Method of synthesizing an image for any light source position and apparatus therefor

An apparatus for synthesizing and displaying an image for any light source position comprising:

• means for extracting information concerning at least one of a direction and a parameter of a color on a surface of an object body, based upon a plurality of original images, each of said original images including at least an area for extracting said information, said area corresponding to said surface of said object body, and also each of said original images corresponding to one of a plurality of lighting directions from light sources to said surface of said object body;
• means for synthesizing an image for any lighting direction, based on said extracted information;
• and
• means for displaying the synthesized image.

An apparatus for synthesizing and photographing an image for any light source position comprising:

• a camera;
• an object body to be photographed whose positional relation being fixed relatively to the position of said camera;
• at least one light source disposed for photographing said object body in correspondence with a plurality of lighting directions from said light sources;
• a switch means;
• means for photographing a plurality of original images in response to ON/OFF of said at least one light source with said camera by changing over said switch means to make said plurality of light sources perform ON/OFF;
• means for extracting information concerning at least one of a direction and a parameter of a color on the surface of said object body, based upon said plurality of original images;
• and
• means for synthesizing an image for any light source position based on said extracted information.

An apparatus for synthesizing and photographing an image for any light source position comprising;

• a camera;
• an object body to be photographed whose positional relation being fixed relatively to the position of said camera;
• at least one light source disposed for photographing said object body in correspondence with at least one lighting direction from said at least one light source;
• means for relatively moving said at least one light source and said object body whose positional relation being fixed relatively to the position of said camera, to photograph with said camera a plurality of sheets of original images in response to the relative movement thereof;
• means for extracting information concerning at least one of a direction and a parameter of a color on the surface of said object body, based upon said plurality of original images;
• and
• means for synthesizing an image for any light source position based on the extracted information.