Patent ID: 6819439
Filing Date: 2004-11-16
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
An image forming apparatus, comprising:an image reader configured to read image data by optically scanning a document image placed at a reading position; an image processor configured to receive said image data from said image reader and to process said image data to form processed image data; an image separation unit configured to automatically separate the document image into at least a character area and a picture area; and an image forming unit configured to form an image on a transfer material based on the processed image data, wherein said image processor includes: a plurality of first gradation conversion units from which an initial gradation conversion unit is selected for an image area having been selected from a plurality of image areas in said document image, said initial gradation conversion unit configured to subject image data corresponding to said selected image area to gradation conversion; a storing unit configured to store therein image data outputted from said initial gradation conversion unit; a first selector unit configured to output the image data stored in said storing unit into said image forming unit; a second selector unit configured to select between image data outputted from said image reader and image data outputted from said first selector unit, and to input the selected image data into said initial gradation conversion unit; a color correcting unit configured to operate in response to each of said plurality of image areas and configured to subject an output signal from said image reader to color correction according to a used color material; and a second gradation conversion unit configured to operate in response to each of said plurality of image areas and configured to subject the image data having been subjected to correction by said color correcting unit to gradation conversion, wherein said image processor performs first image processing for the character area, and said image processor performs second image processing, different from said first image processing, for the picture area.