Image processing apparatus, image processing method and image processing program for rendering pixels transparent in circumscribed areas

The method for processing images, comprising the steps of:

• 1) extracting data from circumscribed rectangular areas for each effective image area of image data so that the extracted data can be processed separately, and determining location information for the circumscribed rectangular areas,
• wherein the extracted area includes the image data for the effective image areas, and supplementing pixels in the circumscribed rectangular areas other than pixels comprising the effective image area using prescribed supplementary pixels that can be identified for transparency processing;
• 2) after extracting the circumscribed rectangular areas rendering transparent the supplementary pixels for the extracted areas extracted at 1);
• 3) creating a file by synthesizing the extracted areas based on the location information;
• and
• 4) the foregoing method steps are executed in an image processing apparatus;
• wherein each of the supplementary pixels is assigned an attribute by virtue of which a pixel in the created file has a value of a pixel located behind the supplementary pixel.

A computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions to cause a computer to execute:

• 1) extracting data from circumscribed rectangular areas for each effective image area of image data so that the extracted data can be processed separately, and determining location information for the circumscribed rectangular areas, wherein the extracted data includes the image data for the effective image areas, wherein the extracted area includes the image data for the effective image areas, and supplementing pixels in the circumscribed rectangular areas other than pixels comprising the effective image area using prescribed supplementary pixels that can be identified for transparency processing;
• 2) after extracting the circumscribed rectangular areas rendering transparent the supplementary pixels for the extracted areas extracted at 1);
• creating a file by synthesizing the extracted areas based on the location information;
• wherein each of the supplementary pixels is assigned an attribute by virtue of which a pixel in the created file has a value of a pixel located behind the supplementary pixel.