Image capturing apparatus, control method therefor, image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• an acquisition unit which acquires a plurality of images generated by continuously capturing same object by an image capturing apparatus, the plurality of images including images being captured with a predetermined aperture diameter and images being captured with a smaller diameter of aperture than the predetermined aperture diameter, at a shutter speed which is faster than a shutter speed at which appropriate exposure is obtained;
• a positional shift detection unit which detects mutual positional shift between a first image and a second image that are two images among the images being captured with the predetermined aperture diameter;
• an image composition unit which generates single composite image which has appropriate exposure level by aligning the first and second images based on a detection result of said positional shift detection unit and compositing the first and second images;
• a foreign substance area detection unit which detects a foreign substance area information that has at least position information of a foreign substance adhering to an image sensor of the image capturing apparatus or an optical member disposed in front of the image sensor based on the detection result of said positional shift detection unit and based on the images being captured with the smaller diameter of aperture than the predetermined aperture diameter, a foreign substance area of the first image being a first area and a foreign substance area of the second image being a second area;
• an image correction unit which corrects the images being captured with the predetermined aperture diameter based on the foreign substance area information, wherein the image correction unit corrects the first area of the first image using an area of the second image corresponding to the first area of the first image and corrects the second area of the second image using an area of the first image corresponding to the second area of the second image.

A method of controlling an image capturing apparatus having an image sensor which generates a plurality of images by continuously capturing same object, the plurality of images including images being captured with a predetermined aperture diameter and images being captured with a smaller diameter of aperture than the predetermined aperture diameter, at a shutter speed which is faster than a shutter speed at which appropriate exposure is obtained, said method comprising:

• a positional shift detection step of detecting mutual positional shift between a first image and a second image that are two images among the images being captured with the predetermined aperture diameter;
• an image composition step of generating single composite image which has appropriate exposure level by aligning the first and second images based on a detection result of said positional shift detection step and compositing the first and second images;
• a foreign substance area detection step of detecting a foreign substance area information that has at least position information of a foreign substance adhering to the image sensor or an optical member disposed in front of the image sensor based on the detection result of said positional shift detection step and based on the images being captured with the smaller diameter of aperture than the predetermined aperture diameter, a foreign substance area of the first image being a first area and a foreign substance area of the second image being a second area;
• an image correction step of correcting the images being captured with the predetermined aperture diameter based on the foreign substance area information, wherein the image correction step corrects the first area of the first image using an area of the second image corresponding to the first area of the first image and corrects the second area of the second image using an area of the first image corresponding to the second area of the second image.

A method of controlling an image processing apparatus comprising:

• an acquisition step of acquiring a plurality of images generated by continuously capturing same object by an image capturing apparatus, the plurality of images including images being captured with a predetermined aperture diameter and images being captured with a smaller diameter of aperture than the predetermined aperture diameter, at a shutter speed which is faster than a shutter speed at which appropriate exposure is obtained;
• a positional shift detection step of detecting mutual positional shift between a first image and a second image that are two images among the images being captured with the predetermined aperture diameter;
• an image composition step of generating single composite image which has appropriate exposure level by aligning the first and second images based on a detection result of said positional shift detection step and compositing the first and second images;
• a foreign substance area detection step of detecting a foreign substance area information that has at least position information of a foreign substance adhering to an image sensor of the image capturing apparatus or an optical member disposed in front of the image sensor based on the detection result of said positional shift detection step and based on the images being captured with the smaller diameter of aperture than the predetermined aperture diameter, a foreign substance area of the first image being a first area and a foreign substance area of the second image being a second area;
• an image correction step of correcting the images being captured with the predetermined aperture diameter based on the foreign substance area information, wherein the image correction step corrects the first area of the first image using an area of the second image corresponding to the first area of the first image and corrects the second area of the second image using an area of the first image corresponding to the second area of the second image.