Image processing method and apparatus therefor

An image processing apparatus for combining a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generating a mosaic image, comprising:

• division means for dividing an original image into a plurality of areas;
• first calculation means for calculating an average pixel value of each of the plurality of areas divided by said division means;
• storage means for storing a plurality of texture images;
• selection means for comparing the average pixel value calculated by said first calculation means with an average pixel value of each of the plurality of texture images, and selecting a texture image for the each area, having an average pixel value which is one of the closest to that of each of the plurality of areas;
• generation means for generating an image in which the texture images selected by said selection means substitute for the plurality of areas;
• second calculation means for calculating a component representing lightness and component representing chromaticity for each of the plurality of areas divided by said division means;
• texture image selection means for comparing the component representing lightness and component representing chromaticity for each of the plurality of areas, calculated by said second calculation means, with a component representing lightness and component representing chromaticity for each of the plurality of texture images, and selecting a texture image for the each area, having a closest component representing lightness and component representing chromaticity to that of each of the plurality of areas;
• and
• instruction means for instructing said generation means to generate an image based on either the texture image selected by said selection means or the texture image selected by said texture image selection means.

An image processing apparatus for combining a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generating a mosaic image, comprising:

• division means for dividing an original image into a plurality of areas;
• calculation means for calculating an average pixel value of each of the plurality of areas divided by said division means;
• storage means for storing a plurality of texture images;
• selection means for comparing the average pixel value calculated by said calculation means with an average pixel value of each of the plurality of texture images, and selecting a texture image for the each area, having an average pixel value which is one of the closest to that of each of the plurality of areas;
• generation means for generating an image in which the texture images selected by said selection means substitute for the plurality of areas;
• and
• error diffusion means for diffusing an average pixel value difference between the texture image selected by said selection means and the subject area to a neighboring area of the subject area,
• wherein said selection means compares an average pixel value of an area, changed by said error diffusion means, with the average pixel value of the texture image, and selects a texture image for the area, having an average pixel value which is one of the closest to that of each of the plurality of areas.

An image processing apparatus for combining a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generating a mosaic image, comprising:

• division means for dividing an original image into a plurality of areas;
• calculation means for calculating an average pixel value of each of the plurality of areas divided by said division means;
• storage means for storing a plurality of texture images:
• selection means for comparing the average pixel value calculated by said calculation means with an average pixel value of each of the plurality of texture images, and selecting a texture image for the each area, having an average pixel value which is one of the closest to that of each of the plurality of areas;
• generation means for generating an image in which the texture images selected by said selection means substitute for the plurality of areas;
• and
• synthesizing means for synthesizing each of the plurality of areas with the image, generated by said generation means for corresponding area of the plurality of areas, at a synthesis ratio determined in accordance with a predetermined coefficient.

An image processing method of combining a plurality of texture images stored in a memory with correspondence to an average pixel value in each of the plurality of texture images, in a mosaic-like manner, and generating a mosaic image, comprising the steps of:

• a division step of dividing an original image into a plurality of areas;
• a calculation step of calculating an average pixel value of each of the plurality of areas divided in said division step:
• a selection step of comparing the average pixel value calculated in said calculation step with the average pixel value of each of a plurality of texture images stored in the memory and selecting a texture image for the each area, having an average pixel value which is one of the closest to that of each of the plurality of areas;
• and
• a generation step of generating an image in which the texture images selected in said selection step substitute for the plurality of areas.

An image processing method of combining a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generating a mosaic image, comprising the steps of:

• a division step of dividing an original image into a plurality of areas;
• a calculation step of calculating an average pixel value of each of the plurality of areas divided in said division step;
• a selection step of comparing the average pixel value calculated in said calculation step with an average pixel value of each of a plurality of texture images and selecting a texture image for the each area, having an average pixel value which is one of the closest to that of each of the plurality of areas;
• a generation step of generating an image in which the texture images selected in said selection step substitute for the plurality of areas;
• a second calculation step of calculating a component representing lightness and component representing chromaticity for each of the plurality of areas divided in said division step;
• a texture image selection step of comparing the component representing lightness and component representing chromaticity for each of the plurality of areas, calculated in said calculation step, with a component representing lightness and component representing chromaticity for each of the plurality of texture images, and selecting a texture image for the each area, having a closest component representing lightness and component representing chromaticity to that of each of the plurality of areas;
• and
• an instruction step of instructing to generate an image based on either the texture image selected in said selection step or the texture image selected in said texture image selection step.

An image processing method of combining a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generating a mosaic image, comprising the steps of:

• a division step of dividing an original image into a plurality of areas;
• a calculation step of calculating an average pixel value of each of the plurality of areas divided in said division step;
• a selection step of comparing the average pixel value calculated in said calculation step with an average pixel value of each of a plurality of texture images and selecting a texture image for the each area, having an average pixel value which is one of the closest to that of each of the plurality of areas;
• a generation step of generating an image in which the texture images selected in said selection step substitute for the plurality of areas;
• and
• an error diffusion step of diffusing an average pixel value difference between the texture image selected in said selection step and the subject area to a neighboring area of the subject area,
• wherein in said selection step, an average pixel value changed in said error diffusion step is compared with the average pixel value of the texture image, and a texture image having an average pixel value which is one of the closest to that of each of the plurality of areas is selected.

