Patent ID: 7477417

Claim:
An image processing system comprising: an image processing unit for processing input photograph images; and an output unit for outputting an image processed in the image processing unit; wherein said image processing unit has a function of cutting out a background portion of the photographic image and effecting a color specification for said cut out background portion of the image and further has a function of specifying a method of processing the background portion, and when printing the photographic image, said output unit recognizes the background portion on basis of said color specification specified by said image processing unit and carries out background processing for the recognized background portion on basis of said specified method of processing the background portion to replace the background portion of the photographic image with a background pattern adapted to be printed without creating areas of perceptible unevenness, to avoid visual unevenness from accruing in the background portion, wherein said output unit converts pixels into the background pattern and replaces the background portion of the photographic imagery with a printed discontinuous pattern on basis of the specified method of processing the background portion, and wherein said discontinuous pattern is chosen from a group consisting of a stripe pattern and a dot pattern.