JP2005156967A - Digital camera and image processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera capable of preventing an image, based on the photographed image data from becoming an image which a photographer does not intend. <P>SOLUTION: A system control part 9 detects face areas from image data obtained by photographing a subject, when performing a photographic preparation operation of an imaging part 1 for photographing the subject, and selects the number of face areas, which corresponds to the photographing mode of the imaging part 1 from the detected face areas and utilizes the selected face areas to determine the photographic conditions of the imaging part 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera and an image processing apparatus having a function of detecting a face area from image data.

  In recent digital cameras, a plurality of shooting modes can be set according to the subject to be shot and shooting conditions, such as a portrait mode, a landscape mode, and a night view mode, and by setting a shooting mode according to a shooting scene, An optimal image can be obtained according to the shooting conditions corresponding to the shooting mode.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed a camera that performs face detection at the time of shooting and performs exposure control using the face detection result (see Patent Document 1). This camera can obtain an image intended by the photographer by changing the algorithm of the face detection process for each photographing mode.

JP 2001-330882 A

  In the above digital camera, even if the shooting scene can be determined, the position and number of subjects in the screen are not known, so it is not possible to perform optimal exposure control etc. for the subject to be photographed. The intended image cannot be obtained.

  Also, when image processing is performed on image data recorded on a recording medium, the position and number of subjects in the image data recorded on the recording medium are not known, and therefore image processing that is optimal for the subject to be image processed is performed. And the image intended by the photographer cannot be obtained.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a digital camera and an image processing apparatus capable of preventing an image based on captured image data from becoming an image unintended by the photographer. With the goal.

  The digital camera of the present invention includes a photographing unit that photographs a subject, a photographing condition determining unit that determines photographing conditions of the photographing unit, and a face from image data obtained by photographing the subject during a photographing preparation operation of the photographing unit. A face area detecting means for detecting an area; and a face area selecting means for selecting the number of face areas according to the shooting mode of the shooting means from the face areas detected by the face area detecting means, The shooting condition determining means determines the shooting condition using the face area selected by the face area selecting means.

  With this configuration, the number of face areas corresponding to the shooting mode is selected from the face areas detected by the face area detecting means, and the shooting conditions are determined using the selected face areas. For this reason, it is possible to perform photographing under photographing conditions according to the photographing mode and the number of faces included in the subject photographed by the photographing means, and it is possible to provide an optimal image.

  The digital camera of the present invention further comprises display control means for displaying information on the face area selected by the face area selecting means on the display unit.

  With this configuration, it is possible to display information related to the face area selected by the face area selection means, so that it is possible to check the determination details of the shooting conditions, and it is possible to improve convenience during shooting.

  An image processing apparatus according to the present invention is an image processing apparatus that performs image processing on image data recorded on a recording medium, and includes an image processing condition determining unit that determines an image processing condition of the image data, and a face from the image data. A face area detection unit for detecting an area, a shooting mode determination unit for determining a shooting mode at the time of shooting the image data, and a face area detected by the face area detection unit are determined by the shooting mode determination unit. Face area selecting means for selecting the number of face areas corresponding to the selected shooting mode, and the image processing condition determining means uses the face area selected by the face area selecting means to determine the image processing conditions. To decide.

  With this configuration, the number of face areas corresponding to the shooting mode is selected from the face areas detected by the face area detecting means, and the image processing conditions are determined using the selected face areas. For this reason, it is possible to perform image processing under image processing conditions corresponding to the number of faces included in the image based on the shooting mode and the image data, and it is possible to provide an optimal image.

  The image processing apparatus according to the present invention further comprises display control means for displaying information on the face area selected by the face area selecting means on the display unit.

  With this configuration, it is possible to display information related to the face area selected by the face area selection unit, so that it is possible to check the determination contents of the image processing conditions, and it is possible to improve convenience during image processing. .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the digital camera and image processing apparatus which can prevent the image based on picked-up image data becoming an image which a photographer does not intend can be provided.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital camera for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention.
A digital camera 100 in FIG. 1 includes an imaging unit 1, an analog signal processing unit 2, an A / D conversion unit 3, a driving unit 4, a digital signal processing unit 6, a compression / decompression processing unit 7, and a display unit. 8, a system control unit 9, an internal memory 10, a media interface 11, a recording medium 12, and an operation unit 13. The digital signal processing unit 6, compression / decompression processing unit 7, display unit 8, system control unit 9, internal memory 10, and media interface 11 are connected to a system bus 14.

