Image processing apparatus and image processing method

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• a determination unit configured to combine a plurality of image signals that constitute first image data to generate a combined image signal, and output, based on the combined image signal, a determination signal indicating whether or not to perform smoothing processing;
• a generation unit configured to generate edge correction data based on the first image data;
• and
• a smoothing processing unit configured to correct the determination signal based on attribute data representing an attribute of each pixel included in the first image data, and perform, based on the corrected determination signal, the smoothing processing on second image data obtained by performing digital halftoning on the first image data, using the edge correction data generated by the generation unit.

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• a first determination unit configured to determine, based on first image data, whether or not to perform smoothing processing;
• a generation unit configured to generate edge correction data based on the first image data;
• a correction-off signal output unit configured to output a correction-off signal indicating that the smoothing processing is not to be performed, based on attribute data representing an attribute of each pixel included in the first image data;
• a second determination unit configured to determine, according to the determination result obtained by the first determination unit and the correction-off signal, whether or not to perform the smoothing processing on second image data obtained by performing digital halftoning on the first image data, using the edge correction data generated by the generation unit.

An image processing method comprising the steps of:

• combining a plurality of image signals that constitute first image data to generate a combined image signal;
• determining, based on the combined image signal, whether or not to perform smoothing processing;
• generating edge correction data based on the first image data;
• and
• performing, based on the determination result of the determining step and attribute data representing an attribute of each pixel included in the first image data, the smoothing processing on second image data obtained by performing digital halftoning on the first image data, using the edge correction data generated in the generating step.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing an executable program causing a computer to execute an image processing method, the method comprising the steps of:

• combining a plurality of image signals that constitute first image data to generate a combined image signal;
• generating edge correction data based on the first image data;
• determining, based on the combined image signal, whether or not to perform smoothing processing based on the first image data;
• and
• performing, based on the determination result of the determining step and attribute data representing an attribute of each pixel included in the first image data, the smoothing processing on second image data obtained by performing digital halftoning on the first image data, using the edge correction data generated in the generating step.