Patent ID: 8259357

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: a segmentation process section, which performs classification processing for an object pixel based on a pixel surrounding the object pixel, for classifying whether each of pixels forming inputted image data belongs to at least an edge area or a non-edge area; and a tone reproduction process section for converting the inputted image data into an image data with a predetermined gray level and outputting the converted image data, the tone reproduction process section including: an error diffusion process section for performing conversion of gray level using an error diffusion method; a blue noise mask process section for performing conversion of the gray level using a blue noise mask method; and an output selection section for outputting a gray level value converted by the error diffusion process section in the case in which the object pixel belongs to the edge area, and outputting a gray level value converted by the blue noise mask process section in the case in which the pixel belongs to the non-edge area.