Patent Publication Number: US-9843731-B2

Title: Imaging apparatus and method for capturing a group of images composed of a plurality of images and displaying them in review display form

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Field 
     Aspects of the present invention generally relate to an imaging apparatus for capturing a group of images composed of a plurality of images and displaying them in review display form, and to a method for controlling the imaging apparatus. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     A certain type of imaging apparatus that can capture a plurality of images with a single shooting instruction in continuous shooting or bracket shooting, and then display the plurality of captured images in review display form, is known. 
     Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-145002 discusses a technique for displaying, after continuous shooting or automatic bracket shooting, images in a review display form in which two images (the first and the last images) out of a plurality of captured images are automatically displayed in succession. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-145002 further discusses a technique for automatically displaying, after continuous shooting or automatic bracket shooting, a plurality of captured images in multi-display form, and then displaying them in a review display form in which any one image is enlarged and displayed full-screen. 
     Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-124826 discusses the following techniques for displaying a plurality of captured images in a review display form after continuous shooting or automatic bracket shooting.
         Display the plurality of captured images with the through image side by side.   Display the plurality of captured images side by side for each setting value.   Display in a tiling way the plurality of captured images in respectively different display sizes at random positions.   Display the plurality of captured images in a stacked way while sequentially selecting at random the position, orientation, and display size of each image.       

     However, with the above-described techniques of review display discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-145002, only the first and the last images, or any one image out of the plurality of images captured in response to a single shooting instruction are largely displayed full-screen. With the technique of review display discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-124826, the plurality of images captured in response to a single shooting instruction is not largely displayed full-screen. Accordingly, with any of the above-described techniques of review display, each of the plurality of images generated in response to a single shooting instruction cannot be largely displayed and minutely checked in the review display. Therefore, even in a case where a variety of images are captured in response to a single shooting instruction, recognizing differences between images is difficult. 
     The techniques discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-145002 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-124826 take into consideration only group image display suitable for review display immediately after shooting. In other words, there has been proposed no technique of group image display suitable for each of review display immediately after shooting and reproduction mode display. 
     SUMMARY 
     An aspect of the present invention is generally directed to an imaging apparatus capable of performing such image display that allows a user to more effectively check images of a group composed of a plurality of images generated in response to a single shooting instruction. 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, an imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit, a control unit configured to perform control to cause the imaging unit to perform shooting to generate a plurality of images in response to a single shooting instruction, and a display control unit configured to, as automatically performed review display after shooting in response to the shooting instruction, perform control to sequentially display the plurality of generated images one by one on a display unit, and then display the plurality of images in a multi-display form on the same screen. 
     According to the present disclosure, an imaging apparatus is capable of performing such image display that allows a user to more effectively check images of a group composed of a plurality of images generated in response to a single shooting instruction. 
     Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A to 1C  are external views illustrating a digital camera  100  according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic block diagram illustrating the digital camera  100  according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating multishot mode processing. 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating review processing for multishot. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a through image displayed in the multishot mode. 
         FIGS. 6A to 6F  illustrate examples of quick reviews displayed in the multishot mode. 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  illustrate examples of layout templates for recording reviews displayed in the multishot mode. 
         FIGS. 8A to 8C  illustrate examples of recording reviews displayed in the multishot mode. 
         FIG. 9  is a flowchart illustrating reproduction mode processing. 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart illustrating intra-group image reproduction processing. 
         FIGS. 11A to 11E  illustrate examples of group images displayed in the reproduction mode. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     An exemplary embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     It is to be noted that the following exemplary embodiment is merely one example and can be appropriately modified or changed depending on individual constructions and various conditions of apparatuses to which the exemplary embodiment is applied. Thus, the following exemplary embodiment is not seen to be limiting in any way. 
       FIGS. 1A to 1C  are external views illustrating a digital camera  100  as an example of an imaging apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment.  FIG. 1A  is a front perspective view illustrating the digital camera  100 .  FIG. 1B  is a rear perspective view illustrating the digital camera  100  when the tilt display panel is closed.  FIG. 1C  is a front perspective view illustrating the digital camera  100  when the tilt display panel is opened. A display unit  28  displays images and various information, and is integrally configured with a touch panel  71  included in an operation panel  70 . A shutter operation unit  61  is an operation unit for instructing shooting. The shutter operation unit  61  is slidable in the directions perpendicular to the lens optical axis, indicated by the arrow  11 . The shutter operation unit  61  can be half-pressed or full-pressed in each of the upward and downward directions. For example, slidably pressing the shutter operation unit  61  to the lower intermediate position, as indicated by the arrow  11 , can set the shutter in the half-press state. Further slidably pressing the shutter operation unit  61  in the downward direction can set the shutter in the full-press state. Slidably pressing the shutter operation unit  61  in the upward direction in a similar way can set the shutter in the half-press and full-press states. When the shutter operation unit  61  is released, the shutter operation unit  61  returns to the intermediate position where the shutter is set neither in the full-press state nor in the half-press state. The shutter operation unit  61  is rotatable centering on the lens optical axis indicated by the arrow  12  to perform optical zooming by driving the zoom lens or to perform electronic zooming. That is, the shutter operation unit  61  is provided with not only a function of instructing shooting but also a function of what is called a zoom lever. A mode changing switch  60  is used to change the operation mode to any one of various modes. The operation panel  70  includes various switches, buttons, and the touch panel  71  which are operating members for receiving various operations from a user. A power switch  72  is a push button for turning the power ON and OFF. The display panel including the display unit  28  and the touch panel  71  can be opened and closed in the directions indicated by the arrow  13  with respect to the main body. As illustrated in  FIG. 1C , the display panel can be opened by up to 90 degrees with the display unit  28  up. By holding the digital camera  100  at a lower position with the display panel opened, as illustrated in  FIG. 1C , the user can view the display unit displaying the through image (live view image) from above, facilitating low-angle shooting. Further, by turning the digital camera  100  upside down with respect to the digital camera  100  illustrated in  FIG. 1C  and holding it above the user&#39;s head, the user can view the display unit  28  from below, facilitating high-angle shooting. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the digital camera  100  according to the present exemplary embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a photographic lens  103  is a lens group including a zoom lens and a focus lens. A shutter  101  is provided with a diaphragm function. An imaging unit  22  is an image sensor including a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) element for converting an optical image into an electrical signal. An analog-to-digital (A/D) converter  23  converts an analog signal into a digital signal. The A/D converter  23  is used to convert an analog signal output from the imaging unit  22  into a digital signal. A barrier  102  covers the imaging system of the digital camera  100  including the photographic lens  103 , the shutter  101 , and the imaging unit  22  to prevent the imaging system from being soiled and damaged. 
     An image processing unit  24  performs predetermined pixel interpolation, resize processing (such as reduction), and color conversion processing on data from the A/D converter  23  and data from a memory control unit  15 . The image processing unit  24  performs predetermined calculation processing by using captured image data. A system control unit  50  performs exposure control and focus control based on the obtained result of the calculation. Thus, through-the-lens (TTL) based automatic focus (AF) processing, automatic exposure (AE) processing, and electronic flash preliminary emission (pre-flash) processing are performed. The image processing unit  24  further performs predetermined data processing by using captured image data, and performs TTL-based automatic white balance (AWB) processing based on the obtained result of the calculation. 
