Parallax image generating apparatus

A parallax image generating apparatus comprising a CPU and a memory, the CPU configured to:

• receive an input image;
• derive a parallax vector corresponding to a first pixel of a to-be-processed frame, included in the input image having a plurality of frames, from the input image and depth information associated with the first pixel of the to-be-processed frame;
• generate an intermediate image by assigning a pixel value of the first pixel to a pixel of a parallax image designated by the parallax vector;
• calculate first weights for respective pixels of the parallax image, such that the deeper a position of a second pixel of the to-be-processed frame indicated by the depth information, the greater a first weight for a pixel of the parallax image corresponding to the second pixel;
• set one or more candidate blocks near a shade-forming-area pixel of the intermediate image, to which pixel the generating unit assigns no pixels, then calculate sums obtained by multiplying, by respective first weights, pixel values of pixels included in the at least one candidate block, and set a reference block among one or more candidate blocks in a decreasing order of the sums;
• search at least one of an image to be displayed temporally before or after the to-be-processed frame of the input image, an image corresponding to the to-be-processed frame, and the intermediate image, detect a target block similar to the reference block;
• interpolate a pixel value of the shade-forming-area pixel based on a position of the shade-forming-area pixel relative to the target block;
• and obtain a parallax image having interpolated values.