Patent ID: 8064710

Claim:
An image processing method of laying out a plurality of image data based on template data, which image data and template data are stored in a storing device, to output images, the method being executable by a computer, the method comprising: an inputting step of inputting setting items, including a similar image detection, a blurring image detection, an image quality discrimination, and a number of images used for laying out the plurality of image data; an obtaining step of obtaining the plurality of image data from the storing device; a similar image detecting step of, based on the similar image detection setting item, determining whether an image from the plurality of image data is divided into blocks on a plurality of pixels basis, said blocks being compressed using DCT and having values of AC components, and detecting a degree of similarity of the image based on information relating to a file name and photographing information and the values of AC components in the image; a blurring image detecting step, based on the blurring image detection setting item, of: setting a quantization table for the image from the image data using the values of AC components of the image; comparing a total value of the quantization table with a first predetermined threshold to set each blocks as a blurring candidate block or a non-blurring candidate block; calculating a block ratio of the blurring candidate block and the non-blurring candidate block; comparing the calculated block ratio with a second threshold to discriminate whether or not the image is in a state of non-blurring; detecting a blurring direction for each block according to the values of AC components of the respective block with respect to vertical, horizontal, left-oblique, and right oblique directions; determining a blurring state based on the detected blurring direction for each block; a layout controlling step of controlling reading out results of the respective setting items and determining whether the image is inserted into a small area of the template data or not based on a level of the setting items of the image, wherein the computer executes the inputting step, the obtaining step, the similar image detecting step, the blurring image detecting step, and the layout controlling step.