     The data output from the A/D converter  23  is stored in a memory  32  via the image processing unit  24  and the memory control unit  15  or via the memory control unit  15 . The memory  32  stores image data obtained by the imaging unit  22  and converted into digital data by the A/D converter  23 , and stores image data to be displayed on the display unit  28 . The memory  32  is provided with a memory capacity sufficient for storing a predetermined number of still images and predetermined time of moving images and sound. 
     The memory  32  also serves as a memory (video memory) for image display. A digital-to-analog (D/A) converter  13  converts the image data for display stored in the memory  32  into an analog signal, and supplies it to the display unit  28 . In this way, the image data for display stored in the memory  32  is displayed on the display unit  28  via the D/A converter  13 . According to the analog signal from the D/A converter  13 , the display unit  28  displays the image data on a display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). The D/A converter  13  converts the digital signal, which is generated through A/D conversion and once stored in the memory  32  by the A/D converter  23 , into an analog signal, and successively transmits it to the display unit  28 . Thus, the display unit  28  functions as an electronic view finder to perform through image display (live view display). 
     A nonvolatile memory  56 , which is an electrically erasable recordable memory such as an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), stores constants, programs, and the like for operation of the system control unit  50 . The programs are used to execute various flowcharts described below in the present exemplary embodiment. 
     The system control unit  50  controls the entire digital camera  100 . The system control unit  50  executes the programs recorded on the above-described nonvolatile memory  56  to implement various processing according to the present exemplary embodiment (described below). A system memory  52  is a random access memory (RAM). The constants and variables for operation of the system control unit  50 , and the programs read from the nonvolatile memory  56  are loaded into the system memory  52 . The system control unit  50  also controls the memory  32 , the D/A converter  13 , and the display unit  28  to perform display control. 
     A system timer  53  is a clock unit for measuring time used for various control and time of a built-in clock. 
     The mode changing switch  60  and the operation panel  70  serve as operation units for inputting various operation instructions to the system control unit  50 . 
     The mode changing switch  60  changes the operation mode of the system control unit  50  to any one of the still image recording mode, the moving image recording mode, and the reproduction mode. The still image recording mode includes the automatic shooting mode, the automatic scene determination mode, the manual mode, various scene modes (image capturing settings for various captured scenes), the programmed AE mode, and the custom mode. The mode changing switch  60  allows the user to directly change to any one of these modes included in the still image shooting mode. Alternatively, the user may once select the still image shooting mode by using the mode changing switch  60 , and then select any one mode included in the still image shooting mode by using other operation members (shooting mode changeover). Similarly, the moving image shooting mode may include a plurality of modes. When the user operates halfway the shutter operation unit  61  provided on the digital camera  100 , i.e., when the user half-presses it (shooting preparation instruction), the first shutter switch  62  turns ON to generate a first shutter switch signal SW 1 . In response to the first shutter switch signal SW 1 , the system control unit  50  starts an operation, such as AF processing, AE processing, AWB processing, and pre-flash processing. 
     When the user fully operates the shutter operation unit  61 , i.e., when the user full-presses it (shooting instruction), the second shutter switch  64  turns ON to generate a second shutter switch signal SW 2 . In response to the second shutter switch signal SW 2 , the system control unit  50  starts a series of shooting operations ranging from reading a signal from the imaging unit  22  to storing image data in a recording medium  200 . 
     The operation members on the operation panel  70  serve as various function buttons. More specifically, the operation members are assigned suitable functions for each scene when the user selects any one of various function icons displayed on the display unit  28 . The function buttons include, for example, an end button, a return button, image advancing buttons, a jump button, a narrowing-down button, and an attribute change button. For example, when the user presses the menu button, the display unit  28  displays a menu screen allowing the user to make various settings. 
     A power control unit  80  includes a battery detecting circuit, a direct-current-to-direct-current (DC-DC) converter, and a switching circuit for switching a conductive block, and is configured to detect the presence or absence of a battery, the battery type, and the remaining battery capacity. The power control unit  80  controls the DC/DC converter based on the result of the detection and on an instruction from the system control unit  50  to supply a required voltage to each part including the recording medium  200  for a required time duration. 
     A power supply unit  30  includes a primary battery, such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, and a secondary battery, such as a nickel-cadmium (NiCd) battery, a nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery, or a lithium-ion (Li) battery, and includes an alternating-current-to-direct-current (AC/DC) adaptor. A recording medium interface (I/F)  18  is an interface with the recording medium  200 , such as a memory card and a hard disk. The recording medium  200  such as a memory card records captured images, and is composed of a semiconductor memory, or a magnetic disk. 
     A communication unit  54  is connected wirelessly or via a priority cable to transmit and receive moving image signals and sound signals. The communication unit  54  can also be connected with a wireless local area network (LAN) and the Internet. The communication unit  54  is able to transmit images (including the through image) captured by the imaging unit  22  and images recorded on the recording medium  200 , and receive image data and other various information from external apparatuses. 
     An orientation detection unit  55  detects the orientation of the digital camera  100  with respect to the gravity direction. Based on the detected orientation by the orientation detection unit  55 , the system control unit  50  can determine whether the image captured by the imaging unit  22  is an image captured with the digital camera  100  horizontally held or an image captured with the digital camera  100  vertically held. The system control unit  50  is able to append orientation information corresponding to the orientation detected by the orientation detection unit  55  to an image file of the image captured by the imaging unit  22 , and rotate the image before recording. An acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, etc. can be used as the orientation detection unit  55 . 
     The operation unit  70  includes the touch panel  71  which can detect contact on the display unit  28 . The touch panel  71  can be integrally configured with the display unit  28 . For example, the touch panel  71  is configured so that the light transmissivity may not disturb the display of the display unit  28 , and attached on the upper layer of the display surface of the display unit  28 . Input coordinates on the touch panel  71  are associated with display coordinates on the display unit  28 . This enables configuring a graphical user interface (GUI) which virtually allows the user to directly operate a screen displayed on the display unit  28 . The system control unit  50  is able to detect the following operations performed on the touch panel  71  and the states thereof.
         An action of touching the touch panel  71  with a finger or pen (hereinafter referred to as a touch-down)   A state where a finger or pen is in contact with the touch panel  71  (hereinafter referred to as a touch-on)   An action of moving a finger or pen held in contact with the touch panel  71  (hereinafter referred to as a touch-move)   An action of detaching a finger or pen from the touch panel  71  (hereinafter referred to as a touch-up)   A state where neither a finger nor a pen is in contact with the touch panel  71  (hereinafter referred to as a touch-off)       

     The above-described operations and states, and position coordinates of a touched position on the touch panel  71  are notified to the system control unit  50  via an internal bus. The system control unit  50  determines what operation has been performed on the touch panel  71  based on the notified information. With the touch-move, the moving direction of the finger or pen on the touch panel  71  can be determined for each of vertical and horizontal components on the touch panel  71  based on change in the position coordinates. When the user performs a touch-down, a touch-move over a certain distance, and a touch-up in this order on the touch panel  71 , the system control unit  50  determines that a stroke has been drawn. An action of quickly drawing a stroke is referred to as a flick. The flick is an action of quickly moving the finger held in contact with the touch panel  71  over a certain distance and then detach the finger therefrom. In other words, the user quickly sweeps (or flips) the surface of the touch panel  71  with the finger. When the system control unit  50  detects a touch-move over a predetermined distance or longer at a predetermined speed or quicker and then detects a touch-up, the system control unit  50  determines that a flick has been performed. When the system control unit  50  detects a touch-move over a predetermined distance or longer, the system control unit  50  determines that a drag has been performed. The touch panel  71  may be of the resistive film type, capacitive type, surface acoustic wave type, infrared type, electromagnetic induction type, image recognition type, optical sensor type, and other various types. 
