Image recording method and image recording apparatus

An image recording apparatus comprising:

• a recording head comprising a plurality of recording elements for ejecting an ink droplet toward a recording medium;
• movement means that causes the recording head and the recording medium to move relative to each other;
• recording operation control means that records an image on the recording medium by causing the recording head to eject the ink droplet toward the recording medium while the recording head and the recording medium are moved relative to each other;
• first test pattern reading means that reads a first test pattern formed on the recording medium by ejecting the ink droplet from each of the plurality of recording elements of the recording head;
• first recording characteristic information acquiring means that acquires first recording characteristic information of the each of the plurality of recording elements based on a result of the reading of the first test pattern;
• first density unevenness correction information calculating means that obtains first density unevenness correction information based on the first recording characteristic information;
• second test pattern reading means that reads a second test pattern different from the first test pattern, which is formed on the recording medium by ejecting the ink droplet from the each of the plurality of recording elements of the recording head;
• second recording characteristic information acquiring means that acquires second recording characteristic information of the each of the plurality of recording elements based on a result of the reading of the second test pattern;
• second density unevenness correction information calculating means that obtains second density unevenness correction information based on the second recording characteristic information;
• third density unevenness correction information calculating means that obtains third density unevenness correction information based on the first density unevenness correction information and the second density unevenness correction information;
• density correction processing means that corrects image data based on the third density unevenness correction information to calculate density unevenness-corrected image data;
• and
• ejection pattern calculating means that calculates an ejection pattern of the each of the plurality of recording elements based on the unevenness-corrected image data.