Patent ID: 7715618

Claim:
An image file creating apparatus for creating a 3-dimensional image file from a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of viewpoints onto a recording medium by using a 2-dimensional image file format, and for enabling the image file to be judged by an image file reproducing apparatus as to whether the image file is a 3-dimensional image file and to be reproduced in the image file reproducing apparatus, comprising: an image integrating unit that integrates a plurality of viewpoint images into one image by placing them at predetermined positions; an image selector that selects one viewpoint image from the plurality of viewpoint images and creates a 2-dimensional image file from the selected one viewpoint image; an information creating unit that creates 3-dimensional image control information by formatting a 3-dimensional image characteristic including the placement of individual viewpoint images in the integrated image; an deciding unit that decides a filename of an image file and a directory under which the image file are stored; and a file creating unit that formats a 3-dimensional image file including the integrated image and the 3-dimensional image control information, and the 2-dimensional image file; and that records those image files into a recording medium in accordance with a decision result of the deciding unit, wherein the deciding unit decides the filename and the directory in such a manner that if a 2-dimensional image file and a 3-dimensional image file are created based on the same plurality of viewpoint images, then the 2-dimensional image file and 3-dimensional image file have the same filename and different extensions, and the 2-dimensional image file and 3-dimensional image file created in the file creating means are stored in a common directory together, or one of the 2-dimensional image file and 3-dimensional image file created in the file creating means is stored in one directory and the other image file is stored in another directory that is under said one directory, and if the 3-dimensional image file is created and stored in a 3-dimensional image directory, then the 2-dimensional image file is created from one viewpoint image selected from the plurality of viewpoint images for creating the 3-dimensional image file, and is stored in a 2-dimensional image directory.