit.

An image processing method comprising:

• acquiring a first image of a subject viewed from a first point of view and a second image that is an image of the subject viewed from a second point of view different from the first point of view and having a different blurred state from that of the first image;
• changing a blurred state of at least one of the first image and the second image;
• and
• comparing the first image and the second image after the blurred state of at least one of the first image and the second image is changed by the changing to determine image regions corresponding to a same subject between the first image and the second image.

A method for processing an image captured by an imaging apparatus having a Plenoptic image capturing unit, the method comprising:

• inputting image information describing a point-of-view position and a blurred state of an image based on a user instruction;
• controlling a size of an aperture of the Plenoptic image capturing unit such that a first image that is an image of the point-of-view position indicated by the image information and a second image that includes a same subject to that of the first image and is an image of the blurred state indicated by the image information are acquired by imaging;
• performing a process for changing a blurred state of at least one of the first image and the second image;
• determining, by comparing the first image and the second image after the blurred state of at least one of the first image and the second image is changed by the process, image regions corresponding between the first image and the second image;
• and
• generating a virtual viewpoint image corresponding to the point-of-view position and blurred state described in the image information based on the determined image regions corresponding between the first image and the second image and the input image information.

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• an acquiring unit configured to acquire a first image of a subject viewed from a first point of view and a second image of the subject viewed from a second point of view different from the first point of view;
• a processing unit configured to add blurred state to at least one of the first image and the second image;
• and
• a determining unit configured to compare the first image and the second image, after the blurred state is added to the at least one of the first image and the second image by the processing unit, to determine image regions in the first image and in the second image corresponding to the subject.