  The imaging unit 1 captures a subject with an optical system such as a photographing lens, an aperture, and an imaging element such as a CCD image sensor, and outputs an analog imaging signal. The imaging unit 1 performs imaging according to the imaging conditions (such as the imaging lens position, aperture value, shutter speed, etc.) determined by the system control unit 9.

  The analog signal processing unit 2 performs predetermined analog signal processing on the imaging signal obtained by the imaging unit 1. The A / D conversion unit 3 converts the analog signal processed by the analog signal processing unit 2 into a digital signal. The output of the A / D conversion unit 3 is sent to the digital signal processing unit 6 as so-called RAW image data.

  At the time of shooting, the imaging unit 1 is controlled via the drive unit 4. A solid-state image sensor such as a CCD image sensor used as an image sensor outputs an analog voltage signal with respect to incident light. The solid-state imaging device is a timing generator (not shown) included in the drive unit 4 at a predetermined timing when a release switch (not shown) is turned on by operating a release button (not shown) which is a part of the operation unit 13. 1 is written by a drive signal from TG). The drive unit 4 outputs a predetermined drive signal by the system control unit 9.

  The digital signal processing unit 6 performs digital signal processing corresponding to the operation mode set by the operation unit 13 on the digital image data from the A / D conversion unit 3. Digital signal processing includes white balance adjustment processing, gamma correction processing, and the like.

  The compression / decompression processing unit 7 performs compression processing on the Y / C data obtained by the digital signal processing unit 6 and also performs decompression processing on the compressed image data obtained from the recording medium 12.

  The display unit 8 includes an LCD display device, for example, and displays an image based on image data that has been photographed and has undergone digital signal processing. An image is also displayed based on the image data obtained by decompressing the compressed image data recorded on the recording medium 12. It is also possible to display a through image at the time of shooting, various states of the digital camera, information on operations, and the like.

  The internal memory 10 is, for example, a DRAM and is used as a work memory for the digital signal processing unit 6 and the system control unit 9, as well as a buffer memory and a display unit for temporarily storing image data recorded on the recording medium 12. 8 is also used as a buffer memory for display image data. The media interface 11 inputs / outputs data to / from a recording medium 12 such as a memory card.

  The operation unit 13 performs various operations when using the digital camera, and includes a release button.

  The system control unit 9 is mainly configured by a processor that operates according to a predetermined program, and controls the entire digital camera 100 including a photographing operation.

  The system control unit 9 performs face detection processing from image data obtained by shooting the subject with the imaging unit 1 during the shooting preparation operation of the imaging unit 1, and detects an area where the degree of facialness exceeds a threshold as a face area. . The face detection process can be performed by a known technique such as a template matching process.

  In the shooting preparation operation, for example, when the release button is half-pressed and the system control unit 9 determines the shooting condition of the imaging unit 1 based on the image signal from the imaging unit 1, or the user sets a predetermined shooting mode. This shows that the through image is being displayed on the display unit 8 after the setting. That is, the system control unit 9 performs the above detection when the release button is half-pressed, or always performs the above detection while the through image is displayed.

  The system control unit 9 determines the shooting mode set in the imaging unit 1. Shooting modes that can be set with the digital camera 100 include a person mode that is optimal for shooting a person, a landscape mode that is optimal for shooting a landscape, a night view mode that is optimal for shooting a night scene, and a sports scene. Sports mode that is most suitable for the digital camera 100, and a fully automatic mode that leaves everything to the digital camera 100. The digital camera 100 has different shooting conditions for each of these shooting modes.

