Patent ID: 8334914

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: a gradation correcting unit that corrects a gradation of an image in accordance with a gradation altering characteristic; an object segment setting unit that sets in the image plural object segments whose luminance levels are to be altered; an object segment selecting unit that selects an object segment from the plural object segments set by the object segment setting unit in response to a first user operation; a gradation altering characteristic changing unit that changes the gradation altering characteristic in a luminance range of the object segment selected by the object segment selecting unit; and an altering condition setting unit that, in response to a second user operation, sets one of a first altering condition for increasing a luminance level of each of the plural object segments selected by the object segment selecting segment unit and a second altering condition for decreasing the luminance level, wherein the gradation altering characteristic changing unit changes the gradation altering characteristic in the luminance range corresponding to a luminance of the object segment selected by the object segment selecting unit, based on the first altering condition or the second altering condition set by the altering condition setting unit.