Patent ID: 8265418

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: focus information extraction means for extracting, for each pixel of an input image, a high-frequency component as focus information from a brightness signal for a neighboring pixel; region integration means for integrating, for each pixel, the focus information on the neighboring pixel to generate integrated focus information; dark area processing means for replacing a value of the focus information on each pixel with a value obtained on the basis of a value of the focus information on the neighboring pixel that is greater than the value of the focus information on that pixel to generate dark area focus information on the input image; illumination component extraction means for integrating the brightness signal for each pixel with the brightness signal for the neighboring pixel to extract an illumination component; bright area/dark area integration means for calculating a depth value of each pixel through a product-sum operation of the integrated focus information and the dark area focus information using a coefficient based on the illumination component; normalization means for normalizing the depth value of each pixel; tone curve control means for controlling the depth value normalized by the normalization means in accordance with a tone curve; saturation detection means for detecting a saturation of each pixel; and saturation control means for controlling the depth value that has been controlled in accordance with the tone curve by the tone curve control means on the basis of the saturation.