Patent ID: 8792746

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: one or more circuits configured to: set as an input image, a pixel number reduced image obtained by reducing a total number of pixels of an image captured by an imaging element; calculate a plurality of Laplacian absolute values in a pixel block in which a correction object pixel selected from the input image serves as a center pixel; calculate edge strengths of a plurality of directions in the pixel block at a position of the correction object pixel by applying the plurality of Laplacian absolute values; calculate interpolated-pixel values as smoothing components of the plurality of directions in the pixel block; calculate weights for the interpolated-pixel values as the smoothing components of the plurality of directions based on the edge strengths of the plurality of directions; and calculate a pixel value of the correction object pixel, which is the center pixel of the pixel block, by performing a blending process by weighted addition of the interpolated-pixel values, which are the smoothing components of the plurality of directions, and the weights for the interpolated-pixel values.