     The digital camera  100  is capable of shooting in the multishot mode. The multishot mode is provided as one shooting mode included in the still image shooting mode. The user can change the mode to the multishot mode by operating the mode changing switch  60 . In the multishot mode, in response to one full-press operation of the shutter operation unit  61 , the system control unit  50  performs shooting three times with different exposures and focus positions to generate three different RAW images in the memory  32 . Then, in the post-processing after shooting, the system control unit  50  eventually generates six images based on the three RAW images, and stores them in the recording medium  200 . When performing shooting three times, there may be a case where performing shooting three times with three different exposure values, and a case where performing shooting three times with three different focus positions. The system control unit  50  automatically changes the shooting method based on the result of shooting scene analysis. Further, when generating six images in the post-processing, the system control unit  50  performs a combination of image processing, such as blur processing, color filter processing, and trimming on arbitrary images out of the three RAW images to eventually generate six images. Although the six generated images are acquired by shooting an identical object in a short time duration, they are varied images having different combinations of composition, color, brightness, focus, and so on. Therefore, even a user unfamiliar with digital camera operations and even a user unfamiliar with composition setting are able to capture interesting images having different atmospheres even for an identical object. 
       FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating multishot mode processing. This processing is implemented when the system control unit  50  loads a relevant program recorded on the nonvolatile memory  56  into the system memory  52  and then executes it. When the user operates the mode changing switch  60  to change the mode to the multishot mode, the system control unit  50  starts the processing illustrated in  FIG. 3 . 
     In step S 301 , the system control unit  50  displays the through image (live view) which displays the image captured by the imaging unit  22  almost in real time. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a through image displayed on the display unit  28  in the multishot mode. The through image  501  is a through image (live view image) of the subject currently being captured. A dialog  502  displays shooting conditions (shooting settings) currently set in the digital camera  100 . Referring to  FIG. 5 , from left to right, the dialog  502  indicates that the image compression rate is low, the number of pixels is L size, the remaining number of issuable shooting instructions in the multishot mode is “1234”, and the remaining shooting time of moving images is “12 minutes and 34 seconds”. The remaining number of issuable shooting instructions is calculated by dividing the number of capturable still images ( 7404  in this example) according to the remaining capacity of the recording medium  200  by the number of images generated with a single shooting instruction in the multishot mode (e.g.,  6 ), which indicates that how many shooting instructions can be issued. A MultiShot mode icon  503  indicates that the current shooting mode is the multishot mode. By touching the MultiShot mode icon  503 , the user can display a shooting mode change screen to change the mode to other shooting modes. A FUNC button  504  is a touch icon for displaying a FUNC menu. When the user touches the FUNC button  504 , the system control unit  50  superimposes the FUNC menu onto the through image. In the screen in which the FUNC menu is displayed, the user can set various shooting conditions. A DISP button  505  is a touch button for selecting other display modes with different types and amounts of information to be superimposed onto the through image. 
     In step S 302 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the shutter operation unit  61  has been half-pressed to set SW 1  to ON. When it is determined that SW 1  has been set to ON (YES in step S 302 ), the processing proceeds to step S 308 . Otherwise (NO in step S 302 ), the processing proceeds to step S 303 . When the touch shutter is enabled, SW 1  is set to ON also when a touch-down is performed on the through image in the touch panel  71 . 
     In step S 303 , the system control unit  50  determines whether a tap operation on the FUNC button  504  has been performed. The “tap operation” is an operation in which the touch panel  71  is touched and a touch-up is detected on the FUNC button  504  without detecting a touch-move over a predetermined distance or longer. Although, in the present exemplary embodiment, the FUNC button  504  is described as a touch button which is a soft key, the FUNC button  504  may be provided as a hardware key. When it is determined that a tap operation on the FUNC button  504  has been performed (YES in step S 303 ), the processing proceeds to step S 304 . Otherwise (NO in step S 303 ), the processing proceeds to step S 305 . 
     In step S 304 , the system control unit  50  superimposes onto the through image the FUNC menu including menu items for setting various shooting conditions, such as the number of pixels to be recorded, the compression rate, the flash light emission, and the self-timer setting. Then, the system control unit  50  sets the shooting conditions according to user operations received while the FUNC menu is displayed. 
     In step S 305 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the Menu button included in the operation panel  70  has been pressed. Although the Menu button is described as a hardware button, it may also be a soft key displayed in the touch panel  71 . When it is determined that the Menu button has been pressed (YES in step S 305 ), the processing proceeds to step S 306 . Otherwise (NO in step S 305 ), the processing proceeds to step S 307 . 
     In step S 306 , the system control unit  50  displays a Menu screen on the display unit  28 . The Menu screen is a setting menu including menu items different from those included in the above-described FUNC menu. The Menu screen includes setting items for automatic focus, setting items for specifying whether face detection is to be performed, setting items for specifying whether the touch shutter is enabled or disabled, and setting items for the recording review timer (described below). As setting items for the recording review timer, the user can set any one of no recording review (0-second review time), 0.5-second review time, 2-second review time, 10-second review time, and hold (a setting for not automatically ending the multishot mode according to time). The system control unit  50  performs various settings according to user operations received while the Menu screen is displayed. The setting values are stored in the nonvolatile memory  56 . 
     In step S 307 , the system control unit  50  determines whether an event for ending the multishot mode has occurred, such as an instruction for shifting the mode to other modes through an operation of the mode changing switch  60  and an instruction for turning the power OFF by pressing the power switch  72 . When it is determined that an event for ending the multishot mode has occurred (YES in step S 307 ), the processing is terminated. When it is determined that an event for ending the multishot mode has not occurred (NO in step S 307 ), the processing returns to step S 301 . Then, the system control unit  50  repeats the relevant processing. 
     In step S 308 , in response to an event that SW 1  is ON, the system control unit  50  performs shooting preparation processing, such as AF and AE. 
     In step S 309 , the system control unit  50  determines whether SW 2  has been ON, for example, by full-pressing the shutter operation unit  61 . When it is determined that SW 2  has been ON (YES in step S 309 ), the processing proceeds to step S 311 . Otherwise (NO in step S 309 ), the processing proceeds to step S 310 . When the touch shutter is enabled, SW 2  will be ON also by a touch-up in a touch operation continued from a touch-down that has triggered causing SW 1  to be ON. 
