Patent ID: 8482825
Filing Date: 2013-07-09
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image processing apparatus comprising: a first holding unit that holds sets of color values acquired by measuring, in advance, colors of patterns printed using a first color material group including color materials of a plurality of colors by use amounts being set for the respective color materials, and the use amounts being set for the respective color materials of the first color material group, for respective combinations of use amounts being allowed to be set for the respective color materials of the first color material group; a second holding unit that holds sets of color values acquired by measuring, in advance, colors of patterns printed using a second color material group, which includes a color material having a higher infrared ray absorption rate than any of the plurality of color materials, by use amounts of being set for respective color materials included in the second color material group, and the use amounts being set for the respective color materials of the second color material group, for respective combinations of use amounts being allowed to be set for the respective color materials of the second color material group; a third holding unit that holds sets of color values acquired by measuring, in advance, colors of patterns printed using a third color material group, which includes a color material having a higher lightness level than any of the color materials included in the second color material group and a higher infrared ray absorption rate than any of the plurality of color materials, and a color material having a higher infrared ray absorption rate than any of the plurality of color materials, by use amounts of being set for respective color materials included in the third color material group, and use amounts being set for the respective color materials of the third color material group, for respective combinations of use amounts being allowed to be set for the respective color materials of the third color material group; a unit that selects one pixel value from a pixel value group, which is set in advance, as a selected pixel value; a first calculation unit that specifies color values, differences from a color value of the selected pixel value of which fall within a prescribed range, from a color value group held by said first holding unit on a color space to which the color value group belongs, specifies use amounts held by said first holding unit to be set with the specified color values, and calculates use amounts of respective color materials used when a pixel having the selected pixel value is printed using the first color material group by interpolation from the specified use amounts; a second calculation unit that specifies color values, differences from the color value of the selected pixel value of which fall within a prescribed range, from a color value group held by said second holding unit on a color space to which the color value group belongs, specifies use amounts held by said second holding unit to be set with the specified color values, and calculates use amounts of respective color materials used when a pixel having the selected pixel value is printed using the second color material group by interpolation from the specified use amounts; a third calculation unit that specifies color values, differences from the color value of the selected pixel value of which fall within a prescribed range, from a color value group held by said third holding unit on a color space to which the color value group belongs, specifies use amounts held by said third holding unit to be set with the specified color values, and calculates use amounts of respective color materials used when a pixel having the selected pixel value is printed using the third color material group by interpolation from the specified use amounts; and a storage unit that stores, in a memory, the use amounts of the respective color materials of the first color material group calculated by said first calculation unit, and the use amounts of the respective color materials of the third color material group calculated by said third calculation unit in association with the selected pixel value, when a lightness level expressed by the selected pixel value is not less than a threshold, and stores, in the memory, the use amounts of the respective color materials of the first color material group calculated by said first calculation unit and the use amounts of the respective color materials of the second color material group calculated by said second calculation unit in association with the selected pixel value, when the lightness level expressed by the selected pixel value is smaller than the threshold.