Patent ID: 8644613

Claim:
An image selection method that selects an output target candidate among multiple image data, comprising the steps of: (a) receiving input image data; (b) detecting a region in which a human face is captured from said input image data, and detecting face characteristics of the detected face region; (c) determining, based on the specification of said detected face region and a predetermined selection standard, said input image data is to be selected as said output image candidate; and (d) identifying a size and orientation of printing paper on which an image selected as said output target is to be output, wherein said input image data is selected, the size of said detected face region in which falls within a preset size range and the position of said detected face region in which falls within a preset position range, as an output target candidate at said step (c), wherein said size range and position range are set in accordance with the characteristics of the face captured in said image data and in accordance with said size and orientation of the printing paper on which said image data is to be output, wherein said step (c) carries out said selection by applying said size range and said position range in accordance with said detected face characteristics, and by applying said size range and said position range in accordance with said size and orientation of the determined printing paper, wherein the characteristics of the faces captured in said image data include at least one of such characteristics as a number of faces captured, ages of the persons whose faces are captured, or genders of the persons whose faces are captured, wherein said size range and said position range are sought statistically by displaying image groups comprising multiple photo subjects having different captured face sizes and positions and performing sense evaluation testing to select the preferred face sizes and positions, the sense evaluation testing including having test subjects select images with the face sizes and positions that the test subjects consider to be most appropriate for printing and creating a permittable range table defining the permittable ranges for the face sizes and positions, and wherein the steps of the image selection method are performed by a printer to select an image.