     In step S 310 , the system control unit  50  determines whether SW 1  remains to be ON. When it is determined that SW 1  remains to be ON (YES in step S 310 ), the processing returns to step S 309 . On the other hand, when it is determined that SW 1  has been OFF (NO in step S 310 ), the processing proceeds to step S 303 . 
     In step S 311 , the system control unit  50  analyzes the subject which is currently being captured based on the through image captured by the imaging unit  22 . For example, the system control unit  50  determines whether the detected subject, such as a face and an object, is at rest, whether the main object is distant from other subjects, whether the current scene is a backlight scene, and whether the subject is moving. 
     In step S 312 , based on the result of the analysis in step S 311 , the system control unit  50  determines whether exposure-bracket shooting is to be performed. Exposure bracket shooting refers to a method for capturing a plurality of images by automatically and minutely changing the exposure setting based on combinations of the shutter speed and the diaphragm. The system control unit  50  determines that exposure-bracket shooting is to be performed, for example, when it is determined that the current scene is a backlight scene in step S 311 . On the other hand, the system control unit  50  determines that focus-bracket shooting is to be performed, instead of exposure-bracket shooting, when it is determined that the subjects are stationary and distant from each other. When it is determined that the exposure-bracket shooting is to be performed (YES in step S 312 ), the processing proceeds to step S 313 . Otherwise (NO in step S 312 ), the processing proceeds to step S 314 . 
     In step S 313 , the system control unit  50  performs exposure-bracket shooting. Specifically, the system control unit  50  successively performs shooting three times (continuous shooting) while changing the exposure setting to three different values: a regular value (suitable value), an underexposure-biased value (darkish), and an overexposure-biased value (brightish). In this way, the system control unit  50  performs shooting a plurality of number of times. Thus, three different RAW images are captured. 
     In step S 314 , the system control unit  50  performs focus-bracket shooting. In focus-bracket shooting, the system control unit  50  successively performs shooting three times (continuous shooting) while automatically changing the focus position to the in-focus position, to the front side from the in-focus position, and to the back side from the in-focus position so that each image has a different focus position. In this way, the system control unit  50  performs shooting a plurality of number of times. Thus, three different RAW images (data before being subjected to development processing including demosaic processing) are captured. 
     In step S 315 , to count the number of images generated, the system control unit  50  sets a variable i stored in the system memory  52  to “1” (initial value). 
     In step S 316 , the system control unit  50  analyzes the captured RAW images to determine image processing for generating an image as the i-th image. For example, the system control unit  50  performs face detection as image analysis, and determines to perform trimming processing according to the position and size of the detected face. To generate at least one regular image not subjected to special processing, the system control unit  50  determines not to perform special image processing (except processing required to generate a regular image) when the variable i=1. To prevent that the six images generated in response to a single shooting instruction include similar images, the system control unit  50  further determines to set different image processing conditions for respective different values of the variable i. 
     In step S 317 , the system control unit  50  performs the image processing determined in step S 316  on any one of the three RAW images to generate a visualized image (developed image). In this case, the system control unit  50  performs any one or a combination of trimming processing (including aspect ratio change processing), blur processing, and color processing. The blur processing includes processing for softening the edges of objects other than the subject determined to be the main object or the central portion of the image (such as diorama image processing). The color processing includes processing for converting an image to a monochrome image, processing for converting an image to a monochrome image except for one color (one point color processing), processing for converting an image to a sepia image, and processing for darkening the periphery of an image (to generate a toy-camera-like image). The color processing further includes processing for emphasizing warm colors, processing for emphasizing cold colors, processing for decreasing saturation, and processing for increasing saturation. When the variable i=1, the system control unit  50  generates a visualized image based on one particular image out of the three RAW images. In the case of exposure-bracket shooting, the particular image is an image captured with suitable exposure (regular exposure). In the case of focus-bracket shooting, the particular image is an image captured with the in-focus position. 
     In step S 318 , upon completion of the image processing in step S 317 , the system control unit  50  displays the images generated in the image processing performed in step S 317  on the display unit  28  as quick review images. The quick review images are displayed one by one. 
     In step S 319 , the system control unit  50  records the images generated in step S 317  on the recording medium  200  as image files. Each of the image files of the six images included in one set of images generated in response to a single shooting instruction is supplied with an identifier as attribute information indicating that the relevant image belongs to an identical group captured in response to an identical shooting instruction. For example, each file belonging to the same group is supplied with an identical group identifier as header information for each image file. This group identifier enables identifying that these images are mutually related. 
     In step S 320 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the variable i=6, i.e., whether six images (all images in the group) have been generated. When it is determined that the variable i is “6” (YES in step S 320 ), the processing proceeds to step S 322 . Otherwise (NO in step S 320 ), then in step S 321 , the system control unit  50  increments the variable i, and returns to step S 316  to generate the following image of the same group. The system control unit  50  repeats this processing until the variable i reaches 6. In step S 318 , the generated images are displayed one by one. 
       FIGS. 6A to 6F  illustrate examples of quick reviews displayed in step S 318  repeated six times for the variable i=1 to 6. The following images  601  to  606  generated by the processing for the variable i=1 to 6 are sequentially displayed on the display unit  28  in this order. The display duration for each image depends on the time of image processing taken to generate the following images in step S 317 .
     1. The image  601  illustrated in  FIG. 6A : A RAW image (original image) captured with suitable exposure or at the in-focus position not having undergone special processing (an image having undergone standard processing). This image is a standard image. The same image processing is applied to this image and to an image captured in the automatic shooting mode.   2. The image  602  illustrated in  FIG. 6B : Generated by automatically applying to the original image (RAW image) of the image  601  trimming processing with an aspect ratio of 3:4 (vertically long) based on the position and size of the person&#39;s face, and color processing for color lightening.   3. The image  603  illustrated in  FIG. 6C : Generated by applying fading color processing to an image captured in exposure-bracket shooting with different exposure from the one in capturing the image  601 .   4. The image  604  illustrated in  FIG. 6D : Generated by applying to the original image (RAW image) of the image  603  trimming processing with an aspect ratio of 1:1 based on the position and size of the face, and monochromatic color processing.   5. The image  605  illustrated in  FIG. 6E : Generated by applying trimming processing with an aspect ratio of 3:4 (vertically long) not based on the face, to the original image (RAW image) captured with different exposure from the one in capturing the images  601  and  603 .   6. The image  606  illustrated in  FIG. 6F : Generated by applying to the original image (RAW image) of the image  605  trimming processing with an aspect ratio of 1:1 (not based on the face), and color processing for increasing saturation.   

     In step S 322 , the system control unit  50  selects a layout pattern used when displaying the six generated images on the same screen as a recording review screen. A plurality of layout patterns is pre-recorded on the nonvolatile memory  56 . The system control unit  50  selects at random any one of the plurality of layout patterns.  FIGS. 7A and 7B  illustrate examples of layout patterns stored in the nonvolatile memory  56 . Referring to  FIGS. 7A and 7B , six areas where respective images should be arranged are defined with an aspect ratio of 1:1. Priorities 1 to 6 are assigned (defined) to respective areas. The six areas have respectively different sizes (areas). An actually generated image (not necessarily with an aspect ratio of 1:1) is enlarged or reduced to the maximum size which fits into the frame indicating the display area of each image, and then displayed with the center of the image aligned to a position in a frame. In either layout pattern, the area having priority 1 has a larger area than any other areas. 
