Patent ID: 8634670

Claim:
An image predictive encoding apparatus, comprising: one or more processing units configured to function as: a block divider that divides an input image into a plurality of regions; a prediction signal generator that generates a prediction signal for an object pixel signal of an object region which is a processing object, of the plurality of regions divided by the block divider; a residual signal generator that generates a residual signal between the prediction signal generated by the prediction signal generator and the object pixel signal; and an encoder that encodes the residual signal generated by the residual signal generator, wherein the prediction signal generator includes: a prediction related information generator that generates, as prediction related information, a method for generating a signal having a high correlation with the object pixel signal of the object region from an already reproduced signal, a texture synthesizer that generates a prediction signal for the object region on the basis of the prediction related information generated by the prediction related information generator, and the texture synthesizer generating a template signal of a specified region which is determined on the basis of the prediction related information, from the already reproduced signal, searches a pre-determined reproduced image to find a plurality of similar regions having a high correlation to the specified region, generates a plurality of texture signals relating to the object region on the basis of the plurality of similar regions, and generates a prediction signal by processing the plurality of texture signals by using a pre-determined texture synthesis method, and the encoder encodes the prediction related information generated by the prediction related information generator.