Image processing apparatus for converting image data in accordance with characteristics of an image obtained at the time of expansion

An image processing method comprising the steps of:

• expanding coded image data in a data expander to output expanded image data from the data expander, and generating and outputting from the data expander frequency component data indicative of frequency characteristics of an image represented by the expanded image data, during the expanding of the coded image data;
• storing in a memory the frequency component data outputted by the data expander during said expanding step;
• and
• performing color conversion processing on the expanded image data outputted by the data expander in said expanding step,
• wherein the color conversion processing is controlled based upon a pattern of the frequency component data corresponding to the expanded image data to be processed by said color conversion processor.

A computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code means embodied in said medium for an image processing method, said product including:

• first computer-readable program code for expanding coded image data in a data expander to output expanded image data from the data expander, and generating and outputting from the data expander frequency component data indicative of frequency characteristics of an image represented by the expanded image data, during the expanding of the coded image data;
• second computer-readable program code for storing in a memory the frequency component data outputted from the data expander during the expanding of the coded image data;
• and
• third computer-readable program code for performing color conversion on the expanded image data outputted by the data expander in the expanding of the coded image data,
• wherein the color conversion is controlled based on a pattern of the frequency component data corresponding to the expanded image data to be processed by said color conversion processor.