Patent ID: 8665319

Claim:
A parallax image generating apparatus for generating, using a first image, a parallax image with a parallax therebetween, comprising a processor configured to: estimate distribution information items indicating distributions of first depths in the first image, the distribution information items falling within a first depth range to be reproduced; combine the distribution information items by using a first combination method to generate first depth information; estimate unevenness information items indicating relative unevenness of one or more objects in the first image, the unevenness information items falling within a second depth range to be reproduced, the second depth range being substantially narrower than the first depth range; combine the unevenness information items by using the first combination method to generate second depth information, wherein the first combination method selects an unevenness information item with a minimum value among the unevenness information items to be the first depth information; combine the first depth information and the second depth information by using a second combination method different from the first combination method, to generate third depth information; and generate the parallax images based on the third depth information and the first image.