Image processing apparatus and method, and program

An image processing method, the method being executed by a computer and comprising the steps of:

• determining a hair area of an input image;
• designating a movable range including a portion of the hair area along with a portion of a background area of the input image;
• setting, by the computer, an amount of delay in the movable range according to a distance from a reference position in the image;
• calculating angular velocities at a predetermined position in a predetermined number of images including the image;
• controlling, by the computer, storage of records of the calculated angular velocities;
• reading, by the computer, an angular velocity calculated at a time that is prior to a current time by the set amount of delay from among the records whose storage is controlled when the image is changed within the movable range;
• and
• changing the image within the movable range using the read angular velocity.

A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing a program which, when executed by a processor, causes a computer to perform a process comprising the steps of:

• determining a hair area of an input image;
• designating a movable range including a portion of the hair area along with a portion of a background area of the input image;
• setting an amount of delay in the movable range according to a distance from a reference position in the image;
• calculating angular velocities at a predetermined position in a predetermined number of images including the image;
• controlling storage of records of the calculated angular velocities;
• reading an angular velocity calculated at a time that is the set amount of delay prior to a current time from among the records whose storage is controlled when the image is changed within the movable range;
• and
• changing the image within the movable range using the read angular velocity.

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• an area designating unit configured to:
• determine a hair area of an input image;
• and
• designate a movable range including a portion of the hair area along with a portion of a background area of the input image;
• a delay amount setting unit configured to set an amount of delay in the movable range according to a distance from a reference position in the image;
• an angular velocity calculating unit configured to calculate angular velocities at a predetermined position in a predetermined number of images including the image;
• an angular velocity storage unit configured to store records of the angular velocities calculated by the angular velocity calculating unit;
• a reading unit configured to read an angular velocity calculated at a time that is prior to a current time by the amount of delay set by the delay amount setting unit from the angular velocity storage unit when the image is changed within the movable range;
• and
• a changing unit configured to change the image within the movable range using the angular velocity read by the reading unit.