  The system control unit 9 selects the number of face areas corresponding to the determined shooting mode from the detected face areas. The system control unit 9 determines the shooting condition of the imaging unit 1 using the selected face area. For example, the system control unit 9 determines the optimum exposure by assigning weights to the selected face area, or uses the most selected face area having the highest degree of facialness to obtain the optimum photographing lens position. To decide. When determining the exposure, the exposure may be determined by changing the weighting degree in descending order of the degree of facialness.

  The system control unit 9 causes the display unit 8 to display information regarding the selected face area. The information related to the face area includes a frame indicating the face area, information indicating the order of the degree of facialness of the face area, and the like.

Hereinafter, the operation of the digital camera 100 will be described.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the digital camera for explaining the first embodiment of the present invention.
When one of the shooting modes is set by the user (S201) and the release button is pressed halfway to start the shooting preparation operation (S202), the digital camera 100 is obtained by shooting the subject with the imaging unit 1. From the obtained image data, an area where the degree of facialness exceeds the threshold is detected as a face area (S203).

  When there is no area where the degree of facialness exceeds the threshold and the face area cannot be detected (S203: NO), the digital camera 100 determines shooting conditions by a predetermined method (S217), and all the release buttons are set. When pressed, shooting is performed under the determined shooting conditions (S209).

  The predetermined method is a method set by the user or a method determined for each shooting mode. For example, spot metering or center-weighted metering is used as a method for determining exposure. There are methods.

  If there is an area where the degree of facialness exceeds the threshold and the face area can be detected (S203: YES), the digital camera 100 determines the shooting mode set in S201 (S204).

  When the shooting mode is the person mode (S205: YES), the digital camera 100 selects all the detected face areas (S206), and the system control unit 9 generates frame data for indicating the selected face areas. The generated frame data and image data are combined by the digital signal processing unit 6. Then, the system control unit 9 outputs the combined image data to the display unit 8. Thereby, a screen as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the display unit 8 (S207).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 8 displays a frame 30 indicating the detected face area on the through image obtained by photographing with the imaging unit 1. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the number 31 etc. which show the order of the degree of face-likeness of a face area may be displayed with the frame 30 which shows a face area.

  After displaying the screen as shown in FIG. 3, the digital camera 100 determines the shooting condition of the imaging unit 1 using the selected face area (S208), and when the release button is fully pressed, the determined shooting is performed. Shooting is performed under conditions (S209).

If the shooting mode is not the portrait mode (S205: NO) and the mode is the fully automatic mode (S210: YES), the digital camera 100 selects the top four most likely facial features from the detected face areas. (S211). However, if the number of detected face areas is less than four, all the detected face areas are selected.
In the digital camera 100, frame data for indicating the selected face area is generated by the system control unit 9, and the generated frame data and image data are combined by the digital signal processing unit 6. Then, the system control unit 9 outputs the combined image data to the display unit 8, and the process proceeds to S207.

If the shooting mode is not the fully automatic mode (S210: NO) and the night view mode is selected (S212: YES), the digital camera 100 selects the top two most likely facial features from the detected face areas. (S213). However, if the number of detected face areas is less than two, all the detected face areas are selected.
In the digital camera 100, frame data for indicating the selected face area is generated by the system control unit 9, and the generated frame data and image data are combined by the digital signal processing unit 6. Then, the system control unit 9 outputs the combined image data to the display unit 8, and the process proceeds to S207.

When the shooting mode is not the night view mode (S212: NO) and is the sports mode (S214: YES), the digital camera 100 selects one of the detected face areas with the highest degree of facialness ( S215).
In the digital camera 100, frame data for indicating the selected face area is generated by the system control unit 9, and the generated frame data and image data are combined by the digital signal processing unit 6. Then, the system control unit 9 outputs the combined image data to the display unit 8, and the process proceeds to S207.

  If the shooting mode is not the sport mode (S214: NO), that is, if the shooting mode is the landscape mode, the digital camera 100 does not select a face area from the detected face areas (S216), and the process proceeds to S217. To migrate.

  As described above, when the portrait mode is set, the digital camera 100 determines shooting conditions using all face areas detected from image data obtained by shooting a subject.

  When the person mode is set, it can be considered that it is a case where it is desired to perform shooting with emphasis on the person (face). For this reason, as described above, by determining the shooting conditions using all the detected face areas, it is possible to obtain an optimal image that matches the photographer's intention.