     In step S 323 , the system control unit  50  analyzes and evaluates the six generated images (images  601  to  606 ), and determines the priority of each image. Evaluation criteria include the configuration and contrast of the subject. There may be various methods for evaluating images, and detailed description will be omitted. In the present exemplary embodiment, the regular image (image  601 ) generated when the variable i=1, not having undergone special processing, is given the highest evaluation value so that it has the highest priority. 
     In step S 324 , the system control unit  50  assigns an image having the priority corresponding to the result of the image evaluation in step S 323  to each area defined in the layout pattern selected in step S 322  (display position determination). The system control unit  50  further resizes an image assigned to each area of the layout pattern so that the image fits into the frame of the relevant area (size determination). 
     In step S 325 , the system control unit  50  performs processing (recording review processing for multishot) for displaying a set of a plurality of images on the same screen based on the size and position of each image determined in step S 324 . The recording review processing for multishot will be described in detail below with reference to  FIG. 4 . Upon completion of the recording review processing for multishot, the processing returns to step S 301 . Then, the system control unit  50  repeats the relevant processing. 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating the recording review processing for multishot. This processing indicates details of the processing in step S 325  illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The processing is implemented when the system control unit  50  loads a relevant program recorded on the nonvolatile memory  56  into the system memory  52  and then executes it. 
     In step S 401 , the system control unit  50  displays recording review images.  FIG. 8A  illustrates an example of a recording review displayed on the display unit  28 . In recording review display for multishot, the images  601  to  606  (a set of images generated with a single shooting instruction) are arranged on a same screen based on the layout pattern selected in step S 322  and the image evaluation determined in step S 323  illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Since the size of the display area differs for each image defined in the layout pattern, the six images displayed on the same screen are displayed in respectively different sizes. The layout is aligned neither in the vertical direction nor in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the user does not receive a monotonous impression from each of the recording review images illustrated in  FIG. 8A  but is highly likely to have different impressions from respective images. Therefore, the user can understand that a variety of images having different impressions have been captured in response to a single shooting instruction, and can be interested in shooting. In other words, the user can realize that images having various impressions can be easily captured simply by operating the shutter operation unit  61  only once. A return button  801  is a touch icon. In response to a tap operation on the return button  801 , the system control unit  50  ends the recording review display and displays the through image. 
     In step S 402 , the system control unit  50  starts countdown of the timer (review time) for automatically ending the recording review display. The review time is preset in the above-described Menu screen. 
     In step S 403 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed a touch-down on the touch panel  71  or has pressed the SET button included in the operation panel  70 . When it is determined that a touch-down has been performed or the SET button has been pressed (YES in step S 403 ), the processing proceeds to step S 405 . Otherwise (NO in step S 403 ), the processing proceeds to step S 404 . 
     In step S 404 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the review time has elapsed since the timer was started in step S 402 . When it is determined that the review time is has not elapsed (NO in step S 404 ), the processing returns to step S 403 . On the other hand, when it is determined that the review time has elapsed (YES in step S 404 ), the system control unit  50  ends the recording review display, then in step S 301  in  FIG. 3 , the system control unit  50  displays the through image. 
     In step S 405 , the system control unit  50  stops and resets the timer started in step S 402  to hold the recording review display. In the hold state, the system control unit  50  does not automatically end the recording review display according to the recording review timer but continues the recording review display performed in step S 401  until reception of a user instruction. Even in the hold state of the recording review display, when a predetermined time longer than the recording review timer has elapsed since no operation is performed, the system control unit  50  ends the display to save power. 
     In step S 406 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an operation for selecting any one of a plurality of images displayed in recording review. For example, by touching the display area of any one of the images  601  to  606  displayed on the display unit  28  as illustrated in  FIG. 8A , the user can select the touched image. Alternatively, the user moves the image selection cursor by using the direction buttons included in the operation panel  70 , and presses the determination button included in the operation panel  70  to select the image currently selected by the image selection cursor. When any one image has been selected (YES in step S 406 ), the processing proceeds to step S 408 . On the other hand, when no image has been selected (NO in step S 406 ), the processing proceeds to step S 407 . 
     In step S 407 , the system control unit  50  determines whether SW 1  has been ON. When it is determined that SW 1  has been ON (YES in step S 407 ), the system control unit  50  ends the recording review display, then in step S 301  in  FIG. 3 , the system control unit  50  displays the through image. On the other hand, when it is determined that SW 1  has not been ON (NO in step S 407 ), the processing returns to step S 406 . 
     In step S 408 , the system control unit  50  displays the image selected in step S 406  in the entire display unit  28  in single display form (single image display mode) in which an image is displayed full-screen. For example, when the user touches the image  602  illustrated in  FIG. 8A , the image  602  is displayed full-screen (the entire image is displayed in maximum size of the display area), as illustrated in  FIG. 8B . The return button  801  illustrated in  FIG. 8B  is a touch button for ending the recording review display and returning to the through image display. When the user touches the return button  801 , the processing proceeds to step S 301  illustrated in  FIG. 3  even during processing illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     In step S 409 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an operation for enlarging or reducing the displayed image. When the system control unit  50  detects a pinch-out operation in which the user performs a touch-move so as to separate two fingers from each other held in contact with the touch panel  71 , or an operation for rotating the shutter operation unit  61  (also serving as the zoom lever) toward the telephoto side, the system control unit  50  determines that the user has performed an enlargement operation. When the system control unit  50  detects a pinch-in operation in which the user performs a touch-move so as to bring two fingers closer to each other held in contact with the touch panel  71 , or an operation for rotating the shutter operation unit (also serving as the zoom lever) toward the wide-angle side, the system control unit  50  determines that the user has performed an reduction operation. When it is determined that the enlargement or reduction operation has been performed (YES in step S 409 ), the processing proceeds to step S 410 . Otherwise (NO in step S 409 ), the processing proceeds to step S 411 . 
     In step S 410 , the system control unit  50  enlarges or reduces the image displayed on the display unit  28  in response to the enlargement or reduction operation detected in step S 409 . 
     In step S 411 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an operation for giving “favorite” to the image displayed on the display unit  28 . When it is determined that an operation for giving “favorite” has been performed (YES in step S 411 ), the processing proceeds to step S 412 . Otherwise (NO in step S 411 ), the processing proceeds to step S 413 . 
     In step S 412 , the system control unit  50  gives (records) the favorite attribute to the header portion of an image file in which the image displayed on the display unit  28  is stored. 
     In step S 413 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an operation for instructing deletion of the image displayed on the display unit  28 . When it is determined that an operation for instructing deletion of the image has been performed (YES in step S 413 ), the processing proceeds to step S 414 . Otherwise (NO in step S 413 ), the processing proceeds to step S 415 . 
     In step S 414 , the system control unit  50  deletes from the recording medium  200  the image file in which the image displayed on the display unit  28  is stored. 
