Patent ID: 7184081

Claim:
An image processing apparatus, comprising: a memory which stores a plurality of captured images and additional information concerning the images the additional information including the shooting mode in which the image was captured; an image selector which selects an image to be erased from the plurality of images stored in the memory; a determination device which reads the additional information concerning the selected image to be erased and determines whether or not the selected image to be erased relates to at least one of the plurality of images stored in the memory with reference to the read additional information; an eraser which erases the selected image to be erased from the memory if the determination device determines that the selected image to be erased does not relate to any of the plurality of images stored in the memory, and prohibits the selected image to be erased from actually being erased independently if the determination device determines that the selected image to be erased relates to at least one of the plurality of images stored in the memory; a display which displays that the selected image to be erased is prohibited from being erased independently if the determination device determines that the selected image to be erased relates to at least one of the plurality of images stored in the memory; and a selection device in which a user selects, after displaying that a selected image is prohibited from being erased since the selected image relates to at least one of the plurality of images, collectively erasing the selected image and the images related to the selected image or not erasing all images related to the selected image, wherein the eraser erases the selected image and all the images relating to the selected image from the memory if the selection device decides to collectively erase the selected image and all the images relating to the selected image, and wherein the additional information represents whether or not the image concerning the additional information is a part of a panoramic image composed of at least two of the plurality of the captured images stored in the memory.