Patent ID: 7619596

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: a deterioration degree information extracting means for digitalizing an input image signal and extracting luminance deterioration degree information based on the digitalized information, wherein said deterioration degree information extracting means receives threshold values corresponding to respective pixels of the input image signal and quantizes the input image signal according to said threshold values to provide numerical values indicative of the degree of deterioration of the respective pixels of the input image signal as the luminance deterioration degree information, wherein the deterioration degree information extracting means increases a resolution of the threshold values for quantizing the input image signal at a high gradation side as the luminance deterioration of the pixels advances; an image conversion designating means for selecting and designating an optimum image conversion method based on the luminance deterioration degree information obtained by said deterioration degree information extracting means; and an image processing means for performing conversion processing on the input image based on the optimum image conversion method designated by said image conversion designating means.