Patent ID: 7626617

Claim:
An image editing apparatus which joins a plurality of images in time, comprising: a recording device which records a plurality of images associated with image related information including at least one of a shooting date and time, a shooting condition, a shooting place, and a user name; a video effect recording device which records image related information associated with a video effect during image switching; a comparison device which reads first image related information about a first image recorded in the recording device and second image related information about a second image recorded in the recording device, and compares the image related information about the first and second images; a video effect selection device which reads from the video effect recording device a video effect according to matching image related information between the image related information about the first and second images as a result of the comparison; an image joining device which reads the first and second images recorded in the recording device, and automatically joins the images by applying the video effect read by the video effect selection device to a portion in which the images are to be joined in time; and an output device which outputs the joined images, wherein said video effect selection device further reads from the video effect recording device: a video effect according to image related information similar in a predetermined range when there is image related information similar in a predetermined range between the image related information about the first and second images as a result of the comparison; and a video effect according to no matching image related information when there is no matching image related information between the image related information about the first and second images as a result of the comparison.