Patent ID: 7098914

Claim:
An image synthesis method comprising: an input step, of inputting a plurality of image data representing a plurality of images; a placement information generating step, of generating placement information about horizontal and vertical placement direction of the plurality of images, determined by the horizontal and vertical placement direction of the plurality of images represented by the image data inputted in the input step; a placement information obtaining step, of obtaining the placement information about a plurality of images in which adjacent images have a common subject region; a setting step, of automatically selecting and setting one mapping mode out of a plurality of mapping modes based on image placement information of the horizontal and vertical placement direction of the plurality of images having a common subject region, each mapping mode corresponding to a different mapping surface, without a user intervening to determine the mapping mode or the corresponding mapping surface, a synthesis step, of combining the plurality of images by using the mapping mode set in the setting step; a changing step, of changing the mapping mode; and a generating step, of issuing, when an image formed by changing the mapping mode in the changing step does not comply with a predetermined condition set in accordance with the mapping mode, a warning and generating and displaying a synthesized image in accordance with the predetermined condition, the warning being issued in a case in which the synthesized image exceeds a predetermined angle of view while simultaneously generating and displaying the synthesized image within the predetermined range of viewing angle.