Image pickup device, image processing method, and storage medium storing program

An image processing method performed by an image processing device comprising a computer, the method comprising:

• an obtaining step of obtaining a background image only of a background in which a subject is not present, and a subject-present image in which a subject is present;
• a determination step of, under control by the computer, specifying an image area which is contained in the subject-present image obtained in the obtaining step and in which a value of nonflatness is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and determining whether or not a range of the specified image area is greater than or equal to a predetermined range;
• a background generation step of, under control by the computer, generating an extraction background image used to extract a subject area from the subject-present image based on information on the image area when it is determined in the determination step that the range of the image area is greater than or equal to the predetermined range;
• a judgment step of, under control by the computer, determining whether generation of the extraction background image in the background generation step has succeeded or failed;
• and
• a subject extraction step of, under control by the computer, extracting the subject area from the subject-present image based on the generated extraction background image when it is determined in the judgment step that the generation of the extraction background image has succeeded, and obtaining the background image by the obtaining step and extracting the subject area from the subject-present image based on the obtained background image when it is determined in the judgment step that the generation of the extraction background image has failed;
• wherein the determination step includes:
• a division step of, under control by the computer, dividing the subject-present image obtained by the obtaining step into a plurality of image blocks;
• a first determination step of, under control by the computer, determining whether or not a value of the nonflatness of each of the plurality of image blocks resulting from the division by the division step is less than or equal to a predetermined value;
• and
• a second determination step of, under control by the computer, determining whether or not a number of image blocks, which are determined by the first determination step to have the value of the nonflatness less than or equal to the predetermined value, accounts for at least a predetermined rate of a total number of image blocks;
• and
• wherein the background generation step is performed to generate the extraction background image from the image blocks when the second determination step determines that the number of image blocks, which have the value of the nonflatness less than or equal to the predetermined value, accounts for at least the predetermined rate of the total number of image blocks.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a program stored thereon which controls a computer in an image processing apparatus, the program controlling the computer to execute functions comprising:

• an obtaining function of obtaining a background image only of a background in which a subject is not present, and a subject-present image in which a subject is present;
• a determination function of specifying an image area which is contained in the subject-present image obtained by the obtaining function and in which a value of nonflatness is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and determining whether or not a range of the specified image area is greater than or equal to a predetermined range;
• a background generation function of generating an extraction background image used to extract a subject area from the subject-present image based on information on the image area when the determination function determines that the range of the image area is greater than or equal to the predetermined range;
• a judgment function of determining whether generation of the extraction background image by the background generation function has succeeded or failed;
• and
• a subject extraction function of extracting the subject area from the subject-present image based on the generated extraction background image when the judgment function determines that the generation of the extraction background image has succeeded, and obtaining the background image by the obtaining function and extracting the subject area from the subject-present image based on the obtained background image when the judgment function determines that the generation of the extraction background image has failed;
• wherein the determination function includes:
• a division function of dividing the subject-present image obtained by the obtaining function into a plurality of image blocks;
• a first determination function of determining whether or not a value of the nonflatness of each of the plurality of image blocks resulting from the division by the division function is less than or equal to a predetermined value;
• and
• a second determination function of determining whether or not a number of image blocks, which are determined by the first determination function to have the value of the nonflatness less than or equal to the predetermined value, accounts for at least a predetermined rate of a total number of image blocks;
• and
• wherein the background generation function generates the extraction background image from the image blocks when the second determination function determines that the number of image blocks, which have the value of the nonflatness less than or equal to the predetermined value, accounts for at least the predetermined rate of the total number of image blocks.