  Further, when the fully automatic mode is set, the digital camera 100 determines shooting conditions using a maximum of four face areas detected from image data obtained by shooting a subject.

  When the fully automatic mode is set, although it is not as high as the person mode, the person is often important. For this reason, an optimal image suitable for the photographer's intention can be obtained by using up to four face areas instead of using all the face areas as in the portrait mode.

  In addition, as described above, by not selecting the entire face area, it is possible to prevent the erroneously detected face area from being selected, and thus it is possible to reduce the influence of the erroneous detection on the image.

  In addition, when the night scene mode is set, the digital camera 100 determines shooting conditions using a maximum of two face areas detected from image data obtained by shooting a subject.

  When the night view mode is set, there is often no significant difference between the importance of the person and the night view. For this reason, by using a maximum of two face areas, which is a smaller number than in the fully automatic mode, it is possible to obtain an optimal image that suits the photographer's intention.

  Also, when the night view mode is selected, it is expected that there will be a lot of noise, so by selecting only the top two with the highest degree of facialness, the erroneously detected face area will be selected. Can be prevented, and the influence on the image due to erroneous detection can be reduced.

  Further, when the sports mode is set, the digital camera 100 determines the shooting condition by using one of the face areas detected from the image data obtained by shooting the subject.

  When the sport mode is set, there are many cases where there is not much difference between the importance of the person and the background as in the case where the night view mode is selected. Therefore, by using only one face area, which is a smaller number than in the fully automatic mode, it is possible to obtain an optimal image that suits the photographer's intention.

  Further, when the sport mode is set, the face area is detected for a moving object, so that the possibility that the face area is erroneously detected is high. Therefore, as described above, by selecting only the face having the maximum likelihood, it is possible to prevent the erroneously detected face area from being selected, and to reduce the influence of the erroneous detection on the image. .

  Further, when the landscape mode is set, the digital camera 100 determines shooting conditions by a preset method without using a face area detected from image data obtained by shooting a subject.

  When the landscape mode is set, the objective is to shoot landscapes, so even if there is a face on the subject, the shooting conditions are determined regardless of the face, making it the best fit for the photographer's intention. An image can be obtained.

  Further, the digital camera 100 displays information on the selected face area on the display unit 8. For this reason, the user can confirm the selection result of the face area displayed on the display unit 8, and can know what part is weighted to determine the photographing condition. Therefore, if the shooting conditions are not satisfactory, the shooting conditions can be changed manually, and the display is an effective assist function during shooting.

  In this embodiment, the shooting mode is determined after the face area is detected. However, the face area is detected after the shooting mode is determined first, and then the face area is selected. You may do it. In this way, when the determined shooting mode is the landscape mode, the face area detection process and the face area selection process can be omitted, and the process can be shifted to S217 to simplify the process. be able to.

  Further, the number of face areas selected by the digital camera 100 in S206, S211, S213, and S215 in FIG. 2 is not limited to the above, but the number of face areas selected in S206 is the largest, and the selection is made in S211. The number of face areas may be smaller than the number selected in S206, and the number of face areas selected in S213 and S215 may be smaller than the number selected in S211.

  In the present embodiment, the face detection processing performed by the system control unit 9 may be performed by the digital signal processing unit 6.

(Second embodiment)
In the digital camera 200 of the present embodiment, the system control unit 9 of the digital camera 100 shown in FIG.

  On the recording medium 12 of the digital camera 200, image data obtained by shooting by the imaging unit 1 and shooting mode determination information for determining a shooting mode at the time of shooting the image data are recorded in association with each other. ing.

  The system control unit 20 is mainly configured by a processor that operates according to a predetermined program, and controls the entire digital camera 200 including a photographing operation.

  The system control unit 20 performs face detection processing from the image data recorded on the recording medium 12, and detects an area where the degree of facialness exceeds a threshold as a face area. The face detection process can be performed by a known technique such as a template matching process.

  The system control unit 20 uses the shooting mode determination information recorded on the recording medium 12 to determine the shooting mode at the time of shooting the image data.