     In step S 415 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an image advancing operation, i.e., an instruction for changing the current image to the previous or following image. The image advancing operation can be performed, for example, with a flick operation on the touch panel  71 . For example, when the user performs a flick operation once to the right (hereinafter referred to as a right-flick), the system control unit  50  receives it as an instruction for changing the current image to the preceding image. When the user performs a flick operation once to the left (hereinafter referred to as a left-flick), the system control unit  50  receives it as an instruction for changing the current image to the following image. 
     In step S 416 , the system control unit  50  changes the currently displayed image by performing an image advancing operation. Since the system control unit  50  displays the recording review, the system control unit  50  performs the image advancing operation only for images in the same group generated in response to a single shooting instruction. For example, when the image  602  is displayed in single display form, a right-flick operation changes the current image to the image  601 , and a left-flick operation changes the current image to the image  603 . When the user performs a right-flick when the image  601  is displayed, the system control unit  50  changes the current image to the image  606  and does not change the current image to any other images than the images generated in the present shooting. 
     In step S 417 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an operation for returning to the multi-display. The user can return the display state to the multi-display by performing a pinch-in operation (reduction operation) in a state where an image is not displayed full-screen (single display form), or an operation for rotating the shutter operation unit  61  (also serving as the zoom lever) toward the wide angle side. When it is determined that an operation for returning to the multi-display has been performed (YES in step S 417 ), the processing proceeds to step S 418 . Otherwise (NO in step S 417 ), the processing returns to step S 409 . Then, the system control unit  50  repeats the relevant processing. 
     In step S 418 , similar to step S 401 , the system control unit  50  arranges and displays in multi-display form the images in the same group generated by the present shooting. In this case, when any image was deleted in step S 414 , the system control unit  50  displays the remaining images without changing the layout displayed in step S 401 , i.e., only the deleted image is simply hidden. In other words, the display position and size of any other images than the deleted image remain unchanged. For example,  FIG. 8C  illustrates a case where the image  602  is deleted. Referring to  FIG. 8C , the display position and size of the remaining images (any other images than the deleted image  602 ) remain unchanged from the images illustrated in  FIG. 8A  displayed in step S 401 . This makes it easier for the user to recognize which image out of the images illustrated in  FIG. 8A  has been deleted. Further, if the layout is changed n such a manner that the remaining images are displayed covering the position of the deleted image, a low-evaluation image may be displayed at a position where a high-evaluation image should be displayed. In this case, the user may possibly misunderstand that the low-evaluation image has high image evaluation. However, displaying the remaining images by maintaining the layout (by simply hiding the deleted image) as with the present exemplary embodiment enables preventing such misunderstanding. 
     Next, how the image group captured in the multishot mode is reproduced will be described. 
       FIG. 9  is a flowchart illustrating the reproduction mode processing according to the present exemplary embodiment. This processing is implemented when the system control unit  50  loads a relevant program recorded on the nonvolatile memory  56  into the system memory  52  and then executes it. When the user operates the mode changing switch  60  to change the mode to the reproduction mode, or when the user presses the reproduction button included in the operation panel  70 , the system control unit  50  starts the processing illustrated in  FIG. 9 . 
     In step S 901 , the system control unit  50  acquires from the image file recorded on the recording medium  200  the attribute information of the image to be displayed, and stores the attribute information in the system memory  52 . If a new image has been appended to the recording medium  200  after exiting the reproduction mode last, the image to be displayed first upon entry to the reproduction mode is the latest image. On the other hand, when no file has been appended to the recording medium  200  after exiting the reproduction mode last, the image to be displayed first upon entry to the reproduction mode is the image last displayed when the reproduction mode was exited. 
     In step S 902 , based on the acquired attribute information, the system control unit  50  determines whether the image to be displayed is an intra-group image (an image belonging to the group). When a group identifier is has been given to the image to be displayed (YES in step S 902 ), the system control unit  50  determines that the image belongs to the group, and the processing proceeds to step S 903 . When the group identifier has not been given to the image to be displayed (i.e., when the image is captured neither in the above-described multishot mode nor in continuous shooting) (NO in step S 902 ), the processing proceeds to step S 920 . 
     In step S 903 , the system control unit  50  displays a representative image of the group including the image to be displayed first. In the present exemplary embodiment, the representative image is the first image of the group. Thus, the system control unit  50  searches for an image having the smallest file number out of intra-group images having the same group identifier as the image to be displayed first, and displays the image as a representative image. The representative image is not limited to the first image. 
       FIG. 11A  illustrates an example of the group&#39;s representative image displayed in step S 903 . Since the image  601  is the first image of the one set of the images  601  to  606 , the entire image  601  is displayed as a representative image, as illustrated in  FIG. 11A . However, the images  602  to  606  (non-representative images) are displayed behind the image  601  (representative image) in a stacked and shifted way to allow the user to recognize that a group including a plurality of images is displayed. Displaying images in this way partly shows the edges of the non-representative images out of the one set of images captured in the multishot mode. Thus, the user can roughly recognize what types of images are included in the group. In particular, since one set of images captured in the multishot mode include images having undergone different color processing, as described above, the user can recognize that the group includes a variety of images having undergone various color processing. A transfer button  1101  is a touch button for collectively transmitting a plurality of images (images  601  to  606 ) belonging to the group of the image  601  to an external apparatus via a communication unit (not illustrated) included in the digital camera  100 , and for uploading the images to the Internet. When the user touches the transfer button  1101 , the system control unit  50  displays a screen for specifying an external apparatus to which the group of the images  601  is to be transmitted, allowing the user to transmit images in the group of the image  601  to the specified destination in response to a user operation. A dialog  1102  displays the remaining battery capacity, and file number of the image  601  displayed as a representative image. A dialog  1103  displays the number of the image  601  (e.g., 410th) in the total number of images recorded on the recording medium  200  (e.g., 1981). With the total number of images and the number of the relevant image, a plurality of images included in one group is collectively counted as one. In other words, the total number of images indicates the number of images which can be selected by the image advancing function when a group is collectively displayed as one representative image. A FUNC button  1104  is a touch button for displaying the FUNC menu. When the user taps the FUNC button  1104 , the reproduction FUNC menu for instructing processing, such as deletion, rotation, resizing, and trimming for the image  601 , and a slide show is displayed. A dialog  1105  displays the attribute information of the image  601 . 
     In step S 904 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an operation for reproducing intra-group images. The user can issue instruction to reproduce images by tapping the image  601  illustrated in  FIG. 11A , more specifically, by touching the image  601  and then performing a touch-up without a touch-move exceeding a predetermined distance. To avoid mis-detection with operations for other touch buttons, the system control unit  50  may receive an instruction for reproducing intra-group images only when the user touches the center portion other than edge portions out of the area where the image  601  is displayed. When it is determined that an instruction for reproducing intra-group images has been issued (YES in step S 904 ), the processing proceeds to step S 905 . Otherwise (NO in step S 904 ), the processing proceeds to step S 906 . The intra-group image reproduction processing in step S 905  will be described below with reference to  FIG. 10 . 
     In step S 906 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an image advancing operation (including an image reversing operation). When the user performs a right-flick, the system control unit  50  determines that the user has performed an image advancing operation (image reversing operation) to the preceding image. When the user performs a left-flick, the system control unit  50  determines that the user has performed an image advancing operation to the following image. When it is determined that an image advancing operation has been performed (YES in step S 906 ), the processing proceeds to step S 907 . Otherwise (NO in step S 906 ), the processing proceeds to step S 908 . 
