Patent ID: 8233733

Claim:
An image processing device comprising: first smoothing means configured to calculate, regarding a plurality of positions along a first direction in a neighbor region of a predetermined pixel of interest in an input image, a first-stage smoothing value wherein smoothing of pixel values has been performed along a second direction differing from said first direction, for a first channel; second smoothing means configured to calculate, regarding a plurality of positions along said first direction in said neighbor region, a first-stage smoothing value wherein smoothing of pixel values has been performed along said second direction, for a second channel; intensity estimating means configured to estimate an intensity of said first-stage smoothing value of said second channel, based on said first-stage smoothing values of said first and second channels, wherein said intensity estimating means comprises: high-frequency component calculating means configured to calculate, regarding each position along said first direction, a high-frequency component of said first-stage smoothing value of said first channel, at said position; first low-frequency component calculating means configured to calculate, regarding each position along said first direction, a low-frequency component of said first-stage smoothing value of said first channel, at said position; second low-frequency component calculating means configured to calculate, regarding each position along said first direction, a low-frequency component of said first-stage smoothing value of said second channel, at said position; high-frequency estimating means configured to estimate a high-frequency component in said first-stage smoothing value of said second channel at said position, by adjusting the high-frequency component in said first-stage smoothing value of said first channel based on a ratio between the low-frequency component in said first-stage smoothing value of said first channel and the low-frequency component in said first-stage smoothing value of said second channel; and correction value calculating means configured to calculate said intensity of said first-stage smoothing value of said second channel at said position, from said low-frequency component of said first-stage smoothing value of said second channel at each position along said first direction, and said estimated high-frequency component of said first-stage smoothing value of said second channel at said position.