The system control unit 20 selects the number of face areas corresponding to the determined shooting mode from the detected face areas, and the digital signal processing unit 6 applies the image data recorded on the recording medium 12 to the image data. Image processing conditions for image processing to be performed (white balance adjustment, contour correction, gradation correction, etc.) are determined using the selected face area.
For example, the system control unit 20 weights the selected face area and determines image processing conditions for performing optimum contour correction, gradation correction, and the like. Further, the image processing conditions may be determined by changing the weighting degree in descending order of the degree of facialness.

  The digital signal processing unit 6 performs image processing on the image data under the image processing conditions determined by the system control unit 20.

  The system control unit 20 displays information on the selected face area on the display unit 8. The information related to the face area includes a frame indicating the face area, information indicating the order of the degree of facialness of the face area, and the like.

Hereinafter, the operation of the digital camera 200 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the digital camera for explaining the second embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing an operation flow when image processing is performed on the image data recorded on the recording medium 12. It is.

  When the image processing instruction is issued by the user, the system control unit 20 of the digital camera 200 reads the designated image data from the recording medium 12 (S401), and the degree of facialness reaches a threshold value from the read image data. The exceeding area is detected as a face area (S402).

If there is no area where the degree of facialness exceeds the threshold and the face area cannot be detected (S402: NO), the digital camera 200 determines image processing conditions by a predetermined method (S416), and the determined image Image processing is performed under the processing conditions (S408).
The predetermined method is a method set by default to perform image processing designated by the user. For example, the image processing conditions are determined by equally weighting the entire image, or the shooting mode is set. For example, the image processing condition may be determined by assigning weights to the area corresponding to the above.

  If there is an area where the degree of facialness exceeds the threshold and the face area can be detected (S402: YES), the digital camera 200 determines that image data from the shooting mode discrimination information associated with the image data read in S401. The shooting mode at the time of shooting is determined (S403).

  When the shooting mode is the person mode (S404: YES), the digital camera 200 selects all the detected face areas (S405), and the system control unit 20 generates frame data for indicating the selected face areas. The generated frame data and image data are combined by the digital signal processing unit 6. Then, the system control unit 20 outputs the combined image data to the display unit 8. As a result, a screen as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the display unit 8 (S406).

  After displaying the screen as shown in FIG. 3, the digital camera 200 determines image processing conditions using the selected face area (S407), and performs image processing under the determined image processing conditions (S408).

  When the shooting mode is not the portrait mode (S404: NO) and the mode is the fully automatic mode (S409: YES), the digital camera 200 selects the top four most likely facial features from the detected face areas. (S410). However, if the number of detected face areas is less than four, all the detected face areas are selected. In the digital camera 200, frame data for indicating the selected face area is generated by the system control unit 20, and the generated frame data and image data are combined by the digital signal processing unit 6. Then, the system control unit 20 outputs the combined image data to the display unit 8, and the process proceeds to S406.

  When the shooting mode is not the fully automatic mode (S409: NO) and the night view mode is selected (S411: YES), the digital camera 200 selects the top two most likely facial features from the detected face areas. (S412). However, if the number of detected face areas is less than two, all the detected face areas are selected. In the digital camera 200, frame data for indicating the selected face area is generated by the system control unit 20, and the generated frame data and image data are combined by the digital signal processing unit 6. Then, the system control unit 20 outputs the combined image data to the display unit 8, and the process proceeds to S406.

  When the shooting mode is not the night view mode (S411: NO) and is the sports mode (S413: YES), the digital camera 200 selects one of the detected face areas with the highest degree of facialness ( S414). In the digital camera 200, frame data for indicating the selected face area is generated by the system control unit 20, and the generated frame data and image data are combined by the digital signal processing unit 6. Then, the system control unit 20 outputs the combined image data to the display unit 8, and the process proceeds to S406.

  If the shooting mode is not the sport mode (S413: NO), that is, if it is the landscape mode, the digital camera 200 does not select a face area from the detected face areas (S415), and the process proceeds to S416. To migrate.