An image processing method of combining a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generating a mosaic image, comprising the steps of:

• a division step of dividing an original image into a plurality of areas;
• a calculation step of calculating an average pixel value of each of the plurality of areas divided in said division step;
• a selection step of comparing the average pixel value calculated in said calculation step with an average pixel value of each of a plurality of texture images and selecting a texture image for the each area, having an average pixel value which is one of the closest to that of each of the plurality of areas;
• a generation step of generating an image in which the texture images selected in said selection step substitute for the plurality of areas;
• and
• a synthesizing step of synthesizing each of the plurality of areas with the image, generated in said generation step for corresponding area of the plurality of areas, at a synthesis ratio determined in accordance with a predetermined coefficient.

An image processing method of combining a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generating a mosaic image, comprising the steps of:

• a division step of dividing an image into a plurality of areas;
• a calculation step of calculating an average luminance value of color stimuli for each of the plurality of areas divided in said division step;
• a selection step of selecting a texture image based on the average luminance value of each of the plurality of areas and an average luminance value of each of the plurality of texture images;
• a generation step of generating an image in which the texture images selected in said selection step substitute for the plurality of areas;
• and
• a synthesizing step of synthesizing each of the plurality of areas with the image, generated in said generation step, at a synthesis ratio determined in accordance with a predetermined coefficient.

A storage medium which can be read by a computer having a program for executing an image processing method of combining a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generating a mosaic image, comprising:

• a division step module for dividing an original image into two-dimensional tile areas;
• a calculation step module for calculating an average luminance value of color stimuli for each of the plurality of divided tile areas;
• and
• a selection step module for selecting a texture image for each tile area, based on the average luminance value of each of the plurality of tile areas and an average luminance value of each of the plurality of texture images.

A storage medium which can be read by a computer having a program for executing an image processing method of combining a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generating a mosaic image, comprising:

• a division step module for dividing an original image into two-dimensional tile areas;
• a parameter calculation step module for calculating a L*a*b space parameter of color stimuli for each of the plurality of divided tile areas;
• and
• a selection step module for selecting a texture image for each tile area, based on the L*a*b space parameter of each of the plurality of tile areas and an L*a*b space parameter of each of the plurality of texture images.

A storage medium which can be read by a computer having a program for executing an image processing method of combining a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generating a mosaic image, comprising:

• a division step module for dividing an original image into a plurality of areas;
• a computation step module for calculating an average density of each of the plurality of divided areas;
• a texture image determination step module for determining a texture image to be assigned to a subject area based on the average density calculated by said computation step module and an average density of each of the plurality of texture images;
• and
• an error diffusion step module for diffusing an average density difference between the texture image determined by said texture image determination step module and the subject area to a neighboring area of the subject area.

A storage medium which can be read by a computer having a program for executing an image processing method of combining a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generating a mosaic image, comprising:

• a division step module for dividing an original image into a plurality of areas;
• a calculation step module for calculating an average luminance value of color stimuli for each of the plurality of areas;
• a selection step module for selecting a texture image for each area, based on the average luminance value of each of the plurality of areas and an average luminance value of each of the plurality of texture images;
• a generation step module for generating an image in which the selected texture images substitute for the plurality of areas;
• and
• a synthesizing step module for synthesizing each of the plurality of areas with the image, generated by said generation step module, at a synthesis ratio determined in accordance with a predetermined coefficient.

An image processing apparatus for combining a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generating a mosaic image, comprising:

• storage means for storing a plurality of texture images;
• division means for dividing an original image into a plurality of areas;
• selection means for selecting a texture image for each area, having a color similar to each of the plurality of areas divided by said division means, from the plurality of texture images stored in said storage means;
• generation means for generating a mosaic image in which the texture images selected by said selection means substitute for the plurality of areas;
• color correction means for correcting a color of the texture image based on an area corresponding to the texture image and a set predetermnined coefficient, wherein the predetermined coefficient is α, and the color of the texture image is corrected based on a sum of a product of α and a corresponding pixel value of an area in the original image and a product of (1−α) and a corresponding pixel value in a texture image, and wherein 0<α<1;
• and
• changing means for changing the predetermined coefficient.

An image processing method for an image processing apparatus which combines a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generates a mosaic image, comprising the steps of:

• a division step of dividing an original image into a plurality of areas;
• a selection step of selecting a texture image for each area, having a color similar to each of the plurality of areas divided in said division step, from the plurality of texture images;
• a generation step of generating a mosaic image in which the texture images selected in said selection step substitute for the plurality of areas;
• a color correction step of correcting a color of the texture image based on an area corresponding to the texture image and a set predetermined coefficient, wherein the predetermined coefficient is α, and the color of the texture image is corrected based on a sum of a product of α, and a corresponding pixel value of an area in the original image and a product of (1−α) and a corresponding pixel value in a texture image, wherein 0<α<1.;
• and
• a changing step of changing the predetermined coefficient.

A storage medium which can be read by a computer having a program for executing an image processing method of combining a plurality of texture images in a mosaic-like manner and generating a mosaic image, comprising:

• a division step module for dividing an original image into a plurality of areas;
• a selection step module for selecting a texture image for each area, having a color similar to each of the plurality of areas divided by said division step module, from a plurality of texture images;
• a generation step module for generating a mosaic image in which the texture images selected by said selection step module substitute for the plurality of areas;
• a color correction module for correcting a color of the texture image based on an area corresponding to the texture image and a set predetermined coefficient, wherein the predetermined coefficient is α, and the color of the texture image is corrected based on a sum of a product of α and a corresponding pixel value of an area in the original image and a product of (1−α) and a corresponding pixel value in a texture image, and wherein 0<α<1;
• and
• a changing step module for changing the predetermined coefficient.