Patent ID: 7010162

Claim:
A color image processing apparatus for processing an input image signal of an object in order to reproduce color data of the object, said apparatus comprising: color image input means for obtaining a color image signal of each of the object and a reference matter which has a known spectral reflectance and a plurality of colors, from a same image in which the object and the reference matter are taken at the same time in lighting for photographing, color image signal reading means for detecting a position of the reference matter from the color image signal and reading the color image signal of the reference matter, and spectral reflectance estimating means for estimating a spectral reflectance of the object using: the read color image signal of the reference matter, the color image signal of the photographed object, the spectral reflectance of the reference matter and statistical data of the spectral reflectance wherein the statistical data of the spectral reflectance comprises a basis function of the spectral reflectance of on of the reference matter and the object.