  As described above, when the shooting mode at the time of shooting image data is the person mode, the digital camera 200 determines the image processing conditions using all the face areas detected from the image data.

  When the person mode is set, it is considered that the image data is taken with emphasis on the person (face). For this reason, as described above, by determining the image processing conditions using all the detected face areas, it is possible to obtain an optimal image that suits the photographer's intention.

  In addition, when the shooting mode at the time of shooting image data is the fully automatic mode, the digital camera 200 determines the image processing conditions using a maximum of four face areas detected from the image data.

  If the fully automatic mode is set, the person is considered to be important, although not as much as the person mode. For this reason, an optimal image suitable for the photographer's intention can be obtained by using up to four face areas instead of using all the face areas as in the portrait mode.

  In addition, as described above, by not selecting the entire face area, it is possible to prevent the erroneously detected face area from being selected, and thus it is possible to reduce the influence of the erroneous detection on the image.

  Further, when the shooting mode at the time of shooting the image data is the night view mode, the digital camera 200 determines the image processing condition using a maximum of two face areas detected from the image data.

  When the night view mode is set, the image may contain only the night view or the person may be included, and the image data is not so different in importance between the person and the night view. There are many cases. For this reason, by using a maximum of two face areas, which is a smaller number than in the fully automatic mode, it is possible to obtain an optimal image suitable for the photographer's intention.

  If the night view mode is set, it is expected that there will be a lot of noise in the image data, so select only the top two that have the highest degree of facialness to select the erroneously detected face area. Can be prevented, and the influence on the image due to erroneous detection can be reduced.

  Further, when the shooting mode at the time of shooting the image data is the sport mode, the digital camera 200 determines an image processing condition using one of the face areas detected from the image data.

  When the sport mode is set, as in the case where the night view mode is selected, the image data is often not so different in importance between the person and the background. Therefore, by using only one face area, which is a smaller number than in the fully automatic mode, it is possible to obtain an optimal image that suits the photographer's intention.

  In addition, when the sport mode is set, the face area is detected from the image data obtained by shooting the moving subject, so that the possibility that the face area is erroneously detected is high. . Therefore, as described above, by selecting only the face having the maximum likelihood, it is possible to prevent the erroneously detected face area from being selected, and to reduce the influence of the erroneous detection on the image. .

  The digital camera 200 determines the image processing condition by a preset method without using the face area detected from the image data when the shooting mode at the time of shooting the image data is the landscape mode. Image processing is performed under the determined image processing conditions.

  When the landscape mode is set, the image data is taken for the purpose of shooting the landscape, so even if there is a face in the image based on the image data, the image processing conditions are determined regardless of the face Thus, an optimal image that matches the photographer's intention can be obtained.

  Further, the digital camera 200 displays information on the selected face area on the display unit 8. For this reason, the user can confirm the selection result of the face area displayed on the display unit 8, and can know what part is weighted to determine the image processing condition. Therefore, if the image processing conditions are not satisfactory, the image processing conditions can be changed manually, and the above display is an effective assist function during image processing.

  In this embodiment, the shooting mode is determined after the face area is detected. However, the face area is detected after the shooting mode is determined first, and then the face area is selected. You may do it. In this way, when the determined shooting mode is the landscape mode, the face area detection process and the face area selection process can be omitted, and the process can be shifted to S416, thereby simplifying the process. be able to.

  Also, the number of face areas selected by the digital camera 200 in S405, S410, S412, and S414 in FIG. 4 is not limited to the above, but the number of face areas selected in S405 is the largest, and is selected in S410. It is only necessary that the number of face areas is smaller than the number selected in S405, and the number of face areas selected in S412 and S414 is smaller than the number selected in S410.

  In the present embodiment, the face detection process performed by the system control unit 20 may be performed by the digital signal processing unit 6.

  In this embodiment, the digital camera has been described as an example. However, the same effect can be obtained by executing the program executed by the system control unit 20 on a computer. A similar effect can be obtained by executing the above program in a printer having an image processing function.