     In step S 907 , in response to an operation performed in step S 908 , the system control unit  50  acquires the attribute information of the image to be displayed next, then in step S 902 , the system control unit  50  performs processing for displaying the following image. Since the system control unit  50  displays images on a group basis, the image to be displayed next is not an image of the group to which the representative image displayed in step S 903  belongs but any other images than the images in the same group. For example, when the image  601  is displayed and an instruction for advancing the current image to the following image is issued, the image having the file number next to the image  606  (last image of the same group) is to be displayed. 
     In step S 908 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an operation for shifting the mode to the multi-display. The user can issue instruction to shift the display state to the multi-display by performing a pinch-in operation on the touch panel  71  in a non-enlarged state, or an operation for rotating the shutter operation unit  61  (also serving as the zoom lever) toward the wide angle side. When it is determined that an instruction for shifting the mode to the multi-display has been issued (YES in step S 908 ), the processing proceeds to step S 924 . Otherwise (NO in step S 908 ), the processing proceeds to step S 909 . 
     In step S 909 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed any of other operations on the currently displayed image. Other operations include collectively deleting intra-group images and collectively transmitting intra-group images. Since the group&#39;s representative image is displayed and other images are displayed in stacked way, as illustrated in  FIG. 11A , the system control unit  50  does not receive an image enlargement operation. When it is determined that any of other operations on the relevant image has been performed (YES in step S 909 ), then in step S 910 , the system control unit  50  performs processing according to the relevant operation. 
     In step S 911 , the system control unit  50  determines whether an event for ending the reproduction mode has occurred, such as an operation for shifting the mode to other modes by using the mode changing switch  60 , and an operation for turning the power OFF by pressing the power switch  72 . When it is determined that an event for ending the reproduction mode has occurred (YES in step S 911 ), this flowchart is terminated. When it is determined that an event for ending the reproduction mode has not occurred (NO in step S 911 ), the processing returns to step  904 . Then, the system control unit  50  repeats the relevant processing. 
     Meanwhile, when it is determined that the image to be displayed is not an intra-group image (NO in step S 902 ), then in step S 920 , the system control unit  50  regularly (not in a stacked way) displays the image to be displayed on the display unit  28  in single display form (full-screen display). 
     In step S 921 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an image advancing operation. The image advancing operation is similar to the operation described in step S 906 . When it is determined that an image advancing operation has been performed (YES in step S 921 ), the processing proceeds to step S 922 . Otherwise (NO in step S 921 ), the processing proceeds to step S 923 . 
     In step S 922 , according to the direction of the image advancing operation received in step S 921 , the system control unit  50  determines as the image to be displayed next the file having the file number preceding or following the file number of the currently displayed image. Then, the system control unit  50  acquires the attribute information of the image to be displayed next from the relevant image file, and returns to step S 902  to perform the processing for displaying the image to be displayed next. 
     In step S 923 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an operation for shifting the mode to the multi-display. The operation for shifting the mode to the multi-display is similar to the operation described in step S 908 . When it is determined that an instruction for shifting the mode to the multi-display has been issued (YES in step S 923 ), the processing proceeds to step S 924 . Otherwise (NO in step S 923 ), the processing proceeds to step S 927 . 
     In step S 924 , the system control unit  50  displays a plurality of images on the display unit  28  in multi-display form.  FIG. 11B  illustrates an example of nine images displayed in 3×3 multi-display form. Like the image  601 , images belonging to a group are collectively displayed in a stacked way with the representative image placed on top, and therefore the entire faces of the remaining intra-group images other than the representative image are not displayed. Further, images are displayed in top-justified form. Thus,  FIG. 11B  illustrates a case where nine or more images are recorded on the recording medium  200 . When there are only six images, for example, the layout of the first and second rows is as illustrated in  FIG. 11B , and no image is displayed in the third row (bottom row). 
     In step S 925 , the system control unit  50  receives various operations in the multi-display, and performs processing according to the received operations. Receivable operations include an operation for deleting or transmitting a selected image, a scroll operation for selecting the preceding or following image as the image to be displayed on the same screen, and an operation for increasing the number of images to be displayed at a time in multi-display form. 
     In step S 926 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an operation for shifting the mode to the single display. The user can issue instruction to shift the mode to the single display by performing a pinch-out operation on the touch panel  71 , an operation for rotating the shutter operation unit  61  toward the telephoto side, or an operation for selecting any one of the displayed images. When it is determined that an instruction for shifting the mode to the single display has been issued (YES in step S 926 ), then in step S 901 , the system control unit  50  selects single display form. Otherwise (NO in step S 926 ), the processing returns to step S 925 . Then, the system control unit  50  repeats the relevant processing. 
     In step S 927 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed any of other operations on the currently displayed images. Other operations include deleting, transmitting, resizing, and trimming a displayed image, giving a favorite attribute, and enlargement and reduction. When it is determined that any of other operations has not been performed (NO in step S 927 ), the processing proceeds to step S 929 . On the other hand, when it is determined that any of other operations has been performed (YES in step S 927 ), then in step S 928 , the system control unit  50  performs processing according to the relevant operation. 
     In step S 929 , the system control unit  50  determines whether an event for ending the reproduction mode has occurred, such as on operation for shifting the mode to any of other modes by using the mode changing switch  60 , and an operation for turning the power OFF by pressing the power switch  72 . When it is determined that an event for ending the reproduction mode has not occurred (NO in step S 929 ), the processing returns to step S 921 . Then, the system control unit  50  repeats the relevant processing. On the other hand, when it is determined that an event for ending the reproduction mode has occurred (YES in step S 929 ), the system control unit  50  ends the reproduction mode processing. 
       FIG. 10  is a detailed flowchart illustrating the intra-group image reproduction processing in step S 905  illustrated in  FIG. 9 . This processing is implemented when the system control unit  50  loads a relevant program recorded on the nonvolatile memory  56  into the system memory  52  and then executes it. 
     In step S 1001 , the system control unit  50  displays a list of images in a group on the display unit  28 . 
       FIG. 11C  illustrates an example of a list of intra-group images displayed on the display unit  28 . The images  601  to  606  belonging to the same group as the image  601 , the group&#39;s representative image displayed in step S 903 , are displayed on the display unit  28  in a 2×3 matrix form. Other images not belonging to the group are not displayed. Referring to  FIG. 11C  illustrating image display in the reproduction mode, the images  601  to  606  are displayed not in areas having different sizes as with the recording review illustrated in  FIG. 8A  but in arranged areas having the same size. Therefore, the images can be compared under the same condition. Further, unlike the regular multi-display in top-justified form ( FIG. 11B ), a plurality of images included in the same group is displayed in centered form, as illustrated in  FIG. 11C . This example indicates that there is no more images preceding (above) or following (below) the six images currently displayed. Therefore, the user can recognize that a total of six images are included in the group. Although, in the example illustrated in  FIG. 11C , each image is displayed in an area having an aspect ratio of 4:3, each image may be displayed in an area having an aspect ratio of 1:1. When the user touches the return button  1106  (touch button), the system control unit  50  ends the list of intra-group images, and displays the representative image illustrated in  FIG. 11A . Thus, in response to an intra-group image reproduction instruction in a state where the group&#39;s representative image is displayed in single display form (step S 903 ,  FIG. 11A ), the system control unit  50  first displays a list of intra-group images in multi-display form, instead of immediately displaying intra-group images in single display form. Thus, the user can recognize that the digital camera  100  has entered a mode in which each of a plurality of images belonging to a group is displayed. 
