Patent ID: 8451476

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: an image reading unit that reads an image of an original to obtain image data; a storing unit that stores therein the image data; an image processing unit that performs an image processing on the image data from both of the reading unit and the storing unit; a color-determination-mode setting unit that sets an automatic color determination mode for automatically determining whether the original is a color original or a monochrome original; and a control unit that controls the image reading unit, the image processing unit, the storing unit, and the color-determination-mode setting unit, wherein the image processing unit includes a first image processing unit that processes the image data from the reading unit, and a second image processing unit that selectively processes the image data directly from the first image processing unit and directly from the storing unit, wherein the control unit selects a processing route from among a first image-processing route in which the image data is processed by the first image processing unit and the second image processing unit and is then stored in the storing unit and a second image-processing route in which the image data is once processed by the first image processing unit and stored in the storing unit, and then the image data from the storing unit is processed by the second image processing unit and stored in the storing unit, and determines a processing to be performed on the image data by the second image processing unit depending on a result of a processing performed on the image data by the first image processing unit, and the control unit selects the processing route depending on a processing to be performed on the image data by the second image processing unit.