Image processing apparatus, image capturing apparatus, image processing method and storage medium

An image processing method comprising the steps of:

• acquiring captured images captured by a plurality of image capturing units for capturing an object from different viewpoints;
• specifying a defective image from the plurality of captured images;
• determining a weight for each captured image based on a position of the image capturing unit that has captured the defective image specified in said specifying step;
• and
• generating a synthesized image by weighted synthesis of the plurality of captured images based on the weights determined in said determining step,
• wherein, in the determination step, at least one captured image different from the defective image is selected as a selected image from the plurality of captured images, and the weights for each of the defective image and the selected image are determined to be smaller than a weight of a captured image that is neither the defective image nor the selected image,
• wherein, in the determination step, a relationship between the weights and a reference viewpoint serving as a viewpoint of the synthesized image is determined so that a gravity center of the image capturing units that have not captured the defective image or the selected image is set as the reference viewpoint.

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• an acquisition unit configured to acquire captured images captured by a plurality of image capturing units for capturing an object from different viewpoints;
• a specifying unit configured to specify a defective image from the plurality of captured images;
• a determination unit configured to determine a weight for each captured image based on a position of the image capturing unit that has captured the defective image specified by said specifying unit;
• and
• a synthesis unit configured to generate a synthesized image by weighted synthesis of the plurality of captured images based on the weights determined by said determination unit,
• wherein said determination unit is further configured to select at least one captured image different from the defective image as a selected image from the plurality of captured images, and determine the weights for each of the defective image and the selected image to be smaller than a weight of a captured image that is neither the defective image nor the selected image,
• wherein a reference viewpoint serving as a viewpoint of the synthesized image is placed at a gravity center of the image capturing units that have not captured the defective image or the selected image.

An image processing method comprising the steps of:

• acquiring captured images captured by a plurality of image capturing units for capturing an object from different viewpoints;
• specifying a defective image from the plurality of captured images;
• determining a weight for each captured image based on a position of the image capturing unit that has captured the defective image specified in said specifying step;
• and
• generating a synthesized image by weighted synthesis of the plurality of captured images based on the weights determined in said determining step,
• wherein, in the determining step, at least one captured image different from the defective image is selected as a selected image from the plurality of captured images, and the weights for each of the defective image and the selected image to be smaller than a weight of a captured image that is neither the defective image nor the selected image,
• wherein a reference viewpoint serving as a viewpoint of the synthesized image is placed at a gravity center of the image capturing units that have not captured the defective image or the selected image.