The figure which shows schematic structure of the digital camera for describing 1st embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the operation | movement flow of the digital camera for describing 1st embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the example of a screen display of a display part The figure which shows the operation | movement flow of the digital camera for describing 2nd embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image pick-up part 2 Analog signal processing part 3 A / D conversion part 4 Drive part 6 Digital signal processing part 7 Compression / decompression processing part 8 Display part 9 System control part 10 Internal memory 11 Media interface 12 Recording medium 13 Operation part 14 System bus

Claims (15)

Photographing means for photographing the subject;
Shooting condition determining means for determining shooting conditions of the shooting means;
A face area detecting means for detecting a face area from image data obtained by photographing the subject during the photographing preparation operation of the photographing means;
A face area selection unit that selects a number of face areas corresponding to the shooting mode of the shooting unit from the face areas detected by the face area detection unit;
The photographing condition determining means is a digital camera that determines the photographing condition using the face area selected by the face area selecting means. The digital camera according to claim 1,
The shooting mode includes a person mode,
The face area selection means may select the number of face areas to be selected when the shooting mode is the person mode, and the number of face areas to be selected when the shooting mode is a shooting mode other than the person mode. A digital camera that is a lot to do. The digital camera according to claim 2,
The face area selection means is a digital camera that selects all the face areas detected by the face area detection means when the shooting mode is the person mode. The digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The shooting mode includes a fully automatic mode and a night view mode or a sports mode,
The face area selecting means selects the number of face areas to be selected when the shooting mode is the fully automatic mode, and the number of face areas to be selected when the shooting mode is the night view mode or the sports mode. A digital camera that is a lot to do. The digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The shooting mode includes a landscape mode,
When the shooting mode is the landscape mode, the face area selecting means sets the number of face areas to be selected to 0, and in this case, the shooting condition determining means is a predetermined method. A digital camera that determines shooting conditions. The digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The shooting mode includes a landscape mode,
When the shooting mode is the landscape mode, the face area detecting unit and the face area selecting unit do not operate. In this case, the shooting condition determining unit determines the shooting condition by a predetermined method. Digital camera that is to do. The digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A digital camera comprising display control means for displaying information on the face area selected by the face area selection means on a display unit. An image processing apparatus that performs image processing on image data recorded on a recording medium,
Image processing condition determining means for determining an image processing condition of the image data;
Face area detecting means for detecting a face area from the image data;
Shooting mode determining means for determining a shooting mode at the time of shooting the image data;
A face area selecting means for selecting the number of face areas corresponding to the shooting mode determined by the shooting mode determining means from the face areas detected by the face area detecting means;
The image processing apparatus, wherein the image processing condition determining means determines the image processing condition using the face area selected by the face area selecting means. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein
The shooting mode includes a person mode,
When the shooting mode determined by the shooting mode determination unit is the person mode, the face area selection unit determines the number of face areas to be selected in a shooting mode other than the person mode. An image processing apparatus that increases the number of face areas to be selected in some cases. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9,
The image processing apparatus, wherein the face area selection unit selects all the face areas detected by the face area detection unit when the shooting mode determined by the shooting mode determination unit is the person mode. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 10,
The shooting mode includes a fully automatic mode and a night view mode or a sports mode,
When the shooting mode determined by the shooting mode determination unit is the fully automatic mode, the face area selection unit determines the number of face areas to be selected, and the determined shooting mode is the night view mode or the sports mode. An image processing apparatus that increases the number of face areas to be selected in some cases. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11,
The shooting mode includes a landscape mode,
When the shooting mode determined by the shooting mode determination unit is the landscape mode, the face area selection unit sets the number of face areas to be selected to 0. In this case, the image processing condition determination unit Is an image processing apparatus for determining the image processing conditions by a predetermined method. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11,
The shooting mode includes a landscape mode,
When the shooting mode determined by the shooting mode determination means is the landscape mode, the face area detection means and the face area selection means do not operate. In this case, the image processing condition determination means is determined in advance. An image processing apparatus for determining the image processing conditions by the method described above. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11,
An image processing apparatus comprising display control means for displaying information on the face area selected by the face area selection means on a display unit.   A digital camera provided with the image processing apparatus in any one of Claims 8-14.

Images