     In step S 1002 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an operation for shifting the mode to the single display. The user can issue instruction to shift the mode to the single display by performing an operation for selecting any one image from the list, an operation for rotating the shutter operation unit  61  to the telephoto side, or a pinch-out operation on the touch panel  71 . When it is determined that an instruction for shifting the mode to the single display has been issued (YES in step S 1002 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1004 . Otherwise (NO in step S 1002 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1003 . 
     In step S 1003 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed a tap operation on the return button  1106  (i.e., an operation in which the touch panel  71  is touched, and then a touch-up is detected on the button  1106  without detecting a touch-move exceeding a predetermined distance). When it is determined that a tap operation on the return button  1106  has been performed (YES in step S 1003 ), the system control unit  50  ends the intra-group image reproduction processing. Then, in step S 903  illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the system control unit  50  displays the group&#39;s representative image, as illustrated in  FIG. 11A . When it is determined that a tap operation on the return button  1106  has not been performed (NO in step S 1003 ), the processing returns to step S 1002 . 
     In step S 1004 , an image included in the group is displayed full-screen (i.e., the entire image is displayed in the maximum size of the display area). 
       FIG. 11D  illustrates an example of an intra-group image displayed in single display form. For example, referring to the list screen illustrated in  FIG. 11C , when the user selects the image  602 , the image  602  is displayed full-screen on the display unit  28 , as illustrated in  FIG. 11D . A dialog  1107  displays the total number of images (e.g., 6) belonging to the group, and the number of the currently displayed image  602  (e.g., 2nd). 
     In step S 1005 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an operation on the image displayed in single display form. When it is determined that an operation on the image has been performed (YES in step S 1005 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1006 . Otherwise (NO in step S 1005 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1007 . Operations on an image displayed in single display form include an operation for deleting the image displayed in single display form, an operation for enlarging the image (a pinch-out operation or an operation for rotating the shutter operation unit  61  toward the telephoto side), an operation for transmitting the image to an external apparatus, an operation for recording the favorite attribute, a resizing operation, and a trimming operation. 
     In step S 1007 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed an image advancing operation (or image reversing operation). When it is determined that an image advancing operation has been performed (YES in step S 1007 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1008 . Otherwise (NO in step S 1007 ), the processing proceeds to step S 1009 . The image advancing operation is similar to the operation described in step S 906  in  FIG. 9 . 
     In step S 1008 , the system control unit  50  changes the image to the preceding or following intra-group image according to the image advancing operation performed in step S 1007 . In this case, images not belonging to the group are not subjected to the image advancing operations. Therefore, for example, when an instruction for advancing the displayed image to the following image is issued in a state where the image  606  is displayed, the image  601  is displayed. When an instruction for advancing the displayed image to the preceding image issued in a state where the image  601  is displayed, the image  606  is displayed. 
     In step S 1009 , the system control unit  50  determines whether the user has performed a tap operation on the return button  1106 . When it is determined that a tap operation has been performed on the return button  1106  (YES in step S 1009 ), the system control unit  50  ends the intra-group image reproduction processing. Then, in step S 903  illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the system control unit  50  displays the group&#39;s representative image, as illustrated in  FIG. 11A . When it is determined that a tap operation has not been performed (NO in step S 1009 ), the processing returns to step S 1005 . 
     When an image belonging to the group is deleted in the above-described image operation processing in step S 1006  and then the system control unit  50  shifts the processing to the intra-group image reproduction processing, the remaining images are displayed covering the position of the deleted image (the image  602  is deleted in the example in  FIG. 11E ), as illustrated in  FIG. 11E . Thus, the deleted image is not simply hidden, as described in  FIG. 8B . 
     According to the above-described intra-group image reproduction processing, when changing from the single display of the representative image to the state for displaying each intra-group element image, the system control unit  50  first displays a list of images in the group, as illustrated in  FIG. 11C , instead of directly displaying an element image in single display form. Thus, the user can certainly recognize that the digital camera  100  has entered a state where only element images in the group are displayed, thus preventing confusion with the state where images are displayed regardless of the group. 
     The digital camera  100  can perform shooting in the exposure-bracket mode which is different from the multishot mode. The user can change the mode to the exposure-bracket mode by operating the mode changing switch  60 . In the exposure-bracket mode, when SW 2  is turned ON, the system control unit  50  performs shooting to capture at least one image on the underexposure side, shooting with suitable exposure, and shooting to capture at least one image on the overexposure side. As a result, in response to one full-press operation on the shutter operation unit  61 , the system control unit  50  performs shooting to capture three or five images. Since the purpose of this operation is to capture a plurality of images with different exposure settings, shooting settings other than exposure, such as color processing, remain unchanged. Unlike the multishot mode, the recording review in the exposure-bracket mode displays captured images in the same size on the same screen. Further, the system control unit  50  arranges an image captured on the underexposure side, an image captured with suitable exposure, and an image captured on the overexposure side from left to right on the screen. Arranging images in this way makes it easier to compare differences in brightness between images arising from differences in exposure therebetween, and to determine which image has been captured with brightness felt to be most suitable by the user. The layout in the recording review display is differentiated from that in the multishot mode in this way based on the difference in the assumed purpose of use between shooting modes. In other words, the bracket shooting mode is a mode for capturing an image with suitable exposure, and is not a mode for pursuing the interest by capturing a variety of images having different atmospheres as in the multishot mode. 
     Control by the system control unit  50  may be implemented by one hardware component, or implemented in such a way that a plurality of hardware components shares processing to control the entire apparatus. 
     While the present disclosure has specifically been described based on exemplary embodiment(s), the embodiment(s) are not seen to be limiting, and can be modified in diverse ways without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Further, the above-described exemplary embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive of the scope of the present disclosure. These exemplary embodiments can be suitably combined. 
     While the above-described exemplary embodiments have been described based on a case of application to the digital camera  100 , this application is not limiting, and the embodiments are also applicable to imaging apparatuses capable of generating a plurality of images in response to a single shooting instruction. More specifically, the embodiments are applicable to camera-equipped personal computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs), camera-equipped cellular phone units and portable image viewers, camera-equipped game machines, and camera-equipped electronic book readers. 
     Additional embodiments can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus (or devices such as a CPU or MPU) that reads out and executes a program recorded on a memory device to perform the functions of the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method, the steps of which are performed by a computer of a system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing a program recorded on a memory device to perform the functions of the above-described embodiment(s). For this purpose, the program is provided to the computer for example via a network or from a recording medium of various types serving as the memory device (e.g., computer-readable medium). 
     While the present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions. 
     This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-284430 filed Dec. 27, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.